Awesome Alex Three-peats, Gregg Satterlee becomes “The Truth”

Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models Season Review

Sarver, PA (December 11, 2009) The 2009 season of the Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models division at the Lernerville Speedway was very similar to that of the Commercial Truck & Trailer DIRTcar Sprint division; where one driver won the most races, but another won the Budweiser Track Championship.  Though almost a full generation apart, Gregg Satterlee played the role of Ed Lynch Jr.; winning more races than any other driver in the division.  But it was Alex Ferree playing the role of Rod George; winning fewer races but consistently bringing home top five finishes on an almost weekly basis on the way to his third straight Track Championship.

"The A-Train" driven by Alex Ferree - Stivason Photos

With all due respect to future Hall of Famers Lynn Geisler and John Flinner, Alex Ferree has firmly entrenched himself as the measuring stick of all Late Model drivers at the Lernerville Speedway.  Over the past three seasons, Alex has scored 15 Friedman’s Freshmarkets Late Model Feature wins.  Nine of those wins came in his breakout season of 2007.  In each of the past two years, he has won three features in arguably the most competitive division in Fab Four Racing. 

Ferree’s first feature win of 2009 came on Friday July 10 in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season on #1 Cochran Fireworks Night.  Denton Boyer led early, but Ferree took the lead and held off an upstart Doug Horton to take the checkers.  His second win came on Friday August 7 in a UFo Series sanctioned event nicknamed the “Lunarville 33.”  A loaded field of cars highlighted by World of Outlaws Star Chub Frank and All Stars Late Model Series Stars Boom Briggs and Robbie Blair raced 33 laps with $2000 on the line for the winner.  Ferree took the lead from Briggs at the halfway mark and held off the advances of Satterlee, Frank and Blair. 

Alex Ferree and Crew - Stivason Photos

His final win of the season came on Friday August 21 after he inherited the lead from Jared Miley who went up in smoke taking the white flag.  The win all but sealed his third straight Track Championship.  He would officially clinch the title a week later despite a DNF in the final Fab Four Feature of the season.  Winning a third straight Track Championship put Ferree in an elite club with Legendary drivers like Dave Hoffman, Lynn Geisler and John Flinner.  All Time Late Model and Overall wins leader Bob Wearing Sr. never accomplished this feat, neither did Alex’s father Ed, nor Hall of Famer Blackie Watt!

"The Truth" Gregg Satterlee - Stivason Photos

During his breakout season of 2009, Gregg Satterlee was nicknamed “The Truth” by World of Outlaws Late Model Series Announcer Rick Eshelman.  He started the 2009 season in Sheetz Victory Lane by winning on Opening Night.  Between Opening Night and the 3^rd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, Satterlee checkered a total of four Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models Features, two other top five finishes and one DNF.  He nearly scored another win in the Inaugural All Star 50, (the first race in the history or the reborn O’Reilly All Star Late Model Series), but heavy contact with eventual winner Boom Briggs sent Satterlee sailing over the top of turn two and out of contention.

On Friday June 12, Satterlee won the Mid-Season Championship in a thrilling and controversial race with John Flinner.  The win secured a provisional in the $2000-to-start Firecracker 100. The following week, Satterlee hit the road and followed the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on the Great Northern Tour through tracks in Canada.  After the Firecracker, Satterlee hit the road again and raced numerous high paying events throughout the region, making a name for himself all over the country. 

He returned for a few events at the end of the season including his fifth feature win on the final night of Budweiser Points.  A week later, Satterlee set the quick time at the O’Reilly All Stars Dual in the Dirt; nearly setting a new Track Record in the process.  When the checkered flag waved for Feature Winner Brady Smith, Satterlee was close behind for a strong third place finish.  Despite missing a handful of races during the second half of the Fab Four Racing season, Satterlee finished tenth in the final Budweiser Point Standings with eight top fives and four heat race wins to go with his five features.

Lynn Geisler - Stivason Photos

Five-Time Track Champion and Century Club member Lynn Geisler was Ferree’s nearest competitor in the Bud Point standings.  The National Late Model Hall of Famer scored career win #107 on Friday July 3 after inheriting the lead from Alex Ferree whom succumbed to suspension issues while running away with the feature.  Ever a model of consistency, Geisler finished the season with 11 top ten finishes, four other top fives and one heat race win.  In Big Ticket Races, Geisler won B-Main #1 and finished 12^th in the Showdown in Sarvertown, and 10^th in the Uncle Sam 30.

