Bigger purses to propel drivers as Lernerville Speedway opens 56th year of racing

When the gates open at Lernerville Speedway to begin the 56th year of racing Friday night, the drivers entering them will have a little more incentive.

Track officials announced Tuesday there will be a purse increase for 2023 Fab 4 weekly racing.

The 410 sprint car and Super Late Model features will pay $2,000 to start, up nearly 400 dollars from last season. Big block modifieds now pay $1,600 to win, and the pro stocks are up to $600.

Overall, there’s a 17% increase in the purses of each class, and that’s just one of the changes in what is gearing up to be a big year at the Buffalo Township track.

“We wanted to show a sign of appreciation for all our weekly drivers that have been with us through the years that have helped make the show what it is has become,” Lernerville Public Relations Director Gary Heeman said. “Drivers have been experiencing increased component prices for a long time, and, to compete at a high level, they had to have the best stuff or close to that level. After the pandemic, even parts necessary just to compete at any level plus supplies, tires and fuel saw major increases, too, with availability issues going on everywhere. It just made sense to try to help their ability to race. We hope that it will do just that so their fans can watch them week in and week out here.”

AJ Flick (sprints), John Garvin Jr. (late models), Jeremiah Shingledecker (modified) and Tyler Dietz (pro stocks) are the defending track champions. Flick, an Apollo native, has won six points titles and three in a row.

A new addition this year at Lernerville is a jumbotron, which is placed above the scoreboard in the infield. The jumbotron will stream Lernerville TV, the track’s subscription streaming service, and will have the ability to show replays to fans in attendance.

Along with the 15 Fab 4 weekly races scheduled, Lernerville has its flagship events, the Firecracker 100 weekend June 22-24 and the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup on July 18.

The Firecracker 100 is sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series, and the Silver Cup is an All-Star Circuit of Champions sanctioned race. Both series are sanctioning their respective race for the second year in a row.

There’s one more major addition this year: The High Limit Sprint Car Series.

High Limit will sanction a $50,000-to-win Commonwealth Clash on Sept. 26.

It’s the highest-paying sprint car event in Lernerville history.

High Limit was founded by NASCAR champion Kyle Larson and his brother-in-law, four-time defending World of Outlaws champ Brad Sweet. It’s designed to bring some higher paying midweek events to sprint car racing.

It’s the inaugural season for High Limit, and Lernerville officials are excited to play a major part as one of the two races on the 12-race schedule paying 50K to win.

“We’re ecstatic to be able to bring the world’s finest race fans such a high-profile event with the quality of drivers that will be attending,” Heeman said. “Brad Sweet and Kyle Larson have been tremendous to work with, and we look forward to continuing that work as the event draws closer.

”We’ve been blessed to be able to treat our fans to some premier events, such as the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and the Firecracker 100 weekend. So to be able to enhance the Commonwealth Clash to a premier event that our fans can experience is a great thing.”