SARVER, Pa. — It’s been 15 years since the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship has last turned a wheel on the four-tenths-mile dirt oval at Lernerville Speedway.
The series will face off for two consecutive nights September 11-12 for the Commonwealth Clash. It’s 25 laps and $6,000-to-win on Friday. It’s 30 laps and $10,000-to-win on Saturday.
ALL THOSE YEARS AGO
When the USAC National Sprint Cars last competed at Lernerville, Jon Stanbrough was the victor in that May 2011 event in the Fox Brothers No. 53. USAC’s only other visit to the track came in May 2006 with Darren Hagen scoring the win in his own No. 71 in collaboration with Keith Kunz Motorsports.
MAD MAN, JG & KTJ
At least three drivers from the 2011 Lernerville USAC show will be in this weekend’s lineup: Robert Ballou, Justin Grant and Kevin Thomas Jr.
It was a solid night for Ballou that night as he started 14th and finished fifth in the feature aboard the MPHG Motorsports No. 81. Grant followed Ballou to the line with a sixth-place result after also winning the semi-feature at the wheel of the Mark Hery-owned No. 40. Meanwhile, Thomas had mechanical issues in Jeff Walker’s No. 11 and dropped out during the semi-feature.
For Grant and Thomas, it was their first appearance in USAC competition in the state of Pennsylvania. Ballou will be back in his familiar own No. 12; Grant in the TOPP Motorsports No. 4; Thomas in the BBI Motorsports No. 15.
EAST COASTERS
Briggs Danner has firmly established himself as a star on the USAC national trail and is the most recent winner in his home state of Pennsylvania back in June at Kutztown’s Action Track USA.
Current USAC East Coast Sprint Car point leader and five-time series champion Steven Drevicki will be on hand, as will Joe Kata, who currently ranks fifth in series points. Brett Rose, who has made six USAC East Coast starts this season, will compete at Lernerville.
Brandon Spithaler, meanwhile, has won at least six winged sprint car features at Lernerville over the past few seasons. He will shed the wing for this weekend’s USAC action at Lernerville.
UP TO SPEED
The freshest memory of USAC National Sprint Car racing we have is Chili’s Sprint Car Smackdown two weeks ago on the final weekend of August at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway.
Kyle Cummins and Cale Coons took the prelim victories while Justin Grant captured the final night of activity for a $36,729 payday.
Cummins now owns 10 USAC National Sprint Car wins on the season, while Grant has six. For Coons, it was his first USAC national score.
RECORD WATCH
Kyle Cummins continues to grow his USAC National Sprint Car point lead after accruing an incredible all-time record active streak of 37 consecutive top 10 finishes, in 38 starts. His worst performance thus far is an 11th on the opening night of the season at Volusia.
Cummins’ point lead is 141 entering the two-race set this weekend at Lernerville ahead of Justin Grant (-141), Mitchel Moles (-201), Jake Swanson (-456), and Briggs Danner (-510).
With 13 races remaining on the schedule, Cummins’ 10 wins are just four shy of equaling the all-time record for single season USAC National Sprint Car victories.
Tom Bigelow (1977) and Logan Seavey (2024) each put together record-setting 14-win seasons.
SUSSEX-FUL
After a solid weekend of racing in the Rock Steady Racing No. 3R at Kokomo’s Smackdown, Stevie Sussex is back in the seat for both nights of racing at Lernerville.
Sussex’s first three USAC National Sprint Car appearances of the 2026 season came at Kokomo two weeks ago where he reeled off three consecutive top 10 finishes.
The Tempe, Arizona driver was the 2017 USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year. This year, he’s also grabbed three USAC Avanti Windows & Doors Southwest Sprint Car victories.
30 FOR 30
Last weekend, C.J. Leary was a winner on the one-mile dirt oval at Du Quoin with the USAC Silver Crown series, enduring a blistering hot afternoon to capture the victory and extend his point lead in the champ cars.
However, the Greenfield, Indiana racer is still seeking his first victory on the USAC National Sprint Car trail in 2026. He’s finished a best of second this year at Lincoln Park Speedway in July.
This weekend, he’ll be back behind the wheel of his own No. 30 for the first time since a 6th place run in June at Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway. The 2019 USAC National Sprint Car champ last took his own car to USAC victory since July 2020.
PA REWIND
Lernerville will mark the series’ fifth and sixth events in Pennsylvania during the USAC National Sprint Car season.
Back in June, four events were held during Eastern Storm with three different drivers scoring victories. Kyle Cummins was the winner at Grandview Speedway.
Mitchel Moles took back-to-back wins at Big Diamond and Williams Grove. Briggs Danner tallied the latest round at Action Track USA. Cummins was the Eastern Storm champion.
All of the aforementioned drivers will be making their Lernerville debuts.
