Ken Tremont Jr. Got His First Win And Something To Worry About At Albany-Saratoga Speedway
Malta, NY...4/16/00...On a cold afternoon that was briefly interrupted by spitting rain, Tremont began the quest of his seventh straight modified point title by winning the 35-lap 358 modified feature on opening day at the Malta track.
Tremont charged past Dave Camara of Poultney, Vt., coming out of the fourth turn on the final lap to get the victory. Camara had taken the lead away from Tremont on lap 34 when Tremont bobbled coming out of the fourth turn, but when Camara caught a rut the last time around, Tremont capitalized and got the victory. The Tremont-Camara rivalry is one that’s sure to keep brewing throughout the season, as Camara has returned to the Champlain Valley Racing Association full-time with a new Teo Pro and a Kevin Enders-built Ford small block. "He’ s going to be tough," Tremont admitted after getting the win Sunday afternoon. Camara had started on the outside pole by virtue of the draw, while Tremont had lined up sixth, and a restart on the 11th lap almost ended Tremont's day. On the restart, Butch Jelley drifted off the bottom coming out of the fourth turn, forcing Tremont to jerk his car to the right. The only problem was that Jack Cottrell was already occupying that spot, and the contact sent Cottrell into the outside concrete barrier, ending his afternoon. On the next restart, Tremont came out of the pack second, and set sail after Camara. Tremont then got the lead for the first time on the 23rd lap, but Camara hung tough, waiting for a mistake, and Tremont hit the wrong hole on the 34th lap, giving the top spot back to Camara. But one more bad bounce ended Camara’s bid for the victory, allowing Tremont to pass under his first checkered flag of the season. Jim Ryan, who had started 22nd, drove a great race to finish third. He was followed by Bob Savoie and Brian McKenzie.
Mike Ballestero won the 20-lap sportsman feature, taking the lead away from Jim Davis on the 16th lap. Ballestero almost didn’t make the feature, as he did heavy damage to the front end of his car when he tagged the fourth turn wall during hot laps, but his crew made repairs while the modified feature was being run, and Ballestero picked up the victory, with Jim Becker second and Davis third. Dan Madigan held off a determined bid from Jeff Sukup to win the pro-street stock feature, while Rob Muscanell used a last-lap pass to win the hobby stock feature. Jeff Monroe picked up his first victory of the season in the cruiser division. Albany-Saratoga Speedway will return to its regular Friday night racing schedule this week. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.
MODIFIED FEATURE: KEN TREMONT JR., Dave Camara, Jim Ryan, Bob Savoie, Brian McKenzie, Vince Quenneville Jr., Don Ackner, Ron Proctor, Floyd Billington, Tim Laduc, Don Ronca, Eddie Maxon, Randy Howe, Guy Sheldon, Gene Munger, Butch Jelley, Jack Cottrell, Hector Stratton, Jerry Pennock Jr., Dan Deuville, Ken Aanonsen, Scott Noel, David Towns.
SPORTSMAN: Mike Ballestero, Jim Becker, Jim Davis, Tony Ballestero, Gary Gates (DQ), David Peek, Lucas Baker, Tom Proctor, Don Mattison, Jake Zak, Sput Shaw, Tim Hartman.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: Dan Madigan, Jeff Sukup, Dan O’Connor, Mike Bradley, Chris Maxon, Jack Swinton, Mike Paquin, Matt Anatriello, Joe Santoro, Adam Tranka, Dave Uline, Al Hunter, John Fitzgerald, Randy Brownell. HOBBY STOCKS: Rob Muscanell, Steve Vrooman, Don Daniels, David Patrick, Mike Tholin, Ken Town, Mike Ostrander, Dan Daniels, Larry McIntosh, C.J. Brooks, Brian Ashline, Dave Perretta, Keith Norton, John Morris Jr., Kevin Sawyer, Glen Evans, Bob Cox, Jeff Assman, Eric LaCasse, Jason Armer, Jim Monroe, Jeff Daubert.
Heat Winners: MODIFIED: Don Ronca, Jack Cottrell, Hector Stratton
SPORTSMAN: Mike Ballestero, Don Mattison PRO STREET STOCK: Mike Paquin, Jeff Sukup HOBBY STOCK: Steve Vrooman, Mike Tholin, Don Daniels