Lernerville Speedway facts for kids
Lernerville Speedway is a famous dirt race track located in Sarver, Pennsylvania, USA. It's a 4/10 mile (about 640 meters) oval track made of dirt, where exciting car races happen. The track is currently owned by Tomson Scrap Metal.
Lernerville Speedway hosts big events like the World of Outlaws Sprintcar Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. It also features the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car series. The track has been open for over 50 years, with 2019 marking its 52nd season.
Every Friday from mid-April to August, Lernerville holds weekly races with its "Fab 4" divisions. These include the "Big Three": 410 Sprints, Super Late Models, and Big Block Modifieds. Lernerville is the only track in the entire country that races all three of these divisions every week!
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Track Records and Top Drivers
Race tracks keep records of who has won the most races. At Lernerville, some drivers have won many times over the years.
Most Wins at Lernerville
Here are some of the drivers with the most wins at Lernerville Speedway:
- Bob Wearing Sr. - 179 wins
- Lou Blaney - 118 wins
- Lynn Geisler - 109 wins
- Ed Lynch Jr. - 107 wins
- Brian Swartzlander - 93 wins (He is still racing!)
Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup
The Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup is one of the biggest and most exciting sprint car races at Lernerville Speedway each year. It's part of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and offers a large prize to the winner.
The first Silver Cup race was held in 1992, and Sammy Swindell was the first winner, taking home $25,000. After the track's promoter, Don Martin, passed away, the race was named in his honor.
For a few years, the race was unique because it had two main races ("A" Features) on the same night. The driver with the best overall finish in both races was crowned the Silver Cup Champion. In 2011, the rules changed so that the overall winner had to win at least one of the two features. Famous NASCAR drivers like Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart have also competed in this race. In 2016, the Silver Cup went back to being a single main race.
Recent Silver Cup Winners
- 2020 - Donny Schatz
- 2019 - David Gravel
- 2018 - Kyle Larson
- 2017 - Donny Schatz
- 2016 - David Gravel
- 2015 - Overall Dale Blaney
- 2014 - Overall Donny Schatz
- 2013 - Overall Donny Schatz
- 2012 - Overall Craig Dollansky
- 2011 - Overall Tim Shaffer
- 2010 - Overall Donny Schatz
- 2009 - Overall Danny Lasoski
- 2008 - Steve Kinser
- 2007 - Donny Schatz
- 2006 - Donny Schatz
- 2005 - Tim Shaffer
- 2004 - Sammy Swindell
- 2003 - Not held
- 2002 - Ed Lynch Jr.
- 2001 - Mark Kinser
- 2000 - Sammy Swindell
- 1999 - Mark Kinser
- 1998 - Mark Kinser
- 1997 - Mark Kinser
- 1996 - Mark Kinser
- 1995 - Stevie Smith
- 1994 - Steve Kinser
- 1993 - Jeff Swindell
- 1992 - Sammy Swindell (First race)
Firecracker 100
The Firecracker 100 is the biggest race for late model cars at Lernerville. It happens on the last weekend of June. This race brings together some of the best late model drivers from all over the country to compete in a 100-lap race. There's also a shorter race called the Uncle Sam 30 for drivers who don't make it into the main 100-lap event.
Firecracker 100 Highlights
- The first Firecracker 100 was held in 2007 and was won by Scott Bloomquist.
- In 2010, the race became a three-day event, with two shorter races leading up to the main 100-lap feature.
- Jimmy Mars became the first driver to win the Firecracker 100 twice in 2011.
- In 2013, Josh Richards made history by winning all three races during the Firecracker weekend.
- Rick Eckert became the first driver from Pennsylvania to win the event in 2015.
- Scott Bloomquist holds the record for the most wins, with three victories.
- In 2017, Brandon Overton won a rare caution-free race, leading all 100 laps.
- Chris Madden dominated the 2018 race, also leading all 100 laps.
- The 2019 race saw a dramatic finish, with Tim McCreadie making a last-lap pass to win.
- In 2020, Cade Dillard won the 14th Annual Firecracker event, which had a new format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Past Firecracker 100 Winners
- 2020 - Cade Dillard
- 2019 - Tim McCreadie
- 2018 - Chris Madden
- 2017 - Brandon Overton
- 2016 - Scott Bloomquist
- 2015 - Rick Eckert
- 2014 - Darrell Lanigan
- 2013 - Josh Richards
- 2012 - Scott Bloomquist
- 2011 - Jimmy Mars
- 2010 - Shane Clanton
- 2009 - Jimmy Mars
- 2008 - Brian Birkhofer
- 2007 - Scott Bloomquist
History of Lernerville Speedway
Lernerville Speedway first opened its gates for racing in 1967. Before it was a race track, the land was actually home to a popular amusement park and a skating rink! The first full year of racing at Lernerville was in 1968. From the very beginning, sprint cars, modifieds, and late models were part of the racing program.
Weekly Racing Program
Since 1993, Lernerville has been unique by running sprint cars, late models, and modifieds every week. This makes it the only track in the country to host these three "Big 3" divisions regularly.
Over the years, different people have promoted and managed the track. Don Martin was the promoter until he passed away in 1993. Later, World Racing Group bought the speedway in 2005. In 2015, Tomson Scrap Metal purchased the track, but World Racing Group continued to operate it for a while.
The track usually has races on Friday nights from late March to early September. Sometimes, there are special races on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and big season-ending events on Saturdays in September and October.
Race Sanctioning Bodies
Lernerville's weekly races are often approved by racing organizations like UMP DIRTcar. This means they follow specific rules for cars and tires. Many of the divisions racing at Lernerville are UMP DIRTcar sanctioned, including 410 Sprints, Late Models, and Big Block Modifieds. Other organizations like RUSH also approve races for different types of cars, such as Pro Stocks and Sportman Modifieds.
The track has been very successful in its over 50 years of racing. Some of the biggest prizes for winners have been as high as $40,000 for World of Outlaws Sprint and Late Model races. Drivers are always trying to set new track records for the fastest laps. Joey Saldana holds the sprint car qualifying record, and Mike Marlar holds the late model record.
Lernerville on TV
Some of Lernerville's big races have even been shown on TV channels like SPEED and ESPN2. These included the Firecracker 100, The Showdown in Sarvertown, and the Silver Cup World of Outlaws events.
Past Special Events
Lernerville Speedway has hosted many exciting special events over the years, bringing in different types of race cars and series. Some of these include:
- World of Outlaws Late Models Firecracker 100
- World of Outlaws Sprint Silver Cup
- All Star Late Model and Sprint Car races
- Steel City Stampede
- USAC Sprint Cars
- BRP Modified Tour
- FASTRAK Late Models
- UFo Late Models
- MACS Late Models
- ULMS Late Models
- UEMS Modifieds
