7/22/11: MALTA – Ron Proctor must have found the Fountain of Youth. Showing the skill and determination he displayed when he was one of the top contenders in the Champlain Valley Racing Association in the late 1980s, Proctor drove to his second win of the season Friday night in the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
The last time Proctor won two features in the same season at the historic Malta track was 1988, when he was battling with the likes of Jack Johnson, C.D. Coville and Ray Dalmata on a regular basis.
The victory also allowed Proctor to take another bite out of Joe Williams’ point lead, as the duo battle for the first NASCAR-sanctioned championship at Albany-Saratoga.
For a while, it looked like Proctor was going to be an also-ran. His cousin, John Proctor, started on the pole and set the pace for the first five laps, but Jessey Mueller, one of the CVRA’s fearless teenagers, took the high line around John Proctor on the sixth lap to get the lead.
One lap later, Ron Proctor passed his cousin and settled in behind Mueller, who is still looking for his first CVRA victory. The first caution came out on lap 20, when something broke in Justin Haas’ car. The yellow sent the lapped cars to the rear, giving Proctor a clear shot at Mueller.
Mike Bruno, who had been running a distant third, also used the yellow to move up with the leaders, and they ran nose to tail after the restart. But on lap 27, Mueller seemed to bobble, giving Proctor the opening he needed, and he shot through to get the lead. Two laps later, Mueller pulled into the pits and was done for the night.
Bruno had no shot at running down Proctor, who had a comfortable three-second advantage at the finish line. Proctor now has two wins, a second and a third in his last four races as he continues his quest for his first track championship. Bruno finished second, followed by Hunter Bates, Williams and Dave Manny.
Bruno didn’t go away empty-handed, as he picked up his third win of the season in the 30-lap pro late model feature. Bruno started on the outside pole and went flag-to-flag to get the win. Bruno had a nice cushion when the red flag came out on lap 22 when Kevin Van Chance blew his motor and started leaking fluid on the racing surface.
When racing resumed, Darryl Carl and Dan Petronis were right on Bruno’s rear bumper, and on lap 25, Petronis moved into second and began to put some heat on the lead. But Bruno held on for the win, with Petronis second and Carl third.
Josh Coonradt recorded his fourth win of the campaign in the Renegade feature, and David Schilling took the checkered flag for the first time this year in the INEX Young Lions feature. The 15-year-old Schilling is in his first season in an INEX car after moving up from go-karts.
The Bomber Warriors were also in action on CSEA Family Fun Night, with Mark Lindblade coming away with his second win of the year. Dave Schilling won the Legends feature in the Young Lions division, with Russell Sniffen Jr. taking the Senior win.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: RON PROCTOR, Mike Bruno, Hunter Bates, Joe Williams, Dave Manny, Fred Proctor, John Proctor, Cody Sargen, Jason Reome, Jessey Mueller, Justin Haas, Luke Klob, Paul Dunham Jr. DNS-Bobby Hackel.
PRO LATE MODELS: MIKE BRUNO, Dan Petronis, Darryl Carl, Mike Scorzelli, David Emigh, Randy Miller, Brandon Emigh, Kevin Van Chance.
RENEGADES: JOSH COONRADT, Rowdy Burch, Frank Monroe, Andy Smith.
BOMBER WARRIORS: MARK LINDBLADE, John McCarron, Dan Collins, Colin Clow, Dan Older Jr., Blake Schwarting, Harold Lavair Jr., John Lindblade, Tom Bristol.
July 15, 2011: MALTA NY – After getting a late start to the racing season, Mike Bruno found himself staring at a big deficit in the NASCAR Modifieda point race at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
But it’s never too late to start a comeback.
Bruno, who lost the 2010 track championship on the final night of the season, started another climb toward the top Friday night with a victory in the double-points Midseason Championship at the historic Malta track.
