Malta, NY – The headline division, the final 35 lap Modified feature event of the season, had a tough start when a car went around and about ½ dozen cars suffered damaged before we could get a lap on the counter but when we did get underway it was Jeremy Wilder stepping out into the race lead.

But there was a lot going on behind Wilder.  Marc Johnson, who started 12^th on the field, wasn’t wasting time getting to the front.  And Johnson has recorded numerous top five runs lately so he was going to be a contender for that final 2013 checkered flag.  With five circuits recorded on the books Johnson had planted himself right behind Wilder.  Another eight times around and Johnson was taking the race lead.

Johnson had a lot of lapped traffic to deal with during the event.  On the 24^th lap Johnson just missed an incident in front of him going into the first turn.  Plus Brett Hearn, who came from 15^th, was also part of Johnson’s back bumper but Hearn didn’t have enough to catch him and Johnson picked up his second win of the season.

“I’ve got to thank my father, my crew, and everybody that helps me out with the car,” said Johnson during post race ceremonies.  “Man, that was a fun race, I drove my butt off.” 

Hearn crossed the line second and what a run for 12 time Malta point champion Kenny Tremont who came all the way from a 27^th place starting position to finish third.  A successful 2013 season for Wilder who held on for fourth and Ronnie Johnson rounded out the top five.

An impressive run for Tyler Dippel, a regular at AS’s sister track Lebanon Valley.  A first time run at the Malta oval and Dippel left with a sixth place pay envelope.

The 25 lap Sportsman feature event started out in the same fashion as the Modified main event.  When things finally got underway Leo Sousie quickly took off into the lead but the next time around Jack Swinton was sitting in the race lead.  Swinton, who was looking for his first win this season, ran it to the green.

While Swinton was focused on his great view from the front, Sousie, Jack Gentile, Nick Anatriello and Jack Speshock were entertaining a packed house.  Impressive runs and some good dicing back and forth going on between the group with the final outcome showing Speshock, Sousie, Gentile and Anatriello following Swinton across the finish line.

The 12 lap Novice Sportsman feature didn’t disappoint either.  Colin Bokus secured the race lead on a lap two restart and despite Brandon Pitcher all over the rear of his race car for the final two times around the oval, Bokus went on to take his first career win.  Bob Schmidt, Ricky Davis and Timothy Davis rounded out the top five.

After a rough hit last weekend it was nice to see Brandon Emigh back at the track and in the lead when the Pro Stock feature event began.  Halfway through the event the top four were tight. Emigh had Jeff Washburn trying everything to get around him, both racers seeking that first win of the season.

Washburn took over the race lead in lap 13 but it wasn’t over yet.  Washburn and Emigh had seven-time feature event winner, Rob Yetman, scoping things out right behind them.  When flagger Rich Peterson showed the two-to-go flags Yetman had his work cut out for him. Yetman took the lead and then had folks on their feet when he went high on the final time around the speedway.  He would take his eighth win and the point championship title.

“That was a great way to cap off the season,” said Yetman.  “The track was really slippery tonight so we made a bunch of changes for that.” Great run by Washburn who held on for second place.  Emigh, Walt Brownell and Kim Duell rounded out the top five.

Past feature winner Matt Mosher jumped into the race lead from the drop of the green flag in the 20 lap Street Stock feature event but Paul Braymer had other ideas and grabbed the lead from Mosher on the seventh time around the speedway.  Meanwhile, Josh Coonradt was coming from the 17^th starting spot and he was fast.  Coonradt was already in second place at the halfway point of the race.  In the closing laps Randy Miller, who came from 18^th, was all over Coonradt but he held on for his third win of the race season.

Miller, Braymer, Nathan Dahoda and Scott Lawrence put in top five runs.

The DMA USAC Midget were on hand for the second time this season.  Josh Sunn had an early lead in the 20 lap feature event but in lap eight Adam Pierson took over the race lead and went on for the remainder of the race.  Kevin Chaffee, Scott Holcomb, Joe Krawiec and Dean Christiana rounded out the top five.

Stewart Friesen was behind the wheel of a Ray Miller midget.  Friesen, the race winner when the club visited earlier this season, was up to second place when he hopped the cushion between the third and fourth turn.  Friesen went behind the wall and ended up with a 12^th place run.

Kenny Tremont was also in a Midget for the evening.  Tremont finished eighth.

Things…  The Atlantic Coast Old Timers (ACOT) Midgets started the evening out with an 8 lap demonstration and had their vintage racecars behind the grandstands for the fans… it was the final night of points for the Modified and Pro Stock divisions…  the initial sportsman qualifying event  found Jim Osgood upside down on the front stretch.  Joe Orlando was black flagged and sent to the pits for his involvement with Osgood…   Andy Durie had some heavy front end damage on his automobile after contact with Justin Barber in the second QE.  Durie went into the night in fifth place in the point standings… two time 2013 winner Jamike Sowle dropped from the second Modified heat while leading…  good show from Matt Depew and Rich Scaglotta in the second Modified QE for spots one and two…  lap 7 of his QE and Kenny Tremont was dropping down on the track and into the infield… Stewart Friesen was a team driver to Jamike Sowle… Marc Johnson was the fastest in hot laps prior to the feature events…  Street Stock feature event winner, Josh Coonradt, went right into the pits bypassing a victory lane celebration on the front stretch, Coonradt’s car was on fire so he went into the pits… Last week’s combined sensation, Jimmy Cottrell, took a hard hit in the late stages of the feature event… Coming into tonight in second in the Pro Stock points, Kenny Martin slowed and entered the pits during the finale.  Martin rejoined the group….