Dave Murdick in the Pitkavish #1J - Stivason Photos

Already a well established front runner in the Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Modifieds, Dave Murdick is quickly making a name for himself in the Pitkavish #1J Late Model.  In just his second full season behind the wheel of a full-fendered Late Model, Murdick finish third in the Budweiser Point Standings despite missing a few weeks of racing mid-season after blowing an engine.  Murdick came back with a fire-breathing power plant from Edge Racing Engines and was one of the fastest cars on the track after the Firecracker.  Only the aforementioned Geisler kept him from claiming his first career Late Model win on Friday July 3.  He backed that up with a third place finish on July 17 and second place finish on July 24.  He finished in the top ten of the UFo Race on July 31, then closed the Fab Four Racing season with three straight top five finishes.  All told, Murdick finished the season with seven top fives, 11 top tens and three heat race wins for car owner Jimmie Pitkavish.

Gary Lyle and John Garvin Jr. tied for fourth place in Budweiser Points, just one point behind Murdick. 

Gary Lyle back in Sheetz Victory Lane! - Stivason Photos

1998 Track Champion Gary Lyle had every intention of retiring from racing at the end of the 2008 season, but fate got in the way when Lyle won the 10^th Anniversary Racers for Tots car at Fall Fest at Challenger in October of 2008.  The combination of winning the car that tens of thousands of people had bought a ticket for and the fact that it had his familiar #10 already on it, seemed like too much karma for Gary to overlook.  He left the Racers for Tots colors and decals on the car, adding his own sponsors to it, and acted as a high speed billboard for the wonderful charity!  Fate seemed to come full circle on Friday May 22 as Lyle took the lead on lap two and fought off Doug Horton and Gregg Satterlee for an emotional win that might never had occurred had Lyle not bought that winning ticket!  In addition to his feature win, his first at Lernerville since 2002, Lyle score six top five finishes and three heat race wins.

John Garvin Jr. - Stivason Photos

John Garvin Jr. has yet to make his debut in Sheetz Victory Lane, but like Dave Murdick, he is coming ever closer.  But unlike Murdick, Garvin’s best finishes came at the beginning of the season.  He finished second twice; to Dave Hess Jr. on April 24 and again to John Flinner on May 29.  He also scored two heat race wins during the season to go along with three top fives and a total of six top ten finishes.  Garvin enters the 2010 as perhaps the most determined driver in the division looking for that elusive ice breaking feature win!

Doug Horton in the Bobby Lake #46 - Stivason Photos

Another driver whom seemed destined to win a race in 2009 was the “Bruceton Mills Bandit” Doug Horton.  Horton, like Lyle, was also rumored to be without a ride for 2009, (as Bobby Lake was reportedly stepping down his Late Model operations), but they were back and as strong as ever.  Horton ran up front all season and narrowly missed the sweet taste of victory on a handful of occasions.  On his way to sixth in the final Bud Point Standings, Horton accumulated an impressive nine top five finishes, including a trio of bridesmaid finishes; on Opening Night to Gregg Satterlee, again on May 29 to the aforementioned Gary Lyle and on July 10 to eventual Track Champion Alex Ferree.  He also drove the Todd Bachman #66 to a third place finish in his first night in the car while Todd was on vacation.

Horton’s most impressive performance of the season came during the biggest weekend of the summer for Late Models at Lernerville Speedway as he won his heat race during the 3^rd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com; beating eventual Firecracker Champion Jimmy Mars.  In doing so, Horton guaranteed himself a $2000 starting spot in the 100-lap feature that was nationally televised on SPEED.   He picked up another big heat race win at the Dual in the Dirt against the O’Reilly All Stars on Labor Day weekend, and then finished sixth in the A-Main.

Todd Bachman - Stivason Photos

After being named the Most Improved Driver in the division in 2008, Todd Bachman continued to improve during the 2009 season and finished a career high seventh in Bud Points.  Bachman got a much later start in racing than most of his counterparts, but few drivers in the country have better or sharper looking equipment than Bachman!  He reached the first milestone of his career in 2009 with a heat race win on Opening Night.  He also scored a solid nine finishes in the top ten.

Chuck Sarver - Stivason Photos

Veteran driver Chuck Sarver also improved upon his career best standing in the Budweiser Point Standings with an 8^th place finish.  He also scored a season best (and perhaps career best) top five on Friday July 3.  Over the course of the 2009 season, Sarver recorded seven top tens.  Personally, Chuck is one of the most respected drivers both for his driving style on the track and friendly demeanor in and around the pits.

