Lernerville Speedway
5 Seasons
Sarver, PA) After more than 50 years of racing, Don Martin's Lernerville Speedway is still one of the top tracks in the country. Lernerville has the distinction of being the only track that offers three top paying divisions weekly including the Peoples TWP DIRTcar Sprints; Precise Racing Products DIRTcar Late Models; Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Northeast Big Block Modifieds; plus the ever popular Millerstown Pic-A-Part DIRTcar Sportsman/Stock.
Long before Don Martin was a track owner and promoter, he was a race fan. His interest dated back to the mid-1940's, after his discharge from the military. In the 1950's, he became involved as a car owner with driver Dick Swartzlander. Later Martin owned a number of cars, ranging from a coupe-bodied Modified to an ex-Indy roadster that ran against the Sprints on Western Pennsylvania tracks in the mid-60's. As a car owner Martin won his share of races, but still referred those days as a financial disaster.
In 1967, Earl Bauman, Dale Hafer, and Bucky Fleming started work on a quarter-mile dirt track at the location of Lernerville Park, which had been a popular amusement park dating back to the 1940's. Martin never planned on owning a track, but the trio needed some help getting things going. So trucking company owner Don Martin joined the group as a partner.
Original plans were to open in the spring of 1968, but an ordinance change set for the beginning of 1968would have kept them from operating. To beat the ordinance, Lernerville Speedway opened for two races in October 1967. Martin freely admitted that the race facility was sub-par for the first two races, and they had to skimp on a lot of things to get the track open early.
But Martin was one of the first promoters to guarantee the purse. The first race was a 100-lapper for Modifieds that brought together the cars of the old Penn-Western Racing Association and the Sportsman cars that raced at Butler, Mercer, Blanket Hill, and Tri-City. The Penn-Western cars were favored, but when the checkered flag waved, it was New Castle's Johnny Axe driving his immaculate number 34 Chevy coupe into victory lane. Ed Lynch Sr. took the only Penn-Western top-three finish over Butler veteran Harry Hein. Other winners that year were Jim Minton and Russ Woolsey.
The first two races were very unsuccessful at the gate forcing Martin to buy out two of the partners a year later. Martin bought out Bauman's interest in 1981 and became sole owner. Bauman continued to help at the track as assistant promoter until he passed away in 1985. Martin continued operating the track as a promoter until his death in 1993. For his contributions to Sprint Car Racing, Martin was posthumously inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
The next year, Helen Martin and her daughter Patty Roenigk, designated Dave Bauman, Jim Roenigk, and Albert "Ouch" Roenigk, track co-promoters. Dave Bauman passed away in 1998 and Jim Roenigk left to pursue other opportunities the following year.
Garry "Arch" Hunter joined "Ouch" Roenigk to promote the 1999 and 2000 season. As of 2001 "Ouch" Roenigk was the sole promoter.
In 2004 Barb Bauman Bartley & Tom Roenigk (Lernerville Motorsports) took over as Co-Directors and leased the track from the Martin family; then Bartley & Roenigk leased the track from DIRT Motorsports in 2005.
In 2005 Lernerville Speedway was sold to DIRT Motorsports and they continue to run the weekly racing program under the "World Racing Group" Banner led by General Manager Gary Risch Jr. Joining the prestigious Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup in 2007, the Firecracker 100 almost immediately become one of the Crown Jewels of Dirt Late Model Racing and has itself become a destination event. The DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stampede has become the region's final racing weekend with 10 divisions of racing over three nights with car counts between 250 and over 300 cars!
In 2015, the World Racing Group agreed to sell Lernerville Speedway to Tomson Scrap Metal. The Tomson Family will take ownership and management of the speedway for the beginning of the 2016 season; returning the beloved speedway back to the ownership of a local family of entrepreneurs.
Lernerville Speedway may not have been much to see that first October night in 1967, but now it is one of the best-maintained and successful dirt tracks in the country. The track itself has been enlarged three times, from a small quarter to a large quarter, and then to a 3/8-mile, and finally to its current size as a small half mile. Seating has also been increased several times and now there are approximately 12,000 seats.
Lernerville Speedway is a 4/10 mile dirt oval automobile race track located in Sarver, Pennsylvania, USA.
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4:46:24Episode 110.15.23 Steel City Stampede Finale
Episode 1
The grand finale of the Lernerville 2023 racing season, the Three Day Race and Party known as The Steel City Stampede includes multiple divisions of racing, nightly campground entertainment, and a final blast of Lernerville horsepower, before the long, cold, silent winter sets in.
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10.13.23 Steel City Stampede Heat Races
Episode 2
The grand finale of the Lernerville 2023 racing season, the Three Day Race and Party known as The Steel City Stampede includes multiple divisions of racing, nightly campground entertainment, and a final blast of Lernerville horsepower, before the long, cold, silent winter sets in.
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3:07:40Episode 310.12.23 Steel City Stampede Hot Laps
Episode 3
The grand finale of the Lernerville 2023 racing season, the Three Day Race and Party known as The Steel City Stampede includes multiple divisions of racing, nightly campground entertainment, and a final blast of Lernerville horsepower, before the long, cold, silent winter sets in.
