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.
Another Fast Friday of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy comes your way on Friday, July 15 including the return of the Peoples Natural Gas 410 Sprints and the weekly field of Hobby Stocks from PPMS taking the place of the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Penn Ohio Pro Stocks.
Rotating hot laps for all divisions.
The final event of the 2022 Lernerville Speedway schedule begins with rotating hot laps for all divisions.
Day two of this three-day season-ending event consists of heat races for all divisions.
Our final race of the season includes features for all divisions, as well as a 100-lap Enduro followed by the biggest bonfire you've EVER SEEN!
The Final Fast Friday of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy is scheduled for Friday, August 26 as we will crown four Track Champions for the 2022 season!
Once again the fine folks from Peluso Roofing will present the Sprint Car Spectacular featuring the Peoples Natural Gas Sprints, Allegheny Sprint Tour 305s, and Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sprint Car Series, as well as fireworks!
Another Fast Friday of Fab4 Racing is coming your way with extra money on the line for the Precise Racing Products Late Models. The $4,000-to-win Ken Schaltenbrand Sr. Memorial will be a topless racing for the ULMS Late Models.
After an action-packed Firecracker 100 weekend, we shift to something completely different with our first of two annual School Bus and Kid's Bike Races of the season, as well as our first Enduro 100 and more, all on Saturday, July 2!
Our mid-summer Test & Tune is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 and will include the second round of the Costa Oil Mini Stock Series.
Our annual RUSH Summer Showcase returns on Friday, July 22 along with the BOSS wingless sprints and the 305 sprints of the Allegheny Sprint Tour. The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Racing Series brings the Late Models, Sportsman Modifieds and non-wing Sprints to The Action Track to make this a f...
LernervilleTV is proud to stream the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sprint Car Series portion of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup event. Due to contractual obligations, we cannot stream the All Star Sprint portion of the event.
A full card of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy for the first time since mid-June sets the table for the homestretch to the 2022 Track Championships as the Peoples Natural Gas 410 Sprints, Precise Racing Products Super Late Models, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds, and Millerst...
After a two-week hiatus, Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy returns, but the Allegheny Sprint Tour 305s replace Peoples 410 Sprints
The Friday night portion of Western PA Sprint Speedweek will headline Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy. After a two-week hiatus, the Precise Racing Products Super Late Models return to the Fab4 card, along with the Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds and Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pr...
One of the best nights of the summer, #1 Cochran Fan Appreciation Night with Fireworks is always a crowd pleaser with a full card of our Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy.
he Bill Emig Memorial portion of the 16th Annual Firecracker 100 weekend featuring the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants will be streamed LIVE exclusively on LernervilleTV! Friday night's program will include heat races and dash.
The Bill Emig Memorial portion of the 16th Annual Firecracker 100 weekend featuring the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants will be streamed LIVE exclusively on LernervilleTV! Thursday night's program will include hot laps and group qualifying.
The Bill Emig Memorial portion of the 16th Annual Firecracker 100 weekend featuring the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants will be streamed LIVE exclusively on LernervilleTV! Saturday night's program will include last chance show down, non-qualifier...
Another Fast Friday of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy will feature track provisionals for the Firecracker 100 for Precise Late Models and Silver Cup XXXI for the Peoples Sprints!
Another round of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger comes your way on Friday, May 20 as the Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds welcome the BRP Modified Tour for their 25th Anniversary Opener. Along with the Big Block Mods, the Peoples Natural Gas 410 Sprints and Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro St...
Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger will be amplified by the $3,500-to-win Willie & Conda Memorial for the ULMS Late Models on Friday, May 13. The Peoples Natural Gas 410 Sprints, Diehl Automotive Big Block Modifieds, and Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stocks will be racing with championship points...
With Fab4 Racing complete for the season, we switch to the Saturdays in September portion of our schedule with the ever popular School Bus & Kids Bike Races along with Figure 8 Races and Enduro 100.
The FAST Sprint Cars make their official Action Track debut for the $10,000-to-win Commonwealth Clash. The Hovis RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will also be in action.