Jared Miley - Stivason Photos

In 2008, Jared Miley led the Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models with four feature wins and finished third in Bud Points.  2009 saw Jared spread his wings and hit the road with the O’Reilly All Stars Late Models.  At the Action Track, Miley managed to finish ninth in the final Bud Point Standings despite missing a handful of events.  His lone win of 2009 came on Friday July 24.  Miley nearly won the Mid-Season Championship with a Kamikaze move in turns three and four that ended with an almost horrific crash taking him out of the race.  In Big Ticket events, Miley finished eighth in the Inaugural All Star 50, 18^th in the Showdown in Sarvertown, transferred directly into the Firecracker 100 via his heat race after turning the eighth quickest lap of qualifying and completed the race under green flag conditions in 17^th place, 16^th in the All Stars Dual in the Dirt and second in the Inaugural DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede.

As mentioned above, Friedman’s Freshmarketers DIRTcar Late Model division wins leader Gregg Satterlee rounded out the Budweiser Top Ten in points despite running a limited Friday Night Fab Four schedule.

John Flinner - Stivason Photos

To say that Five-Time Track Champion John Flinner had a turbulent 2009 would be an incredible understatement!  Even just focusing on his on track performance and forgetting the real world issues he dealt with this summer, Flinner took his fans on another roller coaster of a season.  The high point of the season came on Friday May 29 when he inherited the lead from Mike Blose and captured the win without leading a lap under green flag conditions.  His only Lernerville feature win of 2009 was the 40^th of his storied career.  To many human eyes, Flinner won feature #41 of Friday June 12, but the transponder showed that Gregg Satterlee won the race, leaving Flinner a disappointed second place.  He also appeared to have the car to beat during the Inaugural DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede and the pole position for the feature, but the car wouldn’t fire and Flinner never even took the green flag. 

Due to missing a few Fab Four events for a few different reasons, Flinner finished just outside the Top Ten in Bud Points despite the feature win and four heat race wins.  He also collected a total of three top fives and five top tens during the 2009 campaign. 

Kenny Schaltenbrand - Stivason Photos

Kenny Schaltenbrand probably would have finished in the top ten in Bud Points again in 2009 had he not switched rides mid-season.  Budweiser Points are awarded to the car, not the driver, so unfortunately for Kenny, the points accrued in the Peterman car did not carry over to points for his own car.  So after starting the year in the Peterman #67, he returned mid-season in his own familiar #29 and picked up a feature win on Friday August 14.  Between the two rides, Schaltenbrand finished 2009 with three top fives and six top tens, but did not win a heat race.

Dave Hess Jr. - Stivason Photos

The only other driver to win a Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Model feature during Fab Four Racing in 2009 was regional invader Dave Hess Jr.  Hess runs a true “Outlaw” schedule hitting high paying events in the region, but always makes a few visits to the Action Track to tune up for the Firecracker 100.  Hess was in the right place at the right time of Friday April 24 when, while running third, Satterlee and Ferree got together while battling for the lead, allowing Hess to steal the win away.

Three young drivers have shown signs of future promise in the Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Model division.  Hometown boy Mike Norris, Denton Boyer and Tony Musolino are all on the verge of being weekly contenders in the ultra-competitive division.

Other Late Model drivers whom competed at Lernerville Speedway during the 2009 season of Fab Four Racing include (in order of final Budweiser Point Standings): Tony Burke (who also would have likely finished in the top ten if not for some medical issues mid-season), Mike and Davey Johnson, Mark Booth, John Mollick, Bob Wearing Jr., Jim Detman and Brian Swartzlander, Tom Bateman, Keith Barbara, Ray Kroll Sr., Herman  Bertolini, John Britsky, Jim Kurpakus, John Over, Matt Lux, Mason Zeigler, Fred Zeigler, Clint Hayes, Terry Porter, Russell King, Mike Blose, Chris Schneider, Mike Bores, Clate Copeman, Sam Stile and Jim Kutas.

Matt Lux - Stivason Photos

The 2009 season of Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models was capped with a $2000-to-win non-points race during the Inaugural DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede.  Rising regional star Matt Lux put on a whale of a show in the 25-lap feature on a super slick track.  The field was predominantly made up of regional stars and Lernerville Locals.  Lux held off the advances of Jared Miley, Gregg Satterlee, Dave Hess Jr. and Russell King to take the checkers for the first time at Lernerville Speedway in over two years.

2010 promises to be another exciting year for the Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models.  The 4^th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com will see a format change from a two-night show to a three-night show on the weekend of June 24-26.  Further details about the new format will be released in the near future.  The O’Reilly All Star Late Model Series will also return to the speedway in 2010 along with a full slate of Fab Four Races that are sure to provide weekly excitement for the fans of the full-fendered flyers.

Contact: Lernerville Speedway                     

Eric J. Westendorf, Public Relations Director