Lernerville Speedway

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.

Lernerville Speedway
  • 10.11.24 - Steel City Stampede - Night 2

    Episode 1

    Day two of the 16th annual Steel City Stampede! @7PM

  • 10.10.24 - Steel City Stampede - Night 1

    Episode 2

  • 9.21.24 Back to School Bus/Kids Bike Races.

    Episode 3

    9.21.24 Back to School Bus/Kids Bike Races.

  • 8.24.24 Lernerville, Sprint Car Spectacular

    Episode 4

    Peluso Roofing, Sprint Car Spectacular. 8.24.24 @ 6:30 PM

  • 8.13.24 Lernerville Test and Tune

    Episode 5

    8.13.24 Lernerville Test and Tune @ 6:30PM

  • 8.9.24 Lernerville Fab4

    Episode 6

    ULMS Late Models Take Center Stage Friday Night in $4,500-to-win Willie & Conda McConnell Memorial.

  • 8.2.24 Lernerville FAB4

    Episode 7

    Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger FARM Dairy featuring the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models? Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds and the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks!

  • 7.26.24 Christmas in July

    Episode 8

    We've got the Brp Mod Tour, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks and the Allegheny Sprint Tour all on tap tonight as we look forward to a fantastic night of racing!

  • 7.19.24 Lernerville Fab4

    Episode 9

    Lernerville Fab4 Racing. Plus, its our annual Autism Awareness Night!

  • 7.17.24 A candlelight vigil in remembrance of Corey Comperatore

    Episode 10

    A candlelight vigil in remembrance of Corey Comperatore and a showing of love and support from the community to his family. The gathering will be hosted at Lernerville Speedway on Wednesday, July 17th, at 7:00pm.
    There will be a live stream of the gathering for those who cannot attend in person a...

  • 7.12.24 Lernerville Fab4

    Episode 11

    The ground will be pounded and the Earth will shake on Friday night as both the BRP Modified Tour and Elite Motorsports UEMS EModified Series make their first appearances of 2024 at The Action Track!

  • 6.28.24 Dirt.tv 3-Wide Friday

    Episode 12

    It's a triple threat of racing action as we present the inaugural Dirt.tv 3-Wide Friday! The Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks will be doing battle in a $2,500-to-win ($10,000 total purse) special event, guaranteed to be an action packed part of tonight's program! They'll be joined by the Peoples...

  • 6.19.24 Bull Riding

    Episode 13

    SEBRA Extreme Bull Riding presented by Puryear Cattle Company. An action-packed rodeo with professional bull riding and barrel racing starts at 6:00 PM

  • 6.18.24 Drew Baldridge Concert

    Episode 14

    Drew Baldridge in concert and special guest Wyatt Turner plus DJ Sammy will be there starting us of with some classic tunes!

  • 6.14.24 Fab4 Mid Season Championships

    Episode 15

    Lernerville Speedway Fab4 Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy Mid-Season Championships.

  • 6.8.24 Summer Vacation School Bus Races

    Episode 16

    Summer Vacation School Bus Races with Kids Bike Races presented by W.L. Roenigk Inc! We'll have Bus Races and Powder Puff Bus Races as well as our wild and wacky Double Figure 8 Races on the front stretch and a 100-lap Enduro!

  • 6.7.24 #1Cochran Automotive and Fab4 Racing, Revved Up with Marburger Dairy

    Episode 17

    #1Cochran Automotive and Fab4 Racing #Revved Up with Marburger Farm and Dairy! The Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds, and the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro will all be in action making for a fantastic night of racing!!

  • 5.31.24 PA Sprint Speedweek

    Episode 18

    Western Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek makes it's way to The Action Track, bringing with it a stout field in terms of both talent from around the area and an ever increasing number of invaders. Friday will mark the fourth Lernerville appearance from the fast growing mini-series and in the 2024 inc...

  • 5.26.24 Monster Trucks

    Episode 19

    Lernerville Speedway on May 25th! Things are getting real-we're so excited to share the track layout that all 11 Trucks will be attacking!
    It features a MASSIVE Over-Under style race course that will see Monster Trucks jumping over one another! As well as plenty of intense obstacles including
    🔹...

  • 5.24.24 Lernerville FAB4

    Episode 20

    Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger FARM Dairy featuring the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models? Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds and the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks!

  • 5.21.24 Lernerville Test and Tune

    Episode 21

    Test & Tune with rotating hot laps, all divisions are welcome, plus the Butler County Tourism Mini Stocks and Vintage Modifieds plus powder puff races!

  • 4.26.24 Lernerviile Fab4

    Episode 22

    Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy is on tap at The Action Track.

  • 4.19.24 Lernerville Opening Night

    Episode 23

    Opening Night brings us #Fab4 Racing #RevvedUpwithMarburger! We'll have the Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Cars, Precise Racing Products Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds and Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks all in action!

  • 4.14.24 Stampede

    Episode 24

    Steel City Stampede ReBoot