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.