Although Bruno has two pro late model wins under his belt at Albany-Saratoga, Friday night’s victory was his first in the NASCAR Modified division in 2011. And he made it look very easy. After a shaky first lap, when his left front tire dropped off the pavement into the infield on the backstretch, Bruno dominated the feature. He pulled out to an early five-car advantage and easily handled lapped traffic.
With just one yellow coming out in the 35-lap feature, Bruno finished with a comfortable 1.038 second margin of victory over teenager Hunter Bates, who came away with his second runner-up performance of the season.
Ron Proctor continued his hot streak, finishing third, giving him a win, a second and a third in his last three races. Bobby Hackel IV, coming off his first career victory on Sunday night at Devil’s Bowl, crossed the finish line fourth and points leader Joe Williams was fifth.
The crowd then settled back and waited to see if Bruno could also win the pro late model feature and pull off his first double-dip of the season.
Darryl Carl, who won the first two pro late model features of the season before cooling off, started on the pole and set a quick pace in the 25-lap feature, but Bruno kept the crowd entertained and moved into second on lap 13. But two laps later, Bruno got loose in the fourth turn (something broke in the car) and lost a lot of ground, enabling Carl to pull away for an easy win.
He was followed by Dan Petronis, Mike Scorzelli, Brandon Emigh and David Emigh.
Frank Monroe returned to victory lane in the Renegade division, posting his second win of the year and first since opening night. The race had to be red-flagged on the fifth lap when Andy Smith blew something in the motor and dropped fluid on the track. But once racing resumed, Monroe held off Josh Coonradt and Rowdy Burch to get the victory.
Matt Pappa won the INEX Young Lions feature, and Harold Lavair Jr. was awarded the win in the Bomber Warriors feature. Colin Clow was first under the checkerered flag, but was later disqualified, giving the win to Lavair. Ironically, the last time Albany-Saratoga was in action, on July 1, Clow was awarded a win when Lavair was disqualified.
Albany-Saratoga will return to action on Friday, July 22, with all divisions in action. It will also be CSEA Employee Fun Night, and will feature the always-popular kids’ bike races on the asphalt track.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: MIKE BRUNO, Hunter Bates, Ron Proctor, Bobby Hackel IV, Joe Williams, Fred Proctor, Ron Proctor, Tom Rotondaro, Luke Klob, Cody Sargen, Paul Dunham Jr., Dave Manny, Skip Shippee, Jessey Mueller. DNS: Cody Hunt
PRO LATE MODELS: DARRYL CARL, Dan Petronis, Mike Scorzelli, Brandon Emigh, David Emigh, Mike Bruno, Randy Miller.
RENEGADES: FRANK MONROE, Josh Coonradt, Rowdy Burch, Matt Livingston, Bill Burlingame, Andy Smith.
BOMBER WARRIORS: HAROLD LAVAIR JR., Mark Lindblade, Dan Collins, Tom Bristol, John McCarron, Dan Older Jr., Blake Schwarting, Robert Sousis III. DQ: Colin Clow.
July 1, 2011: MALTA – Joe Williams didn’t need firecrackers to start his July 4 holiday
weekend with a bang.
Pumped up by a boisterous $20-a-carload, fireworks-craving crowd, Williams
drove to his fifth win of the season Friday night in the 35-lap NASCAR
modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Williams went on a tear in May, winning four straight features before
having his streak stopped by veteran Ron Proctor on June 10.
Then, like the rest of the racing world, Williams had to pace the floor as
he sat at home through two straight rainouts.
But the holiday weekend brought great weather and a great crowd, and
Williams put on another great show.
Fred Proctor set the pace at the beginning of the 35-lap feature, but two
early restarts helped Williams progress from his eighth starting spot, and
by lap six, he was third, behind Proctor and Bobby Hackel IV.
Williams worked his way around Hackel on lap 10 and only needed three more
laps to take the lead away from Proctor.
Another yellow on lap 21 bunched the field, but once the green came back
out, Williams quickly moved out to a three-car advantage.
