Frightening crash mars Lernerville program
It has been a long time since local racing fans witnessed something as scary as they did Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.
The three-car crash involving Charlie Holben, Scott Bonnell and Pete Miller early in the All-Star Sprint feature was awful, and it could have been much worse. Bonnell and Miller escaped injury — even though their cars were trashed — but Holben was not as lucky.
After the accident, Holben was taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown. As of Monday, Holben's wife Amy said that he had undergone skin grafting. He was out of intensive care for a day and then back in ICU following the surgery. Amy said Holben had burns on about 40 percent of his body, and that his stay in the hospital would depend on how his body responds to surgery.
UPMC has an e-card website — ecards.upmc.com — so fans and friends can send well wishes while Holben is still in the hospital.
The accident, which ended with Holben trapped upside down in his Sprint Car against the front wall, happened about 15 to 20 feet past the flag stand. That meant that every one of the fans on the front straight had a view of Holben before and during the subsequent fire that engulfed him and the car.
All drivers are required to wear a complete fire suit, otherwise Holben's injuries could have been much worse.
Every racetrack has its share of accidents — Lernerville is no different — but it has been a long time since the crowd was silenced as it was Friday night. You have to go back to World of Outlaws show on July 24, 2001, for the last time. Sammy Swindell crashed into the back of a push truck on a qualifying lap, and he was traveling faster than 100 mph at the moment of impact.
Month of Money
July is known as the Month of Money on the Sprint Car circuit, and it seems that the Late Model community has claimed the month of June.
There are some big events this month, starting with this weekend's monster event at Eldora Speedway. Many local drivers will be on hand for the 16th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream on Friday and Saturday.
The event will pay $100,000 to the driver who wins this year's race. Jimmy Owens won last year's Dream.
Just after the Dream, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals will start June 16, with 29 events during a 32-day period.
Lernerville's World of Outlaws Firecracker 100 is not a part of the Summer Nationals. But, it is a big deal and part of the WoO Late Model Great Northern Tour, with its combined purse of more than $425,000.
The Firecracker 100, which will be held June 24-26, will pay a total purse of more than $170,000, with $30,000 going to the winner.
Jimmy Mars won last year's Firecracker 100. Other winners include Brian Birkhofer (2008) and Scott Bloomquist (2007).
The Great Northern Tour, through upstate New York, Ontario and Quebec, will take the WoO Late Models at five tracks from June 15-22 before the teams make their way to Lernerville.
