Sarver, PA...July 2, 2004
Under a full moon, the Independence Day celebration started with a "bang" at Lernerville Speedway Friday evening as the "man from Mars" Chuck Kennedy, drove an awesome race to garner a track career first 20-lap Friedman's Supermarkets/Bi-Lo Foods Late Model victory in a photo finish. Kittanning's Rod George captured his first 2004 20-lap St. Barnabas Health System Sprint win. On the last lap, Jim Weller made the winning pass to earn his second 20-lap Ferrante Motor Cars Modified feature of the season and "Super" Joe Kelley of Mt. Pleasant, collected his third 15-lap Dingbat Restaurants Pure Stock main. It was Kid's Night with Save-A-Lot Bike Races.
Driving the race of his life, Chuck Kennedy thrilled the crowd as he made a last lap pass, on leader Bob Wearing Jr by going from third to first to win his prized 1st Friedmans Supermarkets/Bi-Lo Foods Late Model feature. Tonight was truly Kennedy's night as the win was his 99th in all divisions at all tracks, but one he sought after for three years on dirt at the Sarver oval in the Art Osmer #6A. It was a most popular win as the fans gave him a standing ovation for his dynamite efforts. In the winner's circle he said, "At the end of the race, I thought this is my race to lose and then I dropped to third. I thought by God you're going to lose it." He then added, "I said to myself, you got to go for it and I did!" He further added, "To beat Bobby Wearing by that little bit is pretty cool!" Although Kennedy's Care Chiropractic/Parker Plumbing/Jerry Merchant Auto/Walker #6A started on the pole, it says nothing about the race. The four finishers behind Kennedy who were Wearing Jr, John Flinner, Gary Lyle and Doug Eck all deserve a round of applause for any one of them could have won the event. Kennedy, Wearing Jr, Lyle and Eck ran wheel to wheel with Kennedy leading at the beginning of the race. Wearing claimed lap four but it tipped back to Kennedy laps five through 15. Wearing got the edge on a lap16 restart and coming from 16th Flinner now joined the mix. With two laps to go Flinner raced by Kennedy dropping him to third. On the last lap rounding turn four, Wearing concentrated on to using the cushion for the win and wasn't aware of Kennedy's "last ditch effort." With a courageous move, Kennedy entered turn three, regained his composure, gave it all he had and jetted off the corner on the inside line to narrowly defeated both Wearing and Flinner in a most dramatic finish. Owner Art Osmer best described the last lap this way, "He uncorked her and away he went!" After the race Wearing followed Kennedy around the track and gave him the thumbs up sign. He later said, "I was concentrating on making a good line and not messing up. He must have found something! I'm really glad for him!" Wearing added, "I'll take second." It was a good run!" Besides collecting the $1,100 prize money, Kennedy claimed the E-Racer's Bonus Bucs $600, and Jack Crowell added a $100 bonus from #1 Cochran for a grand total of $1,800. Flinner has a 16 point lead over Lyle in the Budweiser Point Challenge. Sixth through tenth place went to Nick Jones, Mike Johnson, Jeff Henry, Keith Zimmerman, and Bob Puz. Kennedy and Henry won the heat events.
"Hot" Rod George was in charge Friday evening as he connected for a season's first in the St. Barnabas Health System Sprint feature and a career 26th at the track defeating Jack Sodeman Jr by 10 car lengths. Despite a bad start this season and five feature caution events, tonight George was not to be denied! Not having won since August 2003, in victory lane George said, "I almost forgot how to get here. We have had a lot of trouble at the beginning of this season and some DNF's." He added "the last couple of weeks we have been very good. The track was real nice tonight; both the top and bottom were fast." After a lap four restart, coming from sixth, George's American Race Tire/Mike Wilt Roadway Inn/McKruit's Meats #4 passed leader Arnie Kent for the lead. Having his best 2004 run, Jack Sodeman Jr darted by Kent on lap 11 and began to pressure George. Three more yellow flagged events occurred in the race and each time the field tightened but it provided a wide open area for George to race. He drove a flawless event to keep runner-up Sodeman at bay. George said, "Open race track restarts can work for you or against you, but tonight it worked out great for us." George broke the Lynch/Hill family winning spell at Lernerville and tied also Ed Lynch for second place with 215 points behind Budweiser Point leader Chad Hill's 229. With four laps to go, Ralph Spithaler passed Kent for third place which was his best at the track this season. Fielding a new car, Ed Lynch Jr broke a drive shaft in the heat race, started 23rd in the main event, but recovered to finished fifth. Sixth through tenth place went to Mike Shearer, Kevin Schaeffer, Jody Keegan, Davey Murdick (substituting for Charlie Holben), and Brent Matus. Spithaler, George and Shearer won the qualifying events.
It's not over until it's over! Hubbard, Ohio's Jim Weller Jr led one lap in the Ferrante Motor Cars Modified feature but it was the most important, the last one! Pushin' the cushion, Jim Weller Jr also made an exciting last lap pass to defeat "revin" Kevin Bolland by inches at the checker for his second big win of the season, 26th overall. With the pull of the pill a start was drawn that put Swartzlander and Weller on the front row and Bolland in fourth; the threesome "diced and sliced" on the track switching lines and applying intense pressure to each other the entire race. Bolland passed Swartzlander on lap two and then kept beating the others to the flagman each lap, but on the 20th lap Weller used the top of turn four, went over it slightly, but got the necessary traction to win the drag to the flag. Weller said, "It was a great track tonight and it was fun. He added I went over the side of the hill in turn four, but I got lucky. You have to watch the other drivers and do whatever they're not doing." Weller leads the Budweiser Point Standing over Dave Murdick by one digit! Swartzlander settled for third place. Fourth place Tommy Marshall had joined the top three in competition by lap 7 and mixed into the action the rest of the race. Fifth through tenth place went to Del Rougeux Jr, Chanda Reitz, Tom Winkle, Dave Murdick, Carl Murdick, and George Hobaugh. Reitz and Rougeux Jr were the heat winners.
It was Super Joe Kelley all the way in the Dingbats Restaurant Pure Stocks for his third win of the season 20th overall. He started up front and remained up front to earn the win but it was not an easy victory. Runner-up Paul Schreckengost, Rob Shook, Greg Beach, and Butch Lambert respectively, were all there mixing up the action and waiting for Kelley to error. Kelley's driving was impeccable as he used the top grove to win the event. Point leader Kelley said, "It's tough to pass in this class! I told myself to stay calm out there and just bring it home in one piece." He further thanked Dingbats Restaurants, 66 Auto Supply, Challenger Raceway, Offspring's Roller Rink, A#1 Machine Shop, Simon Racing Supplies, his crew and lovely wife Marci. Sixth through tenth place went to Scott Bochek, Bob Egley Herman Bertolini (the Stover-Net Hard Charger), Jeff Bastin and Nick Reges. Shook, Beach and Mike Pegher won the prelims and Mike Turner checkered the B-Main.