Camara breaks out of slump

MALTA - Back in the days when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were cranking out hit after hit, the lyrics to one of their most popular songs proclaimed, "Glory days, they’ll pass you by."

Well, Dave Camara is trying to prove The Boss wrong.

Camara, trying to return to the glory days when he dominated the competition at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, shook off nearly a year and a half of bad luck Friday night and came away with his first victory of the 2003 season in the 35-lap 358 modified feature at the Malta track.

In 2000 and 2001, Camara was the man to beat at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, winning back-to-back track championships. But things changed last year, when Camara won just one feature, the season-ending Run Whatcha Brung show in September, and things had been no better this year, as the Camara Slate team had struggled in the first four weeks of the season.

But maybe things turned around Friday. Even though Camara admitted he was having problems early in the feature, claiming the car was so tight that he even thought about pitting for the rest of the night, the track finally came around to him, and he picked up his ninth career victory.

Mike Ronca and Todd Ryan, who started on the front row, got the crowd warmed up with some great racing early in the 35-lap event. Ronca set the pace for the first five laps before Ryan charged into the lead.

Because of his run of bad luck in May, Camara had started third in the feature, and was in a stalking position, watching Ronca and Ryan battle it out while also searching for the quickest way around the speedway. But the hunting and pecking that Camara was doing cost him a couple of spots early, as he dropped back to fifth at one point.

The race had to be red-flagged on the 11th lap for a three-car wreck in the backstretch. Scott Noel got turned around and Mike Ballestero and Frank Hoard Sr., having no place to go, piled in, doing heavy damage to all three cars.

Two laps later, another incident put defending track champion Brett Hearn out for the night, the second time in three weeks he’s been knocked out of the feature in a wreck. Battling for position with Jack Cottrell, Hearn thought he had cleared Cottrell’s car and tried to cut back to the inside of the track. But the two cars made contact, with Hearn slamming into the inside wall, collapsing the front end of the Brioschi-sponsored small block. Hearn was done for the night, and Cottrell was given a one-lap penalty.

Ray Hoard, one of the most improved drivers at the speedway this season, and Camara made Ryan’s life miserable through the middle stages of the feature. Camara took over the No. 2 position on lap 21, and then got the lead away from Ryan on lap 25, leaving Ryan and Hoard to battle it out for second.

When the checkered flag fell, Camara had opened up a 2.369-second margin over Ryan. Ryan’s second-place finish was his best performance at Albany-Saratoga since posting a victory on August 28, 1999.

Hoard was third, followed by Ken Tremont Jr. and Matt DeLorenzo. Tremont, the current point leader, has finished in the top five in all six features this season.

Pro-street stock rookie Lori Cary came away with the most popular win of the night, as she drove to her first career victory in the full-fendered division. Cary, who is getting guidance from former Devil’s Bowl track champion Fred Little, started sixth and had to work for her first win of the year. Bob Schmidt, who has been Mr. Consistency in the pro-street stock division this year, had the lead after just five laps and appeared to be headed to his first win of the year. But Cary took the lead on lap 17, following the same line around the speedway that the quickest modifieds had been using, and held off both Schmidt and Butchie Irwin to get the victory. Schmidt has now finished second in all five pro-street features this season. Joe Santoro finished fourth, with Brian Holbritter fifth.

John Bellinger bounced back from a disqualification to come away with his second win of the year in the 25-lap sportsman feature. Bellinger had finished second to Tim Hartman the previous week, but was disqualified after the event for reckless driving in the pits.

But that didn’t deter the veteran from Johnstown, N.Y. Starting eighth in the 24-car field, Bellinger put the John Kollar-owned car into the lead after just five laps and kept the hammer down, swallowing up the field and winning by nearly nine seconds over David Peek, who had his best finish of the season in the Percy Barber 37. Jack Swinton was third, with Erik Mack fourth and Jason Herrington fifth.

Chris Busta held off Byron Westcott and Mike Tholin to win the hobby stock feature, and Luke MacIsaac hit the checkered flag first in the cruiser feature. Dave Kennedy, who was third overall, had the highest-finishing four-cylinder car.

Another great night of racing is on tap for Friday, May 30, when Albany-Saratoga holds its annual double-point Spring Championships. The card will also feature an enduro, with racing starting at 7 p.m.

MODIFIEDS: DAVE CAMARA, Todd Ryan, Ray Hoard, Ken Tremont Jr., Matt DeLorenzo, Mike Ronca, Don Ackner, Ron Proctor, Jack Johnson, Randy Hotaling, Don Mattison, Mike Perrotte, Gene Munger, Jack Cottrell, Ronnie Johnson, Tim Laduc, Brett Hearn, Scott Noel, Mike Ballestero, Frank Hoard Sr., Dave Manny.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: LORI CARY, Bob Schmidt, Butchie Irwin, Joe Santoro, Brian Holbritter, Steve Burega, Dean Charbonneau, Walt Brownell, Jimmy Eaton, Randy Brownell, Bernie Companion, Charlie Koenig, Mike Wheeler, Don Daniels, Jason Brownell, Matt Anatriello, Cale Kneer, Tom O’Connor, Carl Vladyka, Chris Maxon, Vince Santoro.

SPORTSMAN: JOHN BELLINGER, David Peek, Jack Swinton, Erik Mack, Jason Herrington, Dan Bublak, Jeff Sukup, Derrick McGrew, Jimmy Cottrell, Rich Ronca, Stan Lemiesz, Joe Budka, Tim Hartman, Neil Erickson, Keith Flach, Keith Nichols, Randy Salisbury, Ed Pieniazek Jr., Jimmy Meka, Brian McKenzie, Dick Bisson, Mike Pinke, Ray Martindale, Ken Anatriello.

HOBBY STOCKS: CHRIS BUSTA, Byron Westcott, Mike Tholin, Bob Smith, Jim Monroe Jr., John Morris Jr., John Filarecki, Jim Monroe III, Jeff Monroe, Dan Daniels, Tim Shaw, Ed Frank, Tony Condon, Don Daniels, Rusty Palmateer, Thomas Pierce, John Coon, Curtis Condon.

CRUISERS: LUKE MacISAAC 6 cyl, Jason Pelton, DAVE KENNEDY 4 cyl, Kevin Connors, Robert Ross, Brian Myers, James McCarthy, Rich Mrzyglod, Ben Durie, Jeremy Brownell, Jon Atwell, Jason Duncan, Mitch Cranston, Elmer Montville, Brittany Ladd, Ed Mason, Keith Wright.