A Tale of Two Icons

Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprints Season Review

The 2009 season of the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprint division at the Lernerville Speedway was truly a Tale of Two Icons.  At one end of the spectrum you had Ed Lynch Jr.’s all out assault on the Century Mark for Career Wins; at the other end of the spectrum is Rod George, the patient and consistent veteran that is a threat to win every week, but is also wise enough to understand that second and third place finishes are the key to winning a Track Championship.

And despite an eight win season by “The Apollo Rocket” Ed Lynch Jr., it was the “Kittanning Comet” Rod George in Sheetz Victory Lane at the end of the season as the 2009 Budweiser Track Champion.

2009 Budweiser Track Champion Rod George - Stivason Photos

After Lynch started the season with a three-peat, George picked up his first feature win of 2009 on Friday May 19 and backed that up with a second win on Friday August 7.  He also amassed three heat race wins and finished the 14 Fab Four Features with 10 top fives and 12 top tens.  George’s two feature wins during the 2009 season put his career mark at 40.  The 2009 Track Championship is George’s third career title at Lernerville Speedway; also winning the championship in 1986 and 2002.  He is also a multi-time Track Champion at Tri-City Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park.

All Time Wins Leader Ed Lynch Jr. - Stivason Photos

Ed Lynch Jr. is a four time Track Champion in the CTT Sprints and the All Time Wins leader in the division.  His goal was plain and simple entering the 2009 season; 100 wins.  In the 40+ year history of Don Martin’s Lernerville Speedway, only three drivers had previously reached the rare air of the Century Club; Hall of Famers Bob Wearing Sr. and Lou Blaney, as well as future Hall of Famer Lynn Geisler. 

As mentioned above, Lynch started the 2009 season with three straight wins. He scored another three-peat, stretched out over a handful of rainouts and special events from May 29 to July 3.  Career Sprint Car win #100, (he also has a win in a Modified), came on Friday July 24.  Lynch was met in Sheetz Victory Lane that night by his devoted crew, family and friends armed with bottles of champagne and a handsome check from his sponsors to commemorate the win.  For good measure, Lynch won the final CTT Sprint feature of the season on the final night of Budweiser Points on Friday August 28 to push his career win total to 101 in sprints and 102 overall.  He nearly capped the season with win number nine during the Inaugural DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede in October but was passed on a green-white-checkered restart on a super slick track by second generation driver Cole Duncan.  In addition to his eight feature wins, Lynch won nine heat races, and scored 11 top fives and 14 top tens.

Kevin Schaeffer - Stivason Photos

After a three year reign as Track Champion in the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprints, Kevin Schaeffer put together another solid season top finish third in Budweiser Points.  Like fellow Kittanning native Rod George, Schaeffer is a model of consistency, and few drivers take better care of their equipment than he does.  After a two win effort in 2008, Schaeffer went winless in 2009, but took the checkers second and third three times respectively.  In all, Schaeffer matched Rod George’s marks of two heat race wins, 10 top fives and 12 top tens. 

Jack Sodeman Jr. - Stivason Photos

2009 was a banner season for second generation driver Jack Sodeman Jr.  He landed a major sponsor in UnWired Inc., scored his first career Lernerville Speedway feature win and finished fourth in the Budweiser Point Standings.  Prior to Friday August 21, his best finish was second, accomplished twice during the 2009 season.  The breakthrough win on August 21 came at the expense of eventual Track Champion Rod George whom started on the pole and fought Sodeman for the lead the whole way to the finish line.  Lynch and Schaeffer were also in hot pursuit, but Sodeman would not be denied his time to shine!  In addition to his feature win, Sodeman recorded four heat race wins, four top fives and 12 top tens.

Bob Felmlee - Stivason Photos

Veteran driver Bob Felmlee battled gremlins for most of the 2009 Fab Four Racing season.  Felmlee, like Lynch and George, is a threat to win every time he rolls his familiar #6 mount onto the Action Track.  His seven heat race wins are evidence of that.  Throughout the course of the season, he was the bridesmaid on three separate occasions, but the highlight of his season was an impressive third place finish with the All Star Circuit of Champions on June 5.  In all, Felmlee recorded seven top fives and nine top tens on the way to another top five finish in the Budweiser Point Standings.