But that didn’t mean the action was over. All eyes were now on Ron
Proctor, who had started last in the 21-car field. Proctor, who has suddenly hit
on a perfect setup, had patiently worked his way to the front, and took over
second on lap 23. But he just didn’t have enough to make a serious run at
Williams, who hit the finish line with a 0.572 second cushion.
Hackel was third, his best finish of the season, and Jessey Mueller and
Mike Bruno completed the top five.
Bruno kept the holiday crowd on its feet in the final 15 laps. After an
incident with Fred Proctor on lap 21, Bruno was sent to the rear of the
field, but put together a heck of a charge to get back into the top five.
Mike Scorzelli, who had nothing but bad luck in the first month of the
season, finally got the monkey off his back and came away with his first win
of the year in the 30-lap pro late model feature. Scorzelli, who had three
wins last season, started on the pole and went flag-to-flag to get the
victory Friday night. After no top-five finishes in the first four races of the
season, Scorzelli has finished third, fifth and first in his last three
starts.
Bruno put pressure on Scorzelli in the closing laps, but had to settle for
second. He was followed by Brandon Emigh, Dan Petronis and David Emigh.
Disqualifications marred both the Renegade and Bomber Warrior features.
Paul Mulrain was first under the checkered flag in the Renegade feature, but
was disqualified when he refused to have his engine inspected, according
to track officials. That gave the win to Rowdy Burch. That was Burch’s
second victory of the year, and on both occasions, Mulrain finished ahead of him
and was disqualified.
Colin Clow was awarded the victory in the Bomber Warriors feature when
Harold Lavair came up light on the scales.
Matt Pappa continued to dominate the INEX Young Lions division, running
his winning streak to seven races, and Reed Thompson got the victory in the
75-lap enduro. Arnie Naparty and Josh Masterson followed Thompson across the
finish line.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be hosting USG Corporation Night on July 8,
with all divisions in action. Fans will also be able to see some
fine-looking hot rods, as the Firebird Club will be holding a cruise-in.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: JOE WILLIAMS, Ron Proctor, Bobby Hackel IV, Jessey
Mueller, Mike Bruno, Alex Bell, Robert Hackel, Paul Dunham Jr., Dave Manny, Fred
Proctor, Dylan Smith, Cody Hunt, Jacob Zakrzewski, Luke Klob, Skip
Shippee, Hunter Bates, Cody Sargen, Billy Mueller, Jason Reome, Tom Rotondaro,
John Proctor.
PRO LATE MODELS: MIKE SCORZELLI, Mike Bruno, Brandon Emigh, Dan Petronis,
David Emigh, Darryl Carl, Randy Miller, Carl Guilefuss, Ron Richter.
RENEGADES: Rowdy Burch, Josh Coonradt, Frank Monroe, Andy Smith, Matt
Livingston, Bill Burlingame. DQ: Paul Mulrain.
June 10, 2011 Malta NY: MALTA – Veteran Ron Proctor reached a huge milestone in his racing career Friday night when he drove to victory in the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
The win was his first at Albany-Saratoga since the historic Malta track switched back to an asphalt surface prior to the 2010 season. But more importantly, the win gave Proctor victories in four different decades at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Since visiting victory lane for the first time on May 24, 1985, Proctor has now won races in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Proctor joins an elite group that includes Jack Johnson, whose four decades of victories spanned the 1970s to the 2000s, and Ken Tremont Jr., who completed his four-decade span last season.
Proctor’s win also snapped the four-race winning streak of Joe Williams at Malta. Williams, who had a six-race overall winning streak at both Albany-Saratoga and Devil’s Bowl, never really got started Friday night. On the first turn of the first lap of the feature, he got bumped by Billy Mueller, hit the wall and broke something in the rear end of his car.
Fred Proctor set the early pace, but the early reshuffling allowed Ron Proctor, who had started seventh, to make a couple of quick moves and by lap three, he was already in second place.
