Mike Perrotte Gets Lucky At Albany-Saratoga Speedway

Albany-Saratoga Speedway

Results for July 14, 2000

MALTA - There’s an old saying in racing that it’s better to be lucky than

good. On Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Mike Perrotte was good,

but Gene Munger was lucky. Munger inherited the lead when Perrotte had a

tire go flat with three laps to go, and scored a popular victory in the

35-lap modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

After taking the lead, Munger had to hold off his part-time boss, Dave

Camara, to get the victory. The win was Munger’s third career win at

Albany-Saratoga Speedway, and marked the first time he’s been to victory

lane since June 17, 1994. Munger, who works on Camara’s crew when he isn’t

driving the Mike Richards-owned Richardsdale Farms-sponsored Teo car, needed

to have luck on his side, because no one was going to touch Perrotte.

The race got off to a shaky start when Dave Leckonby bounced off the

inside barrier in the fourth turn on the second lap of the event. Leckonby,

who won the track championship at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 1978, was

making his first appearance at the track in over 15 years. Dave Manny set

the pace for the first two laps of the feature, but Jeff Betit, who had

started on the pole, muscled his way under Manny coming out of the fourth

turn on lap three to take over the lead.

Munger, who had started fifth, got past Manny one lap later for second,

and set his sights on Betit, who was running a good line through the turns.

Munger finally made the pass for the lead on lap 11, but Perrotte, who had

started fourth, was right on his tail and Perrotte then put the George

Huttig-owned Adirondack Auto machine into the top spot on lap 14.

Two wrecks then slowed the pace of the feature, and set the stage for

Perrotte’s downfall. On lap 19, Hector Stratton bounced off the outside wall

in the fourth turn and came to a rest in the middle of the front

straightaway, when he was a sitting duck, as Manny came charging out of four

and slammed into the rear of Stratton’s modified.

When the race was restarted, Betit and Ron Proctor, who were battling

for seventh, rubbed rails down the backstretch and Betit then hit the

implement tire that guards the inside barrier in turn three. The hard

contact sent Betit’s car into a double flip, ending his night. Both the

Stratton accident and the Betit wreck put some debris on the track, and

Perrotte is sure he ran over something on the track, because with three laps

left, he suddenly pulled high in the fourth turn, the victim of a flat right

rear tire.

That put Munger into the lead, and on his way to ending his six-year

winless drought. On the final restart, Bob Savoie was second, but Camara got

a big jump when the green came out and moved around Savoie. But that quick

change of positions was all Munger needed to open up enough room to outrun

Camara to the finish line. Savoie finished third, with Todd Ryan fourth and

Tim LaDuc fifth. They were followed by Jim Ryan, Ken Tremont Jr., Don

Ackner, Proctor and Jack Cottrell.

The 20-lap sportsman feature was plagued by two early cautions, but once

the field settled into a rhythm, it looked like Tony Ballestero was on his

way to his third win of the season. But with five laps left, Ballestero made

contact with a lapped car, damaging his own car and allowing Tom Proctor to

inherit the lead. Proctor then went on to record his third victory of the

season. Floyd Billington and Jim Davis battled for the second spot right

down to the checkered flag, with Billington nipping Davis at the wire. Tim

Hartman finished fourth, and Jason Herrington was a couple of inches ahead

of Jim Becker for fifth.

Joe Santoro finally made his way back to victory lane in the 20-lap

pro-street stock feature. Santoro, a rookie in the division, recorded his

first career win of April 28, but has had a string of inconsistency since

then. But he was back on track Friday, and held off a hard charge from Dan

Madigan for the victory.

Ken Town won the hobby stock feature while the cruiser winners were Pete

Knapp (four-cylinder) and W. John Smith (six-cylinder).

This Friday night will feature the Mid-Season Championships, with double

points being offered in all divisions.

MODIFIED: GENE MUNGER, Dave Camara, Bob Savoie, Todd Ryan, Tim LaDuc, Jim

Ryan, Ken Tremont Jr., Don Ackner, Ron Proctor, Jack Cottrell, Dave

Leckonby, John Harrison, Brian Gerrain, Brian McKenzie, Ronnie Johnson, Mike

Perrotte, Chuck Higley, Kenny Aanonsen, Jeff Betit, Mike Ronca, Vince

Quenneville Jr., Hector Stratton, Dave Manny.

SPORTSMAN: TOM PROCTOR, Floyd Billington, Jimmy Davis, Tim Hartman, Jason

Herrington, Jim Becker, Don Mattison, Gary Gates, Rich Ronca, Rob Ray, Rick

Davis, Sput Shaw, Jerry Conroy, David Peek, Stan Lemiesz, Mike Boomhower,

Jake Zak, Tony Ballestero, Mike Ballestero, Jack Gentile, Lucas Baker, Kim

Duell.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: JOE SANTORO, Dan Madigan, Fred Little, Matt Rich, Bernie

Companion, Dean Charbonneau, Mike Paquin, Matt Anatriello, Dan O’Connor,

Kelly Williamson, Bob Gile, Jason Miller, Jeff Donnelly, Randy Brownell,

David Cook, Charlie Koenig, Al Hunter, Dave Uline, Ernie Grenier.

HOBBY A MAIN: KEN TOWN, Jason Armer, Eric Lacasse, Hondo Carpenter, Ray

Michaud, Steve Vrooman, Jim Monroe, Mike Tholin, C.J. Brooks, Todd Dunston,

Dan Daniels, Justin Howe, Bill McDonald, Brian Ashline, Mike Marsche, Jeff

Assman, Rob Muscanell.

HOBBY B MAIN: MIKE MARSCHE, Dan Daniels, Ray Michaud, John Morris Jr.,

Curtis Condon, John Donnelly, Ron Tollner, Mike Traylor, Carlton Coon, Don

Daniels, Mike Ostrander.

FOUR-CYLINDER CRUISERS: PETE KNAPP, Mitch Gaies, Gene Brownell, Bill

Marshall, Randy Rathbun, John Stiles, Mark Sheridan, Dave Kennedy, Jim

Monroe Jr., Todd Burch, No.93.

SIX-CYLINDER CRUISERS: W. JOHN SMITH, Jeff Monroe, Rick Mrzyglod, Roy

Fifield, Lucas MacIsaac, Dan Uber, Jon Atwell, Tracy Newkirk, Ron Earfrato,

Randy Manhey.