It's a Vince Quenneville Jr. Two-fer at Albany-Saratoga

MALTA - It’s hard to tell what was more potent Friday - the violent

thunderstorm that wreaked havoc on Saratoga County, or Vince Quenneville Jr.

’s Troyer- four-link.

The late-afternoon thunderstorm downed trees and power lines, rerouting

traffic around Albany-Saratoga Speedway and forcing the track to rely on

emergency generator power. Once Quenneville got on the track, he was just as

powerful.

Quenneville only needed five laps to get to the front, and then dusted

off Mike Perrotte in the 35-lap double-point Championship modified feature

at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. The win was the second straight for

Quenneville, who became the first repeat modified winner this season.

Although Quenneville was coming off a win, he started seventh in the

25-car field because of two miserable performances earlier in May, and used

a restart to snatch the lead away from Gene Munger on the fifth lap. The

restart came about after a nasty crash in the fourth turn, involving Brian

McKenzie, Mike Ronca, Jack Cottrell, Kenny Aanonsen, Todd Ryan, Brian

Gerrain and Jerry Pennock Jr. Only Ryan was able to continue.

Perrotte, who had started ninth, got to the front almost as quickly as

Quenneville and took over the no. 2 position on the 10th lap. When defending

track champion Ken Tremont Jr. pulled off the front straightaway with a flat

tire on the 14th lap., the field bunched up again.

While under caution, Quenneville looped his car in the second turn, but

because the field was under yellow, he was able to regain his spot behind

the pace car. Perrotte did his best to find a way to get the lead, but

Quenneville put the hammer down in the last five laps and won with ease.

Perrotte was second, while Dave Camara overcame a miserable night to finish

third.

Camara had hit the fourth turn wall a ton on the first lap of his heat

race, doing heavy damage to his Teo-Pro car. His crew made the necessary

repairs to get him out for the feature, putting him 22nd in the field. On

the fifth lap, Camara spun out in the first turn, putting him back to the

rear, but he rebounded to finish third and maintain his point lead. Jim

Ryan finished fourth, with Bob Savoie fifth. They were followed by Tim

LaDuc, Munger, Don Scarborough, Hector Stratton and Don Ackner. Scarborough

was making his first appearance of the season, driving the John Harrison 24.

Tom Proctor picked up his first win of the season in the 20-lap

sportsman feature, becoming the sixth different winner of the season in that

division. Proctor got the lead on lap five and beat Don Mattison to the

finish line. David Peek was third, with Jack Gentile fourth and Jim Davis

fifth.

Bob Gile drove to his first career victory in the 20-lap pro-street

stock feature, which had the crowd on its feet. The top four cars were

tightly bunched on the final lap, when Fred Little battling Gile for the

lead. They came out of the fourth turn side-by-side and made contact. Gile

was able to keep a handle on his race car and got under the checkered flag

first, but Little went sliding backward into the infield grass. Ernie

Grenier, Mike Paquin and Don O’Connor all charged across the finish line

before Little, still going backward, crossed the stripe before taking down

three billboards in the infield.

Steve Vrooman earned his second straight win in the hobby stock feature

while Jim Monroe Jr. and Jeff Monroe were victorious in the cruiser

features.

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

Central New York Mini-Sprint/CVRA Challenge being added to the regular

racing card. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.

MODIFIEDS: VINCE QUENNEVILLE JR., Mike Perrotte, Dave Camara, Jim Ryan,

Bob Savoie, Tim Laduc, Gene Munger, Don Scarborough, Hector Stratton, Don

Ackner, Eddie Maxon, Ron Proctor, Chuck Higley, Ray Hoard, Todd Ryan, Scott

Noel, Ken Tremont Jr., Brian McKenzie, Brian Whittemore, Jack Cottrell, Mike

Ronca, Jerry Pennock Jr., Brian Gerrain, Kenny Aanonsen, David Towns.

SPORTSMAN: TOM PROCTOR, Don Mattison, David Peek, Jack Gentile, Jim

Davis, Jim Becker, Tim Hartman, Gary Gates, Kim Duell, Lucas Baker, Bob Ray,

Doug Sheely, Kevin Perry, Rich Ronca, Mike Ballestero, Dan Ryan, Ray

Martindale, Tony Ballestero, Randy Salisbury, Sput Shaw.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: BOB GILE, Ernie Grenier, Mike Paquin, Don O’Connor,

Fred Little, Matt Anatriello, Dean Charbonneau, Charlie Koenig, Joe Santoro,

Randy Brownell, Tom O’Connor, Matt Rich, Al Hunter, D.J. Mabb, Walt

Brownell, Dave Uline, Phil Sherman, Kelly Williamson, Chris Maxon.

HOBBY STOCKS: STEVE VROOMAN, Mike Marsche, Gary Michaud, Jason Armer,

Rob Muscanell, Don Daniels, Dave Perretta, Jeff Assman, Keith Nichols, Mike

Ostrander, Adam Stoddard, Eric Lacasse, Jeff Daubert, Curt Condon, Mike

Tholin, Jim Monroe, Ken Town, Keith Norton, Larry McIntosh, Ray Michaud, Dan

Daniels.

CRUISERS: FOUR-CYLINDER: JIM MONROE JR., Pete Knapp, Randy Rathbun, Ben

Ladd, Mitch Gries, Gene Brownell, J.D. Chapman.

SIX-CYLINDER: JEFF MONROE, W. John Smith, Bill Barslow, Rick Mrzyglod,

Chris Busta, Jon Atwell, Tony Condon, Dan Uber, Ray Fifield.