On lap six, he moved to the top and took the lead, a move that brought a roar out of the Salute to the Red, White and Blue Night crowd. Mike Bruno used a restart on lap eight to move into the No. 2 spot, and he sat right on Proctor’s rear bumper, waiting for the leader to make a mistake. But Proctor held his line, and probably his breath on a couple of
occasions, and kept setting the pace.
The field bunched up for a final time on lap 21, and Bruno did his best to find a way around Proctor. But the veteran slowly pulled away, and finished with a comfortable 1.729-second margin of victory. The win was the 11th of Proctor’s career at Albany-Saratoga, and his first since July 11, 2008.
Bruno had to settle for his second consecutive runner-up finish, while Fred Proctor crossed the finish line third, matching his best run of the season. Alex Bell and Bobby Hackel IV completed the top five.
Bruno came back to post his second win of the season in the 30-lap pro late model feature. Despite starting last in the nine-car field, Bruno was on the charge early and was soon pressuring leader Mike Scorzelli. Bruno took the lead for good on lap 12, and pulled away to an easy win, beating the Emigh brothers, Brandon and Dave, to the finish line.
Paul Mulrain led flag-to-flag to recrd his first win of the year in the 20-lap Renegade feature, and Matt Pappa continued to dominant the INEX Legends Young Lions division, taking the checkered flag for the fifth time this season.
There was also a familiar face in victory lane after the Bomber Warrior feature, as Harold LaVair Jr. notched his fourth win of the year.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway will return to action on Friday, June 17 with all divisions in action, as well as a 50-lap enduro. That racing card will also kick off the Big Dog Challenge, a cash-based incentive program for NASCAR Modified and pro late model owners who campaign at both Albany-Saratoga and Devil’s Bowl. More information about the Big Dog Challenge and all events on the Champlain Valley Racing Association can be obtained at
www.cvra.com.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: RON PROCTOR, Mike Bruno, Fred Proctor, Alex Bell, Bobby
Hackel IV, Luke Klob, Paul Dunham Jr., Hunter Bates, Cody Sargen, Jacob
Zakrzewski, Jessey Mueller, Jason Rheome, Justin Haas, Michael Bush, John
Proctor, Billy Mueller, Kyle Hoffman, Joe Williams.
PRO LATE MODELS: MIKE BRUNO, Brandon Emigh, David Emigh, Randy Miller,
Mike Scorzelli, Darryl Carl, Carl Guilefuss, Kevin Van Chance. DQ: Dan
Petronis.
RENEGADES: PAUL MULRAIN, Josh Coonradt, Bill Dupree, Frank Monroe, Rowdy
Burch, Bill Burlingame.
BOMBER WARRIORS: HAROLD LAVAIR JR., No. 5, Mark Lindblade, Dan Collins,
John Lindblade, Dan Older Jr., John McCarron, Robert Sousis III, Colin Clow.
June 3, 2011: MALTA – What has already been an outstanding season for Joe Williams got even better Friday night.
Not only did Williams record his fourth straight win in the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, but he also learned he’s going to get an opportunity to earn even more money through a new incentive program started by Champlain Valley Racing Association founder C.J. Richards.
“This is C.J.’s idea,” said Albany-Saratoga Speedway general manager Bruce Richards of the new Big Dog Challenge. “The economy is tough, and he wants to help the owners who show us their support.”
The Big Dog Challenge will be run on a trial basis to assist the NASCAR Modifieds and Pro Late Models to meet their weekly expenses traveling between Albany-Saratoga and Devil’s Bowl speedways. Owners must run both tracks to be eligible, and if an owner’s regular driver can’t make a trip, he can put another driver in his car.
The program will begin on Friday, June 17 at Albany-Saratoga and will be run on a trial basis for four weeks (eight races). Points will be awarded to the top 10 finishers in the feature races in each division at both Albany-Saratoga and Devil’s Bowl. After a weekend of racing, the top 10 in points in each division will be entered into a drawing for the Big Dog Challenge. The payoffs will all be determined by the luck of the draw.