Carl Bowser - Stivason Photos

“Kangaroo” Carl Bowser started his 2009 season Down Under in Australia getting valuable seat time while most drivers were building cars and preparing for the 2009 season in the snowy confines of Western Pennsylvania.  The Fab Four Racing season started on a bad note for Bowser, who destroyed a brand new car at home while firing the motor.  With a new, simpler black & white paint scheme, Carl’s experience in Australia paid almost immediate dividends as he won the CTT Sprint feature on Friday May 22.  He followed that with a hot streak in the hottest part of the summer in late July/early August with three straight top five finishes.  When the checkered flag waved on the Budweiser Point Standings, Bowser had five top fives and eight top tens on his way to a sixth place finish in Bud Points.

Brent Matus - Stivason Photos

Rounding out the Top Ten of Budweiser Points were Brent Matus, Todd Bauer, Scott Priester and Dan Kuriger.  Matus recorded two heat race wins, one top five and nine top tens.  Bauer, a contender for Most Improved Driver in the division, had one heat race win, two top fives and nine top tens.  Priester had four top fives and seven top tens, but no heat race wins.  Finally, Kuriger collected two top fives, seven top tens, but not heat race wins.

Mike Lurz - Stivason Photos

The only other drivers to capture Fab Four Features in the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprints were Australian Steve Lines (July 10) and Mike Lutz (August 14).  Lutz is another driver who is always a threat to win, but runs a more limited schedule at Lernerville than the likes of Lynch, George and Felmlee.  Despite the limited schedule, Lutz recorded one heat race wins, five top fives and seven top tens.

Danny Holtgraver - Stivason Photos

Rising star Danny Holtgraver finished just outside the Top Ten in Bud Points due to travelling around to get some valuable seat time at other regional tracks.  While Holtgraver has not yet seen Sheetz Victory Lane, (though he has won at Mercer and Sharon), he is coming ever closer.  Oddly enough, Holtgraver performs the best on the biggest stages.  He joined Ed Lynch Jr. as the only other Lernerville local to qualify directly into the Twin 30s of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XVIII.  He also qualified for both A-Mains with the All Star Circuit of Champions in June and September.

 Charlie Holben in the Dionise #15 - Stivason Photos

Veterans Charlie Holben, (whom finished 11^th in points behind the wheel of Martha Dionise’s #15 car), Scott Bonnell and Ralph Spithaler were joined almost every week by young guns Pete Miller III, Garrett Krummert and Brandon Matus.

Lindsay Enscoe - Stivason Photos

As the 2009 season progressed, youngster Lindsay Enscoe appeared to be turning the corner and becoming increasingly more comfortable behind the wheel of a fire breathing 410 sprint car, but a nasty flip at the flagstand stalled her season for quite a few weeks.  Everyone is looking forward to the continued growth of Lindsay and this young crop of drivers.  Included in that group is Pete Landrum; who got a late start to the season, but figures to take a big step forward along with Holtgraver, Miller, Krummert, Matus and Enscoe in 2010.

Other 410 sprint car drivers whom competed at Lernerville Speedway during the 2009 season of Fab Four Racing include (in order of final Budweiser Point Standings): Joe Butera, Bud Watt, Gary Rankin, Sheila Rankin, Bill Kiley, Andy Priest, Gale Ruth Sr., Robbie Bartchey, Andy McKisson, Dan Shetler, Eric Williams, Craig Mintz, Cole Duncan, Ryan Lynn, Chris Best, Jason Pisani, Bob Howard, Matt Reed, Eli DeShids, Aaron Shaffer, Bobbi Rankin, Jeremy Cook and Brian Steinman.

As mentioned above earlier, the 2009 season of CTT Sprints was capped with a $2000-to-win non-points race during the Inaugural DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede.  Second Generation driver Cole Duncan stole the win away from Ed Lynch Jr. on a green-white-checkered restart.  Unfortunately for Duncan, few fans saw this move, because most fans just assumed Lynch would rocket off the restart and cruise to another victory, and thus were watching further back in the pack for some late race passing.

The 2010 season of the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprints will commence on Opening Night, Friday March 26.  The 2010 season will also feature invasions by both the World of Outlaws and All Stars.  The Twin 30s format of the Don Memorial Silver Cup will return for the 19^th installment of the Crown Jewel event of national 410 sprint car racing. 

And finally, as previously announced, the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprints will be switching to Goodyear Racing Tires on both back corners.  Goodyear’s intent is to provide tires that will “unhook” the cars to slow them down and create better and closer racing!  Can March 26 get here soon enough?

Contact: Lernerville Speedway                 

Eric J. Westendorf, Public Relations Director

(724) 664-1075 · This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it