Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XVIII Countdown – Three Weeks

Twin 30s Format Breathing New Life into Marquee Event

 

 

Sarver, PA (June 30, 2009) With the Firecracker 100 now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn the focus towards the other Crown Jewel event at Lernerville Speedway.  That’s right!  The World of Outlaws Sprints will now take center stage for the 18^th Annual installment of the Cleveland Brothers CAT Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup.

 

Already the biggest single-day event on the World of Outlaws annual schedule, the Cleveland Brothers CAT Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XVIII will add a new and dynamic wrinkle for 2009.  Instead of one 30-lap feature to crown a $30,000 Silver Cup Champion, the Silver Cup will feature Twin 30-lap features, each paying $15,000 to win. 

 

The first 30-lap feature will carry the standard World of Outlaws qualifying/line-up procedures.  The second 30-lap feature will also pay $15,000-to-win, but will be lined up by an inversion of the lead lap cars from the finishing order of the first feature. 

 

The potential is there for the second 30-lapper to be an all out free for all!  Midway through the first 30-lap feature, drivers will be forced with the decision to try to advance into a better finishing position or to lay back and then go for all the marbles in the inverted second 30-lap feature.  The danger of course, is that if a driver lays back too much, they may get lapped by the leaders and not be included in the inversion. 

 

The other dynamic is that the fastest cars from the first feature will start in the middle or towards the back of the second feature, making for some wild passing as the faster cars try to make their way back to the front.  As a result, both races should be absolutely sensational!

 

On the World of Outlaws tour, the last five races have seen five different winners with Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers, Danny Lasoski, Joey Saldana and Terry McCarl all winning features in the past two weeks.  Three-Time Defending Series Champion Donny Schatz sits atop the point standings, but series wins leader Joey Saldana (11 wins in 2009), Jason Meyers and Steve Kinser are all within 120 points!

 

As mentioned above, Saldana already has 11 tour wins this season, while points leader Schatz has eight.  One of the only jewels missing from Saldana’s crown is a Silver Cup.  In fact, Saldana has never won a WoO feature at Lernerville Speedway.  Schatz (2006, 2007) has two Silver Cups on his resume and is always a threat to win!

 

Jason Meyers has not won a Silver Cup yet either, but has been to Sheetz Victory Lane with a win last spring in the Commonwealth Clash.

 

Defending Silver Cup Champion Steve Kinser is certainly no stranger to Sheetz Victory Lane.  Two of his 17 career Lernerville feature wins have come in the Silver Cup (1994, 2008).  Despite only running at the Action Track twice a year, Kinser is 12^th on the All Time Sprints win list, tied with longtime nemesis Sammy Swindell.

 

Two of the most thrilling Silver Cup wins have come courtesy of home grown products Ed Lynch Jr. (2002) and Tim Shaffer (2005).  Both drivers have had more than their share of success with feature wins all over the country, but each cherishes the Silver Cup above all of their other accomplishments.

 

Speaking of Ed Lynch Jr., “The Apollo Rocket” has been nearly invincible at Lernerville this year with five wins in seven attempts as he continues to pursue the Century Mark with win #100.  His most recent win came on Friday June 12 during the Mid-Season Championships, which guarantees him at least a provisional for the Silver Cup.  And while he seldom needs to use a provisional to make a WoO A-Main, Lynch is comforted to know that it’s in his back pocket!  With the century mark in sight, what would be sweeter than for win #100 to come against the Outlaws and with a $15,000 payday?  Maybe adding win #101 for a total of $30,000 on the biggest night of the season at the Action Track!

 

Anytime the Outlaws roll into Lernerville Speedway, especially for the $30,000-to-win Cleveland Brothers CAT Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, invaders come from both east (PA Posse) and west (O’Reilly All Stars) to create a deep and talented field.  Although the last time, (and only time), an invader won a Lernerville WoO show was back in 1998 when Fred Rahmer took the checkers.

 

Regardless of who wins, the Cleveland Brothers CAT Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XVIII is guaranteed to be one of the most talked about events of the season.  The new Twin 30s format should create endless opportunities with the second of the Twin 30’s being a flat out barnburner!

 

Tickets are on sale now and selling fast!  To get yours, log on to our website www.Lernerville.com and click on the “Buy Tickets Now!” link or call the speedway office Monday-Friday during normal business hours at (724) 353-1511.