MALTA, NY – You know you’re a real dirt track racing fan if you recognize the names Joe Santoro, Kenny Martin Jr., Kim Duell, Ernie Greiner, Rob Yetman and Carl Vladyka.

Those are just some of the drivers who had (or are still having) outstanding careers in the pro stock division at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

And after a breakout season in 2018, Josh Coonradt looks like he’s ready to add his name to that impressive list.

Like so many competitors at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, the 32-year-old Coonradt is a third generation driver. The big difference is that Coonradt never got to know his father, Darryle. Darryle Coonradt was killed in a car accident on his way home from the Albany-Saratoga Speedway banquet in 1988, just a year after Josh was born.

Josh Coonradt got his love for racing from his grandfather, Harry. Harry Coonradt, who began his own racing career at the old White’s Beach Speedway, was one of the most colorful people in racing, known for his distinctive hat and a grin that went from ear to ear.

“I would go with my grandfather on weekends, and we were going to races three times a week, from Albany-Saratoga to Fonda to Devil’s Bowl,” said Josh. “I was always at the races.”

After many years of working on his grandfather’s cars, Josh decided he wanted to get behind the wheel, and began racing limiteds at Albany-Saratoga in 2006. He moved up to a street stock in 2008, but it took him three seasons before he finally made his way to victory lane.

“We didn’t win until 2011,” he said. “We were close at times, but we were just out there having fun.”

But that first taste of victory left Coonradt hungry for more, and he continued to get better and better, leading up to his dream season of 2016.

Running two nights a week, at Albany-Saratoga and Fonda, Coonradt finished the season with 22 street stock wins. He nearly pulled off an unbelievable sweep at Fonda, winning 14 of the 15 races that season. On the night he didn’t win, he ran third, with Johnny Young taking the checkered flag. In 31 total starts that year, he had 30 top five finishes.

And to cap off that incredible year, he pulled into Devil’s Bowl with his own car for the first time since making the trek to Vermont with his grandfather, and won a Renegade feature.

But the season was also bittersweet, as his grandfather died on Sept. 13.

“I had already locked it (the championship at Fonda) up by then, so he knew I was the champion,” Josh said.

He moved up to pro stocks for the 2017 season, and recorded his first career win in that division at Fonda on June 17. When the season was over, he was named the Fonda Speedway Rookie of the Year.

But it was hard to overcome the loss of his grandfather.

“It was weird, not having him around. He had always been there,” said Josh. “It always felt like something was missing.”

With the learning curve over, Coonradt began to make his mark in the pro stock division last year. He finished the season with eight wins (including five at Albany-Saratoga, where he finished fourth in the point race), but his biggest achievement was being honored as the DIRTcar Hoosier Tire Pro Stock Weekly Series champion, a series that took into account a driver’s best finishes at his home tracks.

Last October, he earned the outside pole for the pro stock race during Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway, but he got caught up in a wreck on a restart on lap 14 and was done for the day, officially finishing 27^th.

Now, with two years under his belt, Coonradt is ready for a big season in his familiar No. 00.

“It’s so much more competitive in the pro stocks,” said Coonradt. “The first year, we just felt it out. The car was so much different. After a while, we got a better feel of what we had to do to be fast. I was happy with last year. We still had some ups and downs … everyone would like to get more wins. But we’ve gotten to the point now where our goal is to win, not just run good.

“We’re going to be at Albany-Saratoga full-time this year. I want to get as many wins as possible there.”

And with 2018 champion Kenny Martin Jr. now retired, it will come as no surprise if Coonradt is also battling for his first pro stock championship at “The Great Race Place” at the end of the season.