The weekend payoffs for the NASCAR Modifieds will be $500 for first, $250 for second, $150 for third, $100 for fourth, $75 for fifth and $50 for sixth through 10th. The pro late model payoffs will be $250 for first, $125 for second, $100 for third and $50 for fourth through 10th.
Payoffs will be done weekly. In the event that one track rains out, the drawing will carry over to the next weekend when both tracks are in action. Money from the track that did race will be added to the next payday.
On Friday night, Williams continued his hot streak at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, outrunning Mike Bruno to come away with his fourth straight win in the Whelen All-American Series NASCAR Modified feature. John Proctor came off the pole and set the early pace, but the first caution came on on lap seven, after his cousin, Ron Proctor, bounced off the fourth turn wall and suffered a flat tire.
By lap 10, Bruno, who had started next to Williams in the fourth row, had already worked his way into the top five, with Williams right behind him.
Williams made a big move on lap 11, getting by both Bruno and Cody Sargen to move into fourth, and he got a big break on lap 14 when the second caution flew, this time for Luke Klob.
After a couple of botched restarts, the green flag finally came back out and on lap 16, Williams rocketed past John Proctor into the lead. Bruno followed Williams’ path and moved into second on the restart, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reel in the high-flying Williams, who took home $1,000 for the victory.
Hunter Bates, the reigning CVRA Driver of the Year, got up for third, while John Proctor was fourth and Dave Manny finished fifth. There was a lot of celebrating after the 30-lap pro late model feature, as Dan Petronis came away with his first career victory in that division. Petronis took the lead on lap 21 and held on for the win in a feature that had the Spring Championships Night crowd on its feet, as the top five spent the last 10 laps of the race going two and even three abreast.
Bruno, who was doing double-duty in both the modifieds and pro late models, was right behind Petronis at the finish, but had to settle for his second runner-up performance of the night. Mike Scorzelli, Dave Emigh and Brandon Emigh completed the top five.
Josh Coonradt picked up his third consecutive win in the 20-lap Renegade feature and Harold Lavair Jr. was back in victory lane after the Bomber Warriors feature. In the INEX Legends class, Matt Pappa was first under the checkered flag, while Steve Miller picked up the top points in the Seniors division.
Albany-Saratoga will return to action on Friday, June 10 with all divisions in action on “Salute to the Red-White-and-Blue Night.” Fans who bring an American flag and wave it during the races will be eligible for special prizes.
Additional information about events at Albany-Saratoga or the Big Dog Challenge can be found at the Albany-Saratoga website at www.albany-saratogaspeedway.com.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: JOE WILLIAMS, Mike Bruno, Hunter Bates, John Proctor, Dave Manny, Ron Proctor, Bobby Hackel IV, Alex Bell, Fred Proctor, Jake Zakrzewski, Justin Haas, Cody Sargen, Paul Dunham Jr., Luke Klob.
PRO LATE MODELS: DAN PETRONIS, Mike Bruno, Mike Scorzelli, Dave Emigh, Brandon Emigh, Darryl Carl, Carl Guilefuss, Randy Miller.
BOMBER WARRIORS: HAROLD LAVAIR JR., Mark Lindblade, Colin Clow, John McCaron, Dan Collins, Dan Older Jr., Robert Sousis III.
May 27, 2011: MODIFIEDS: JOE WILLIAMS, Luke Klob, Ron Proctor, Bobby Hackel, Cody Sargen, Alex Bell, Dave Manny, John Proctor, Paul Dunham, Jr., Fred Proctor, Tom Rotondaro, Jason Reome.
PRO LATE MODELS: BRANDON EMIGH, Dan Petronis II, Chris Wilk, David Emigh, Darryl Carl, Carl Guilefuss, Kevin VanChance, Randy Miller, Sheldon Martin, Mike Scorzelli.