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6:17:21Episode 49.2.23 Back to School Bus Race
Episode 4
Back to School Bus Race/Kids Bike Race
presented by Wolfington Body Company
100-lap Enduro Race Plus A Double Figure 8 race
8.2.23@6:30PM -
8.26.23 Lernerville, Peluso, Sprint Car Spectacular
Episode 5
8.26.23 Peluso Roofing Sprint Car Spectacular featuring the FAST on Dirt Sprint Car Series, Allegheny Sprint Tour 305s, RUSH Sprints and Fireworks!
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5:15:57Episode 68.18.23 Fab4 Championship Night
Episode 6
Six features on Friday! Yes....you read that right! Join us for Championship Night, Friday, Aug 18 as we crown our four track champions on the final Fab4 night of the 2023 season! We'll have a full racing program for the Fab4 Revved Up with Marburger FARM Dairy including the Peoples Natural Gas ...
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8.15.23 Test & Tune, Plus Steel City Line-X Vintage Cars
Episode 7
Test & Tune Tuesday with rotating hot laps for cars from around the area as well as the third appearance of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau Mini Stocks and also, the debut of the Steel City Line-X Vintage Cars. The Mini Stocks and Vintage Cars will be competing in complete racing pr...
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8.11.23 Fab4 with $10,000-to-win Autism Awareness 50
Episode 8
Fab4 with a $10,000 payday courtesy of @Thrower Concrete in the Autism Awareness 50.
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8.4.23 Lernerville Fab4 Big Rig Night - Part 1
Episode 9
onight, the Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger start the home stretch of the regular season with the first of three consecutive appearances, heading towards our Championship Night on Aug 18! Plus, you can feast your eyes on some fine looking machines behind the turn four grandstands on our Big Rig Night...
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8.4.23 Lernerville Fab4 Big Rig Night - Part 2
Episode 10
onight, the Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger start the home stretch of the regular season with the first of three consecutive appearances, heading towards our Championship Night on Aug 18! Plus, you can feast your eyes on some fine looking machines behind the turn four grandstands on our Big Rig Night...
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8.4.23 Lernerville Fab4 Big Rig Night - Part 3
Episode 11
onight, the Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger start the home stretch of the regular season with the first of three consecutive appearances, heading towards our Championship Night on Aug 18! Plus, you can feast your eyes on some fine looking machines behind the turn four grandstands on our Big Rig Night...
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4:21:07Episode 128.6.23 Crazy Lisbon Demo Derby. - Part 3
Episode 12
8.6.23 Crazy Lisbon Demo Derby.
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8.4.23 Lernerville Fab4 Big Rig Night - Part 4
Episode 13
onight, the Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger start the home stretch of the regular season with the first of three consecutive appearances, heading towards our Championship Night on Aug 18! Plus, you can feast your eyes on some fine looking machines behind the turn four grandstands on our Big Rig Night...
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3:10:24Episode 147.28.23 FAB4 Autism Awareness Night
Episode 14
Autism Awareness Night featuring the Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger plus a special 50-lap, $10,000-to-win program for the Precise Racing Products Late Models
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5:14:34Episode 157.18.23 Silver Cup at Lernerville
Episode 15
The All Star Circuit of Champions will battle in a $25,000-to-win show down and they'll be joined by the Allegheny Sprint Tour competing for $2,000-to-win courtesy of Sportsman's Supply Co.!
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6:25:48Episode 167.21.23 RUSH SUMMER SHOWCASE
Episode 16
The annual RUSH Summer Showcase takes center stage at The Action Track. Headlined by a $3,000-to-win Flynn's Tire and Auto Service touring series event for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Models with appearances by the RUSH Sprint Cars and RUSH Sportsman Modified Series, the evening showc...
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7.18.23 Allegheny Sprint Tour 305's - Part 1
Episode 17
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars who will be battling for an attractive $2,000-to-win top prize on Tuesday night
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7.18.23 Allegheny Sprint Tour 305's - Part 2
Episode 18
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars who will be battling for an attractive $2,000-to-win top prize on Tuesday night
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7.18.23 Allegheny Sprint Tour 305's - Part 3
Episode 19
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars who will be battling for an attractive $2,000-to-win top prize on Tuesday night
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7.18.23 Allegheny Sprint Tour 305's - Part 4
Episode 20
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars who will be battling for an attractive $2,000-to-win top prize on Tuesday night
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7.18.23 Allegheny Sprint Tour 305's - Part 5
Episode 21
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars who will be battling for an attractive $2,000-to-win top prize on Tuesday night
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7.14.23 Fab4 Racing - Christmas in July - Part 1
Episode 22
Join us Friday night for Christmas in July presented by Panza Supply! We'll have the speedway looking festive and on the track, The Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger will be in action with the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds an...
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7.14.23 Fab4 Racing - Christmas in July - Part 2
Episode 23
Join us Friday night for Christmas in July presented by Panza Supply! We'll have the speedway looking festive and on the track, The Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger will be in action with the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds an...
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7.14.23 Fab4 Racing - Christmas in July - Part 3
Episode 24
Join us Friday night for Christmas in July presented by Panza Supply! We'll have the speedway looking festive and on the track, The Fab4 #RevvedUpwithMarburger will be in action with the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds an...
