Tyler Courtney holds off Apollo's Sye Lynch to win High Limit Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville

Saturday night’s High Limit sprint car race at Lernerville Speedway turned into a battle of survival for the leader.

First it was Corey Day, who crashed while leading.

Then, Brent Marks suffered a flat tire and lost the top spot.

The final test, however, was left for Tyler Courtney.

Courtney had to fend off local favorite and Apollo native Sye Lynch.

The pair raced side-by-side for several laps, but Courtney eventually pulled away, spoiling the potential of a Lynch hometown win and earning a $50,000 payday, winning the Commonwealth Clash at Lernerville.

“That feature was anything but boring from my vantage point,” Courtney said in victory lane. “Corey crashed, then Brent got a flat, and then Sye was giving me everything he had on the bottom of the track. I had to really get up in the seat and try not to screw up on the curb and get up over it. I’ve seen a lot of guys do that here.”

Courtney, a California native, inherited the lead on lap 20. Lynch pressured Courtney for several laps but couldn’t nose in front.

He settled for the runner-up spot for the second consecutive night but thrilled the hometown fans by nearly pulling off the upset.

“Hat’s off to my guys because they busted their butts tonight,” Lynch said. “All my crew are friends and family and it’s crazy what we’re able to do. Honestly, we are the underdog team. It was fun to battle with Tyler there. He’s one of the best in the country and it shows. To get to race hard and clean with these guys is a dream come true.”

Australian James McFadden finished third. Tanner Thorson charged from 17th to fourth and Spencer Bayston finished fifth.

Day, who won Friday’s preliminary feature, looked poised for a weekend sweep. He jumped out to a healthy lead from the outside pole, but on lap 17, as his car was exiting turn two, the rear axle snapped, sending him into a violent flip.

Day’s car landed on the access road at the bottom of the banking. He climbed from his car and walked away.

That gave Brent Marks the lead, but he didn’t hold it long. On lap 20 he slowed with a right rear flat tire.

Courtney took the top spot after that and led the rest of the way.

Lynch ended up pocketing $20,000 for second place after starting sixth.

“(Lernerville) getting a two-day sprint car show with this big of a purse is great,” Lynch said. “All of these fans make it possible, so we appreciate them coming out.”

A pair of Lernerville regulars qualified for the A-main, but both had issues. Apollo native and nine-time Lernerville track champ AJ Flick raced the Bernie Stuebgen-owned No. 71 based out of Indianapolis for the weekend. He ended up retiring due to an issue with the radiator and finished 20th. Cody Bova was involved in a lap two crash and was scored 22nd.

There were 43 entries. Marks was fastest overall in qualifying with a time of 13.235. Skylar Gee was fastest in Group A, stopping the clock at 13.266.

Heat race winners were Gee, Logan Wagner, Marks and Jacob Allen.