More warm and dry weather meant for lots of racing action in Western Pennsylvania over the weekend.

(Photo: The Strattanville Charger Kyle Fink dominated the 358 Modified Feature at Mercer Raceway Park Saturday. Photo by Rick Rarer)

After a two-week absence Fab 4 racing action returned to Lernerville Speedway this past Friday providing some a full pit area and some great racing on the track.

Two first-time winners highlighted the action Friday at Lernerville. Josh Baughman of Odessa, Texas got things started by winning the first feature of the evening in his first ever start at the track. Baughman held off the charges of Jack Sodeman Jr, who had won the last two Fab 4 sprint features.

After just missing his first career win a week earlier Tyler Dietz redeemed himself with an emotional first career victory in the Sportsman feature. Russ King collected his second late model win of the season while Mat Williamson continued his dominance in the big block modified ranks scoring his fifth win of the season and extending his season point lead.

Another dose of Fab 4 racing is on tap for this Friday at Lernerville Speedway along with “Meet the Drivers” night and racing getting underway at 7:30.

On Tuesday, July 19 the biggest sprint car race in Western Pa will take center stage at Lernerville when the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXV takes to the track. The Craftsman World of Outlaws will make their first visit of the season to the area for the Tuesday blockbuster.

Danny Holtgraver in victory lane after winning the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon Speedway. Photo by Rick Rarer

Current point leader and defending series champion Donny Schatz will lead the Outlaws into the Sarver oval in search of the 25,000 top prize. Champion Schatz has collected thirteen wins so far this season with this closest rival being Brad Sweet with seven wins. The seven-time World of Outlaws champion drives for Tony Stewart while Sweet drives for Kasey Kahne.

Sweet’s teammate and former champion Daryn Pittman currently has five wins as does Shane Stewart driving for Kyle Larson. Long time veteran and former Lernerville winner Joey Saldana is having a solid year with four wins and the quickest times this season. Look for a strong field of cars for the 25th edition of the Silver Cup.

Sharon Speedway presented their biggest show of the season Saturday as they honored the late great Lou Blaney. A strong field of All-Star sprint cars and Mod Tour big block Modifieds filled the pits for the prestigious race. It was a homecoming for former Western Pa racer Danny Holtgraver of Pittsburgh as he held off last year’s winner Sheldon Haudenschild for the win worth a whopping 10,000 dollars in the exciting feature.

Holtgraver’s win made him the eighth different winner of the races in eight years. The modified feature, however, would find the first repeat winner in the race’s eight-year history. Jim Rasey would score the modified feature win after a five-year winless streak and become the first repeat winner after winning the race in 2010.

There will be no racing this Saturday at Sharon Speedway as the track takes the week off. Action will resume on Thursday, July 21 with the Super DIRTcar Series for the Big-Block Modifieds paying $6,000 to-win along with the Renegades of Dirt e-mod series filling out the card.

With the sprint cars at Sharon Speedway, the 358 Modifieds headlined the show at Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday. Kyle Fink was the winner of the nonstop feature besting modified veteran Tommy Kristyak. Greg Dobrosky scored his first career 305 sprint win at Mercer while Leigh Wheeler of Polk rebounded from his bad luck last week to win the stock car feature.

Regular racing will resume this Saturday at Mercer Raceway with all seven divisions back on the card. It will also be American Cancer Society “Racing for a Cure Night” along with Midseason Championships (double points) and Meet your heroes’ night with autographs at intermission. Racing is slated to get underway at 5:30.

Thunder Mountain Speedway in Brookville lost their show to rain last week but will be back in action this Friday. A regular show is on tap highlighted by the 305 sprint cars and late models. Racing gets underway at 7:30.

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About Rick

Rick Rarer, a Franklin resident, is the owner of Racestud.com and SprintCarNews.com. He has been covering racing for 18 years, taking racing photos for 13 years, and has covered races at over 100 tracks in 15 states. Most recently, Rick won the Bill Steinbach Media Award at the Lernerville Speedway Annual Awards Banquet.