Another year on the speedways of Western Pennsylvania is drawing to a close. Although several events still remain, points battles at all area tracks have concluded for the season, one which was marked by persistent rain early on and furious racing down the stretch. In the end, rain returned and was the big winner as the final night for points at three tracks in the region were washed out. Here's a look back:

Lernerville Speedway

Ed Lynch Jr. proved once again that he's the top sprint car racer in the region by dominating the Lernerville field with 10 victories, including one June 25 in the Earl & David Bauman Memorial against the All Star Circuit of Champions. Lynch, of Apollo, has 74 career wins at the Sarver oval, the most of any sprint driver in the track's history. In addition, He won his third points championship and second in a row.

John Flinner, of Zelienople, wasn't nearly as dominant in the late model division, but he was strong enough to win his fourth consecutive track title. He posted three victories and is fourth all-time in the late model class with 33 wins.

Most drivers will say they just want to win races and worry about points later, but Dave Murdick's goal from the first race of the season -- his 25th on the local tracks -- was to win his first overall modified crown at Lernerville. Despite winning only one feature, Murdick, of Slippery Rock, was able to claim the title with consistent top-five runs.

Pure stock champion Joe Kelley, of Mount Pleasant, joined Lou Blaney and Lou Gentile to become the only drivers in track history to win six titles in the same division. It was Kelley's 13th championship in 15 years of racing.

PPMS

With as much going on off the track as there was on it, Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway crowned five first-time champions in their respective divisions.

Owner Emma Garin Webster passed away in May and her heirs decided to sell the facility. Although a purchase agreement was signed in July, the sale of the speedway still is in the hands of lawyers. It does seem unlikely, though, that Miley Motorsports will return for a 17th year of operating the track.

On the speedway, Dave Wade won four times to earn his first late model championship in his 20th year of racing. Wade, a two-time limited late model champion from Clinton, ended the three-year reign of Phil Lukon-owned cars.

Rich Apolito, of Scott, won May 29 for the third and final time of the season, but he remained near the top long enough to earn his first limited late model championship. Former champion Pete Loria returned to win the Jook George Memorial, the division's premier race.

In other divisions, Shawn Domhoff, of Harmony, captured the e-modified title with six victories; Larry Marks, of West Mifflin, won the pure stock crown with five wins; and Ian Tomei was champion of the amateur stock division with six victories.

Motordrome Speedway

Just when it seemed a debate over different engine types was idling, a hotly contested championship race reignited simmering emotions. In the late models of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, Rick Miller raced out to an early lead, only to see Neil Brown close the gap. Going into the final night, Miller, driving a car with a fuel-injected motor, had a six-point lead over Brown, who races with a carbureted engine. And then the rain came. The finale was canceled and, per rules, the season ended with Miller, an eight-time winner from Dunbar, as champion for the second year in a row. Miller also finished third in NASCAR Northeast Region points.

In his first season in the modified division, Adam Kostelnik, of East McKeesport, won the championship with seven victories. The rainout on the final night cost Kostelnik a chance at winning the NASCAR ShorTrack Northeast Region title. He wound up second to Gary Eicher, who races at Lake Erie Speedway.

In other divisions, Greg Kelley, of Connellsville, posted seven victories to win the pro truck division for the second consecutive time; Frank Turek, of Mount Pleasant, scored eight wins to wrap up the street stock title; Bob Shipp, of Jefferson Hill, won six times to take the charger class; and Ken Dukich, of Connellsville, rode his lone victory April 16 to the championship in the American Flyer division.

This is the final district auto racing notebook for 2004.