Albany Saratoga Speedway Point Championship

Modified (FINAL) — Hearn 708, Tremont 676, M. Johnson 666, DeLorenzo 638, R. Johnson 628

Sportsman — Pitts 690, McGrew 668, Bleau 593, S. Duell 587, Durie 555

Novice Sportsman — Murray 716, R. Davis 604, J. Lindblade 600, T. Davis 596,  J. Bublak 573

Pro Stock (FINAL) — Yetman 806, Martin 708, D. Older 700, K. Duell 628, B. Emigh 610

Street Stock — Duprey 284, Coonradt 280, Miller 273, Lawrence 256, Shippee 249

Modified Results (35 Laps) – 1) Marc Johnson, 2) Brett Hearn, 3) Ken Tremont Jr, 4) Jeremy Wilder, 5) Ronnie Johnson, 6) Tyler Dippel, 7) Matt Delorenzo, 8) Peter Britten, 9) Don Ronca, 10) Matt Depew, 11) Keith Flach, 12) Neil Stratton, 13) C.G. Morey, 14) Bodie Bellinger, 15) Mark Kislowski, 16) Todd Morey, 17) Pep Corradi, 18) Wayne Figler, 19) Dylan Scribner 20) Jimmy Cottrell, 21) Jamike Sowle, 22) Kyle Sheldon, 23) Brian Gleason, 24) Rich Ronca, 25) Rich Scagliotta, 26) Mike Perrotte 27) Stewart Friesen, 28) Jeff Trombley, DNS) Rob Pitcher

Sportsman Results (25 Laps) – 1) Jack Swinton, 2) Jack Speshock, 3) Leo Sousie, 4) Jack Gentile, 5) Nick Anatriello, 6) Jeremy Pitts, 7) Derrick McGrew, 8) Stan Lemiesz, 9) Scott Duell, 10) Brett Wright, 11) Josh Sunn, 12) Elliott Lussier, 13) Jon Miller, 14) Cody Bleau, 15) Connor Cleveland, 16) Frank Hoard III, 17) Dan Santabarbara, 18) Tony Ballestero, 19) Andy Durie, 20) Joe Orlando, 21) Dave Baranowski Jr, 22) Justin Barber, 23) Robert Bublak, 24) Mike Ostrander, 25) Mike Burdo, 26) Jake Scarborough, 27) Nick Lussier, 28) Mike Jeske, 29) Paul Dunham, DNQ) Jim Osgood, DNQ) Derek Barker, DNQ) Hunter Bates, DNQ) Tim Hodge, DNQ) Luke Klob, DNQ) Jessey Mueller

Novice Sportsman Results (12 Laps) – 1) Colin Bokus, 2) Brandon Pitcher, 3) Bob Schmidt, 4) Ricky Davis, 5) Timothy Davis, 6) David Emigh, 7) Chris Murray, 8) Jack Bublak, 9) John Linblade, 10) Pete Jeske, 11) Jake Zak, 12) Collin Clow, 13) Randall Sousie, 14) Wally Potter, 15) John Hubbard, 16) Jesse Edwards, 17) Mike Minick, 18) Alissa Cody, 19) Christopher Ronca, 20) Ron Casey, DNS) Zach Daurio

Pro Stock Results (20 Laps) – 1) Rob Yetman, 2) Jeff Washburn, 3) Brandon Emigh, 4) Walt Brownell, 5) Kim Duell, 6) Bernie Companion, 7) Byron Wescott, 8) Ken Martin, 9) Dan Older, 10) Cale Kneer, 11) Randy Brownell, 12) Chuck Towslee, 13) Dean Charbonneau, 14) Danny Wood, 15) Dave Depaulo

Street Stock Results (20 Laps) – 1) Josh Coonradt, 2) Randy Miller, 3) Paul Braymer, 4) Nathan Dahoda, 5) Scott Lawrence, 6) David Shippee, 7) Jody Thew, 8) Rowdy Burch, 9) Chase Aussicker, 10) Justin Smith, 11) Damon Anderson, 12) Jim Duncan, 13) Curt Condon, 14) John Hayes, 15) Jay Severson, 16) Tim Thompson, 17) Mark Casey, 18) Bill Duprey, 19) Yule Cook, 20) Matt Mosher, 21) Jason Barrett, 22) Ben Newsome, 23) Fred Harris

USAC DMA Midget Results (15 Laps) – 1) Adam Pierson, 2) Kevin Chaffee, 3) Scott Holcomb, 4) Joe Krawiec, 5) Dean Christiana, 6) John Hendrick, 7) Josh Sunn, 8) Ken Tremont Jr 9) Mike Chaffee, 10) Adam Whitney, 11) Dylan Dunhaime, 12) Stuart Friesen, DNS) Tyler Rivard

4 Cylinder Combined Results (15 Laps) – 1) Todd Goldstein, 2) David Frame, 3) Dan Older, 4) Lance Robertson, 5) Whitney Martel, 6) Joe Tallman, 7) Ken Stager, 8) Gary Malloy, 9) Jake Currier, 10) Jay Resch, 11) Steve Ryan, DNS) Live Dangerous, DNS) Art Clement, DQ) Mark Lindblade

4 Cylinder Single Cam Results – 1) Dan Older, 2) Lance Robertson, 3) Joe Tallman, 4) Ken Stager, 5) Gary Malloy, DNS) Live Dangerous, DQ) Mark Lindblade

4 Cylinder Dual Cam Results – 1) Todd Goldstein, 2) David Frame, 3) Whitney Martel, 4) Jake Currier, 5) Jay Resch, 6) Steve Ryan, DNS) Art Clement