Lance Dewease already is an all-star sprint car driver with more than 260 career wins in the mid-state.

Dewease, 42, from Fayetteville, Pa., ranks fourth in wins in sprint car crazed Central Pennsylvania. He also has won track championships at Port Royal Speedway (6), Williams Grove (5) and Lincoln Speedway.

This season, Dewease is going after the O'Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions crown worth $50,000 at season's end.

Dewease leads the All Star point race as the tour heads into Lernerville Speedway at 7:30 p.m. today for the first of two visits this season.

Kevin Schaeffer, defending and two-time Lernerville sprint car champion, competed at Port Royal during the time Dewease was racking up championships at the Juniata County Fairgrounds.

"What makes Lance good is that he's probably one of the best driver-mechanics out there. He understands what he needs before anyone," Schaeffer said.

Oddly enough, local drivers looking to challenge the All Stars might just benefit from the three rainouts so far this season at Lernerville. It means they will have fresh equipment.

"Our motor is fresh and we're hoping to start toward the front against the All Stars," Schaeffer said. "We're hoping we got fast enough over the winter to compete with guys like Dewease, [Greg] Wilson and [Dale] Blaney."

Dewease has 23 career wins with the All Stars, including the tour's previous outing at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio, where Dewease had never won.

"Lance is a guy that finds whichever groove makes his car fastest and he always ends up front in the end," Schaeffer said.

With all due respect to Danica Patrick's first career Indy Car win, what Laurie Cannister did at the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham, N.C., was nothing short of amazing. Cannister, a Brentwood High School graduate, picked up her second Ironman win in as many races. Her only close call came in the first round where she squeaked out the win by 0.009 seconds. From there, she rolled right through the next three competitors.

While the IHRA has had many female professional drivers win, none have dominated a class like Cannister. She is the fastest and quickest female driver in IHRA Alcohol Funny Car history and there's no sign of Cannister and the Kalbone's Alcohol Funny Car slowing down anytime soon.

Also at Lernerville tonight are the Super Late Models and street stocks. Motordrome Speedway is in action tonight. ... Sharon Speedway near Hartford, Ohio, opens tomorrow night with the $1,200-to-win Rick Glass Pure Stock 50 at 5 p.m. ... PPMS, Mercer Raceway Park and Roaring Knob race on Saturday. Challenger will try again with the $5,000 UFo Late Model feature, Pittsburgh Raceway Park features drag racing and Tri-City Speedway in Franklin opens Sunday.