Lernerville drivers savor racing in multiple divisions

As competitors, Brian Swartzlander and Dave Murdick probably don't come to a consensus all that often.

But there is one thing they agree on: They plan to race as long as they can. For now, fans should sit back and watch two champions race in two divisions at Lernerville Speedway.

Swartzlander, a seven-time Lernerville V-8 Modified champion, and Murdick, a two-time V-8 Modified champ, get extra kicks in the Late Models. Along with the No. 83 Modified, Swartzlander drives the No. 111 owned by Jim Detman. Murdick runs the familiar No. 61 Modified and the No. 1 Late Model for Jim Pitkavish.

“For me, racing is fun,” Murdick said. “It doesn't matter if you are running a Stock or a Micro-Sprint, it's just fun.”

Added: Swartzlander: “It's really not that hard. I enjoy it. The hardest part is jumping from one car to the other. That's where the crews come in. My crew knows what to do with my car, and Jim (Detman) knows what to do with his car. So I can just come in and go from one to the other and feel confident.”

The work of each crew is highlighted when driving two cars because time in the pits often is fleeting. For Murdick, one of the areas of concern is the difference between the cars.

“In the Modified, you sit in the center, and in the Late Model, you are on the left,” Murdick said. “In the Late Model, it seems that your vision is so much less, too. Plus, you have a whole different group of drivers, and you have to figure out how they drive their cars.

“I think it is more about familiarity,” Murdick added. “The Modified is like another day at the office, and I have to work at it a bit in the Late Model. I've been in that (Modified) car forever though, since 1979.”

Both drivers are familiar with the Modifieds. Swartzlander won last week's feature and has 85 Lernerville victories. Murdick has won 30 features at the Buffalo Township oval. But neither of them has won a feature in the Late Model.

Murdick's best finish in the Late Model this season came when he finished second Aug. 1 behind Alex Ferree. He is 11th in points.

Swartzlander has three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in the Late Model and is fifth in points. Swartzlander is third in Modified points, and Murdick is fourth.

In this age of specialization, there are few opportunities to run in two divisions. These two can because of their successes on the track. In Lernerville's history, only two drivers have won championships in the same division in the same season.

In 1971 Ralph Quarterson won the Sprint Car and V-8 Modified titles. In 1982 Blackie Watt won the Late Model and V-8 Modified championship. That season, Watt won seven Late Model and 9 Modified features.

“I've had a couple seconds in the Late Model,” Murdick said. “I think we will get one. The car is good, so we just have to get ourselves in the right position to get one. The hardest part is the different driving styles.

“The cars drive differently. When I drove a Sprint Car it was the same way. It's just different.”

The most recent example of a driver going for two titles in one season was 2000, when David Scott won the Sprint Car title by 17 points over Jamie Smith. Scott finished second in the Late Models, four points behind champion Nick Jones.

That season, Scott won four Late Model and two Sprint Car features. In fact, on June 30, 2000, Scott won both features.

“You don't see that very often because it is such a tough deal,” Swartzlander said. “There were some really tough and talented guys running back then. They had crews, but they all still had to do a lot of the work.

“I'd like to get one for Jim and for myself. As long as Jim wants to go I'm here and I can keep doing it, jumping from one car to the other.”

Thomas Zuck is a freelance writer.