RENEGADES: JOSH COONRADT, Paul Mulrain, Rowdy Burch, Frank Monroe, Bill Burlingame.
MALTA – Joe Williams is proving that doing your homework can pay off.
After taking a season to get the intricacies of asphalt racing figured out, the Schenectady NY, driver has become the top dog at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Williams continued his early-season hot streak Friday night, picking up his second straight win in the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at the historic Malta track.
Williams did a lot of his studying last season, running against the likes of Ken Tremont Jr. and Mike Bruno, and taking a lot of mental notes. During the 2010 season, he had four top-five finishes, including his first victory on asphalt, and those lessons are really paying off this year.
Luke Klob was the early pacesetter Friday night, but Williams was hooked up early, and came from his fourth-row starting position to take over second on lap nine.
But when the field bunched for a restart on lap 12, Williams quickly moved to the high side and took the lead when the green flag came back out.
Klob and Ron Proctor then hooked up in a wild battle for second. That battle continued right to the white flag lap, when Proctor ducked low and took over the No. 2 spot. That move shuffled Klob to the outside, and in one lap, he dropped all the way back to seventh.
With Klob stuck on the outside, Paul Dunham Jr. crossed the finish line third, his best finish of the year, while teenage sensation Bobby Hackel IV drove the wheels off his modified and came from 12th to finish fourth, his second top-five finish in three weeks. Cody Sargen finished fifth, also his best run of the early season.
Mike Bruno, who lost the modified point championship on the final night of the 2010 campaign, returned to the track for the first time Friday night, this time with a pro late model, and outran David Emigh to make his first trip to victory lane in the 2011 season.
Emigh went right to the front from his second-row starting position in the 30-lap feature, but Bruno, who had started eighth, only needed three laps to get up to second and then used a restart on lap eight to rocket into the lead.
Emigh hung right with the asphalt veteran, but Bruno’s experience showed, and when the checkered flag dropped, Bruno was still over a second ahead of Emigh.
Dan Petronis, a rookie in the division, crossed the line third, his second straight top-three finish, while two-time winner Darryl Carl was fourth and Chris Wilk was fifth.
Josh Coonradt recorded his first win of the year in the 25-lap Renegade feature, and Matt Pappa remained unbeaten in the Legends division, notching his third straight win. The Bomber Warriors were also in action Friday night, with Mark Lindblade becoming the third different winner in as many weeks.
Racing will resume at Albany-Saratoga on Friday, May 20, with a 50-lap enduro added to the card of NASCAR Modifieds, pro late models, Renegades, Legends and Bomber Warriors, sponsored by HomeTechShowroom.com. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be holding a NASCAR Foundation Car Wash for Kids on May 20-21. On Friday evening, May 20, drivers, crew members and NASCAR officials will be washing cars at the speedway from 5-6 p.m. Anyone getting his or her car washed at that time will be given two laps around the track to dry the car off.
The NASCAR Foundation event will continue on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the McDonald’s in Malta. The cost of that car wash will be $10, with $5 going to the NASCAR Foundation and $5 going to the family of Hannah Hughes, an 8-year-old from Ballston Spa, N.Y., who suffers from leukemia.
In the event of rain on May 21, the car wash will be held at McDonald’s on Sunday, May 22, at the same times. Additional information can be obtained from the Albany-Saratoga Speedway website at www.albany-saratogaspeedway.com.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: JOE WILLIAMS, Ron Proctor, Paul Dunham Jr., Bobby Hackel IV, Cody Sargen, John Proctor, Luke Klob, Dave Manny, Fred Proctor, Justin Haas, Jason Rheome, Jacob Zakrzewski, Paul Braymer, Mike Bush.
PRO LATE MODELS: MIKE BRUNO, David Emigh, Dan Petronis, Darryl Carl, Chris Wilk, Brandon Emigh, Sheldon Martin, Mike Paquin, Jim Monroe, Carl Guilefuss, Kevin Van Chance, Randy Miller, Mike Scorzelli, Chad White.
