Vince Quenneville Jr. Takes Mod Checkers at Albany-Saratoga

Results for May 26 , 2000

MALTA, NY - Using a line he said he learned by watching Danny Johnson race,

Vince Quenneville Jr. of Fair Haven, Vt., ended a long winless drought

Friday night in the 35-lap modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Quenneville took advantage of two late restarts to hold off a hard-charging

Dave Camara to get his first win at the Malta track since July 10, 1998.

Quenneville took the lead on lap six and then held off Camara by using a

line that few other drivers would even attempt. Coming out of the second

turn, Quenneville ran on the extreme edge of the backstretch, and even

dropped his right side tires off the racing surface on a couple of

occasions, before cutting hard into the third turn.

The line allowed Quenneville to maintain his momentum going into three,

and also prevented Camara, who was running a lower line, to sneak by on the

inside. “That’s a Danny Johnson line,” said Quenneville after the feature.

“I learned that from watching him race at Rolling Wheels.”

Brian Whittemore led the first five laps of the feature from his

front-row starting position, but Quenneville, who had started sixth in his

Troyer modified, used a restart on the sixth lap to get the lead. When the

green came back out, Quenneville went around Whittemore on the outside of

turns three and four to get the top spot.

By the 10th lap, Camara, who was looking for his second straight win,

was already up to sixth and flying. He first worked his way around Tim Laduc

and then gobbled up Gene Munger, and when Todd Ryan, who had been running

second, pulled off into the infield on the 14th lap, Camara was third. The

next time around, Camara rocketed past David Towns to take over second, but

by that time, Quenneville had opened up a huge lead.

That lead was negated, however, on the 20th lap, when Ron Proctor and

Jack Cottrell tangled in the first turn. Following the restart, Camara

began to work on Quenneville, looking for a way to get around the leader.

Camara started to get a good rhythm going on the inside, and kept inching

closer to the lead. Just as it appeared that he was going to finally make

the pass on the 31st lap, the yellow flew for an incident in the first turn

involving Mike Perrotte, Jeff Trombley and Proctor.

Camara tried to make another move two laps later, but again, the yellow

came out, this time for Munger, who came to a stop in the fourth turn.

Camara wasn’t able to make a serious challenge in the final two laps, as he

had his hands full holding off Jack Johnson, who did everything he could to

try to get the No. 2 spot away from Camara.

But at the flag, Quenneville got the win, with Camara second and Johnson

third. They were followed by Towns, who recorded his best finish of the

season, and Bob Savoie, who got up for fifth despite starting 20th, after

qualifying through the consolation. Completing the top 10 were Laduc, Jim

Ryan, Don Ackner, Cottrell and Dave Manny.

Jim Becker drove to his first career victory n the 20-lap sportsman

feature that saw nearly half the field get wiped out on the first lap.

Heading into the first turn after taking the green, Rick Davis and Dan Ryan,

who started on the front row, bounced off each other, with Davis then

bouncing off the inside jersey barrier, right in front of the field. When

the dust cleared, eight cars had been involved. Becker avoided the carnage

and moved to the front of the field. He then took the lead on the second lap

and pulled away for an easy win. He was followed by Sput Shaw, Tom Proctor,

Lucas Baker and Tim Hartman.

Dan Madigan passed Dan O’Connor on the final lap and picked up his

second win of the year in the pro-street stock feature. The outcome was

never decided until the final lap, as the top five cars were running in a

group and it was anyone’s race, until Madigan finally took the lead. O’

Connor came across the line second, followed by Fred Little, Ernie Grenier

and Mike Paquin.

Steve Vrooman was victorious in the hobby stock feature, W. John Smith

won the cruiser division feature and Ed Ody won the 50-lap enduro.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be back in action Friday night with the

Spring Championships, with double points being offered in all divisions.

MODIFIEDS: VINCE QUENNEVILLE JR., Dave Camara, Jack Johnson, David

Towns, Bob Savoie, Tim Laduc, Jim Ryan, Don Ackner, Jack Cottrell, Dave

Manny, Ron Proctor, Hector Stratton, Brian Whittemore, Ken Tremont Jr.,

Jerry Pennock Jr., Gene Munger, Mike Perrotte, Jeff Trombley, Ronnie

Johnson, Brian Gerrain, Mike Ronca, Todd Ryan, John Harrison, Brian

McKenzie.

SPORTSMAN: JIM BECKER, Sput Shaw, Tom Proctor, Lucas Baker, Tim Hartman,

Tony Ballestero, Jim Davis, Gary Gates, Bob Ray, Kevin Perry, Don Mattison,

Mike Ballestero, Rick Davis, Dan Ryan, David Peek, Kim Duell, Ray

Martindale, John Rheome.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: DAN MADIGAN, Dan O’Connor, Fred Little, Ernie

Grenier, Mike Paquin, Adam Tranka, Dean Charbonneau, Chris Maxon, Matt

Anatriello, Phil Sherman, Kelly Williamson, Matt Rich, Al Hunter, Randy

Brownell, Dave Uline, Joe Santoro, Charlie Koenig, Mike Bussino, Bob Gile,

No. 83, Walt Brownell, D.J. Mabb, Ray Salisbury.

HOBBY A: STEVE VROOMAN, Mike Tholin, Jason Armer, Rob Muscanell, Arnie

Trudeau, Mike Ostrander, Jim Monroe, Don Daniels, Ken Town, Jeff Assman, Dan

Daniels, John Morris Jr., Todd Dunston, David Patrick, Jeff Daubert, David

Peck, Gary Michaud

HOBBY B: BRIAN RODGERS, Jeff Assman, David Peck, Marty Salmonson, Mark

Miller, Howard Clark, Jeff Donnelly, Kevin Sawyer, Adam Stoddard, Ron

Tollner, Bill Williams, Keith Nichols, Mike Marsche.

CRUISERS: W. JOHN SMITH, Bill Barslow, Jeff Monroe, Ray Fifield, Pete

Knapp, No. 34, Rick Rathbun, Randy Rathburn, Jim Monroe Jr., J.D. Chapman,

Tony Condon, David Kennedy, No. 84, Dan Uber, No. 41, Mike Gries, No. 25,

Ron Earfrato, Richard Allen, Mike Carman, Gene Brownell, Jon Atwell, Bill

Marshall.