MALTA - Brett Hearn gave himself a little going-away present Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Hearn, who is expected to curtail his Friday night racing schedule at Albany-Saratoga Speedway at the end of the month, sat on the pole and led all 35 laps to notch his first win of the season in the 358 modified feature at the historic Malta oval.
The pole isn’t Hearn’s normal starting position, but a run of bad luck, which included a wreck the previous week that did heavy damage to his primary Brioschi-sponsored small block, put him at the front of the pack for the start of the 35 lap feature. And 35 laps later, he was in the same position, as the Madsen Racing backup car proved to adapt to the Malta clay better than the primary car had, allowing Hearn to become the eighth different modified winner at Albany-Saratoga Speedway this season.
The race was slowed by only two cautions. The first came out on lap two, when Scott Noel got crossed up in the second turn, setting off a little jingle that saw Matt DeLorenzo spin, and collect Don Ackner. The other yellow came out on lap 10, when Mike Ronca suddenly lost power coming out of the second turn, and Dave Camara drove into the back of Ronca’s car. But both drivers were able to continue.
While Hearn was setting the pace, the best battle on the track was for second, between Don Scarborough and Ken Tremont Jr. Tremont, who had started 15th, had charged around the outside groove on his way to the front, and was sitting third on lap 12. For the next 17 laps, he and Scarborough battled like two junkyard dogs over the last pork chop. Tremont finally moved into the number two spot on lap 29, but by that time, Hearn was long gone.
Scarborough came across the finish line third, with Jack Johnson charging to fourth after starting 17th. Vince Quenneville Jr. was fifth. The second five consisted of Don Mattison, Jack Cottrell, Ron Proctor, Tim Laduc and Noel.
The 20-lap sportsman feature also had a first-time winner, as John Bellinger came off the front row and picked up his first win of the season. Bellinger, who hasn’t had a fulltime ride in a number of years, is now behind the wheel of the John Kollar-owned small block, and on Friday night, he was untouchable. He took the lead away from Jack Gentile on lap three, and led the rest of the way. By the halfway point of the race, defending track champion Tom Proctor was right on Gentile’s tail for second, and Gentile soon relinquished the spot. When Paul Cirincione stopped in the fourth turn on lap 15, bringing out the final caution, Proctor had a chance to move right up on Bellinger’s rear bumper. But Bellinger had more than enough power under the hood of the Kollar car to get the win. Proctor came across the finish line second,with Gentile third, David Peek fourth and Dick Bisson fifth. Bisson came across the finish line in unconventional fashion, as he and Tony Ballestero came together coming out of the fourth turn on the final lap. Both cars spun into the infield and passed over the start-finish line backward, with Bisson fifth and Ballestero sixth.
Sixteen-year-old Kyle Drum stole the show in the 20-lap Empire Super Sprints feature, but Dan Kaszubinski stole the win away from Drum in the final few feet of the race. Drum had gone right to the front from his second-row starting position at the drop of the green flag, and was driving with poise and confidence. But the whole race changed on lap 17, when the yellow flag flew. At that time, Kaszubinski wasn’t even a factor, running sixth. But in the next two laps, he stuck his sprinter right on the cushion, and pass four cars to get into second.
Another caution came out on lap 19, setting up a one lap dash to the checkered flag. Drum had the lead going into the third turn, but Kaszubinski first looked high, and then dove low coming out of the fourth turn, sticking his front wheels past Drum at the finish line. The win was Kaszubinski’s first of the season, but marked his second straight victory at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.Bubby Kerrick finished third. Justin Berger passed the most cars,
finishing fourth after starting 17th, and Lance Yonge was fifth.
Curt Condon won the hobby stock feature, with Glen Evans nosing out Gary Michaud for second.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be hosting its annual New York State Stock Car Association Night on Friday, June 22. In a special ceremony, Champlain Valley Racing Association founder C.J. Richards, Vince Quenneville Sr., Steve Luse, Charlie Laduc and John Osterhoudt will be inducted into the NYSSCA Hall of Fame. In addition, James Cottrell, Rene Charland, Nick Ronca, Butch Jelley and Ken Tremont Sr. will be honored for their selection as Lifetime Members of the CVRA.
MODIFIED FINISH: BRETT HEARN, Ken Tremont Jr., Don Scarborough, Jack Johnson, Vince Quenneville Jr., Don Mattison, Jack Cottrell, Ron Proctor, Tim Laduc, Scott Noel, Brian McKenzie, Wayne Jelley, Dave Camara, Bob Savoie, J.R. Heffner, Mike Ronca, Mike Perrotte, Matt DeLorenzo, Andy Bachetti, Jim Ryan, Chuck Higley, Frank Hoard Sr., Ron Dwyer, Don Ackner.
SPORTSMAN: JOHN BELLINGER, Tom Proctor, Jack Gentile, Davie Peek, Dick Bisson, Tony Ballestero, Jim Becker, Jason Herrington, Mike Ballestero, Frank Hoard Jr., Sput Shaw, Rich Ronca, Tim Hartman, Ricky Davis, Derrick McGrew, Stan Lemiesz, Randy Salisbury, Ray Martindale, Mike Boomhower, Bob Matthews, Brent Bouplon, Elmo Reckner, Paul Cirincione.
HOBBY STOCKS: CURTIS CONDON, Glen Evans, Gary Michaud, Dave Daniels, Mike Tholin, Chris Reckner, Don Daniels, Dan Daniels, Adam Stoddard, Lori Cary, John Filarecki, Grant Rice, Bob Schmidt, Jim Monroe, Roy Fifield, Walter Engel, Mike Ostrander.