5/6/11: MALTA – If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and that’s what Joe Williams of Schenectady did Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Williams made a great out-and-in move to get around Hunter Bates of Middlebury, Vt., on lap 29 and went on to record his first win of the season in the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at the historic Malta track.
The victory was redemption for Williams, who admitted that a mental mistake cost him a win on opening night. But there were no mistakes this week as he notched the second victory of his career at Albany-Saratoga.
Bates, the 2010 Champlain Valley Racing Association Driver of the Year, started on the pole Friday night and was setting a torrid pace, but Williams, who started fifth, was hooked up from the start and moved into second on lap eight.
Bates got into lapped traffic early and got a little cushion over Williams, but when the only caution of the race came out on lap 20, Bates started to feel some pressure from Williams, who had turned the fastest lap of the feature just before the caution came out.
Bates was running the bottom, leaving the top open for Williams, and on lap 29, he made his move. Williams went to the top in turn three, then dove to the bottom coming out of four and had the lead for good going into the first turn.
Bates could only watch as Williams pulled away and was over a full second ahead at the finish. Bates had to settle for second, with Fred Proctor, who ran a solid race, coming across the stripe third.
Jacob Zakrzewski, who had posted his first career victory on opening night, finished fourth, with Ron Proctor fifth.
Darryl Carl was back in victory lane after the 30-lap pro late model feature, on Friday night, but this time, he didn’t need any help.
Carl had been awarded the victory on opening night after apparent winner Jacob McGrath was disqualified for having too much left-side weight percentage.
Carl started in the last row Friday night, and quickly worked his way to the front, where Jim Monroe was setting the pace.
Carl took over second on lap 10 and quickly locked into a crowd-pleasing battle with Monroe. But Carl worked his way around the top to get the lead on lap 19, and then had to hold off a strong challenge from Dan Petronis, who made a late charge to finish second.
Brandon Emigh, Monroe and Sheldon Martin completed the top five.
Teenager Matt Pappa drove to his second straight win in the Legends feature, and Dan Older Jr. took the checkered flag in the Bomber Warriors feature.
Paul Mulrain was first under the checkered flag in the Renegade feature, but was later disqualified, giving the win to Rowdy Burch.
Albany-Saratoga also held its first enduro of the season, with Jim Wood getting the win, finishing ahead of Reed Thompson and Arnie Naparty.
All divisions will be in action when racing resumes on May 13 on Freaky Friday. Special prizes will be awarded to the fans wearing the freakiest outfits. Racing begins at 7 p.m.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: JOE WILLIAMS, Hunter Bates, Fred Proctor, Jacob Zakrzewski, Ron Proctor, Bobby Hackel IV, Luke Klob, Cody Sargen, Dave Manny, Paul Braymer, John Proctor, Paul Dunham Jr., Jason Reome, Alex Bell, Justin Haas.
PRO LATE MODELS: DARRYL CARL, Dan Petronis, Brandon Emigh, Jim Monroe, Sheldon Martin, Dave Emigh, Mike Scorzelli, Carl Guilefuss, Jim Monroe Jr., Randy Miller.
Friday, April 22, 2011: (OFFICIAL RESULTS) MALTA – A new era kicked off at Albany-Saratoga Speedway Friday night with a new face in victory lane.
Jake Zakrzewski Jr. of Schuylerville, N.Y., who has “Wild Thing” printed across the back of his firesuit, lived up to his reputation, outdueling Joe Williams of Schenectady, N.Y., to win the 35-lap NASCAR Modified feature at the historic Malta track.
The 20-year-old Zakrzewski, who began his career late in the 2010 season in a new Teo chassis, took the lead for good with four laps left in the feature and went on to take the first checkered flag of his career.
“Joey is a great runner, and I knew he was going to be tough,” said Zakrzewski after a wild victory lane celebration. “He ran with the 358s here last year and did really well, so I knew he was going to be tough to beat.”
Williams, who started in the second row, appeared to have the field covered early in the NASCAR Modified feature. He had dominated his heat race, and looked just as good in the feature, only needing three laps to get the lead.
“Wild Thing” had started 10th and was slowly working his way up while Williams stretched out his lead. But on lap 14, Dave Manny sailed off the third turn to bring out the first caution, putting the field back on Williams’ rear bumper.
Zakrzewski had worked his way up to fifth when he nearly ran into disaster. The Proctor cousins, Ron and John, were battling for second when they came together coming out of turn two on lap 20. Both cars got sideways, which forced Bobby Hackel IV, who was fourth at the time, to jump on the brakes. But “Wild Thing” was just far enough back that he wove his way through the mishap, and came out in second place.
On the restart, Zakrzewski stuck right to Williams’ rear bumper, and snaked into the lead on lap 24. But one lap later, Williams got to the inside in turns one and two and regained the lead.
But “Wild Thing” kept working the inside, and found some room on the inside in turn four on lap 31 to get the lead for good.
Williams admitted he made a mistake after the lap-20 restart. “I thought I had a big lead, so I was only running half-throttle,” he said. “I screwed up.”
Zakrzewski said he got a little too much adrenaline flowing when he took the lead for the first time on lap 23.
“When I got the lead, I got a little excited and overdrove the car,” he said. “When he passed me back, it was like a little warning to me. When I got the lead back, I made sure I just held my line.”
Zakrewski had taken part in a test-and-tune session on Thursday, turning about 80 laps in the car, and “Wild Thing” left that session feeling pretty confident.
“I knew I had the equipment, and knew it was going to be up to me to pull it all together.” he said.
Hackel came across the finish line third, followed by Alex Bell and John Proctor.
Vermont invader Jacob McGrath, a veteran of the ACT Tour, won the 30-lap pro late model feature, also his first win at Albany-Saratoga.
McGrath opened up a big lead midway through the feature, but it soon became apparent that another Vermont invader, Chris Wilk, was just sitting back, cooling his tires, as he made a big run with five laps to go. But McGrath withstood the constant pressure, and in the closing laps, left Darryl Carl and Wilk to battle for second. Carl and Wilk bounced off each other on the final lap, doing some cosmetic damage to both cars, and Carl came away with the No. 2 spot, with Wilk third, Sheldon Martin fourth and Chad White fifth.
However, after post-race inspections, McGrath’s car was deemed illegal for a weight issue. The win was taken away from him, along with the winner’s points. He will be penalized by moving his car to last place in the finish and will only receive last place points. Second place finisher Darryl Carl was officially declared the feature winner.
The INEX Legends, who will be part of the regular program this season, also pumped some excitement into the fans, and 13-year-old Matt Pappa of Nassau, N.Y., who graduated to Legends from go-karts, went flag-to-flag to get his first career win. Another member of the INEX Young Lions division, 14-year-old David Schilling, was second, with Steve Miller third.
Frank Monroe took the checkered flag in the Renegade feature, and Harold Lavair Jr. got the win in the Bombers Warriors feature.
All divisions will be back in action on Friday, April 29, and the racing card will also feature a 50-lap enduro.
NASCAR MODIFIEDS: JACOB ZAKRZEWSKI JR., Joey Williams, Bobby Hackel IV, Alex Bell, John Proctor, Cody Sargen, Fred Proctor, Hunter Bates, Ron Proctor, Luke Klob, Justin Haas, Paul Dunham Jr., Dave Manny, Mike Bush.
PRO LATE MODELS: DARRYL CARL, Chris Wilk, Sheldon Martin, Jim Monroe, Dan Petronis, Dave Emigh, Mike Paquin, Carl Guilefuss, Kevin Van Chance, Randy Miller, Jim Monroe Jr., Brandon Emigh, Mike Scorzelli, Jacob McGrath (penalized).