Big Blocks postponed

MALTA - For the last month, Albany-Saratoga Speedway has been preparing for the return of the big block modifieds.

Now, officials are gearing up for the return of the return.

A hard rain Friday night washed out the 100-lap Big Block/Small Block Challenge at the Malta track, setting up what will be a nail-biting night of racing on Friday, Sept. 5.

Track officials had battled deteriorating weather conditions all night Friday, and two laps of the modified feature had been completed when rain started to fall harder. After one more circuit, the track became unraceable, and two separate incidents on the track, caused by the slippery conditions, forced track manager Bruce Richards to call it a night.

So the big blocks will return to finish the feature on Friday night. The race will go back to the completion of lap two, with Jack Johnson setting the pace.

Time trials and heat races had been completed earlier in the night. Dave Lape, the 2003 Fonda Speedway track champion who hauled in with the Andy's Service big block, set fast time of the night, while Albany-Saratoga Speedway regular Ronnie Johnson, running his CVRA small block, was second fastest. Heat races were won by Ken Tremont Jr., Jack Johnson, Brett Hearn and Frank Hoard Sr.

In addition to the completion of the 100-lapper, as well as features for sportsman and hobby stocks, Albany-Saratoga will also be running its regular card on Friday night, and any big blocks who return will be allowed to run against the CVRA 358-modifieds in the regular feature.
The double features could very well decide the modified point championship. Tremont has a three-point lead over Hearn, but Hearn has a scheduling conflict on Sept. 5. If Hearn skips the night at Malta, and Tremont gets in two features, he'll virtually wrap up his eighth title overall.
While the big event of the night was rained out Friday, the pro-street stocks did get in their feature, with Carl Vladyka taking advantage of a miscue to come away with his fifth win of the season.

Point leader Butchie Irwin set the pace for the first 10 laps of the event, but Joe Santoro, who has been in a summer-long slump, finally wrestled the lead away on lap 11. But as the two cars went into turn two the next time around, they made contact and Santoro spun around. Officials ruled that Irwin had initiated the contact, and sent him to the rear as well, giving the lead to Vladyka.

He maintained the lead, picking up an easy win over Bob Schmidt, Chris Maxon, Lori Cary and Steve Burega.

Brian Myers, driving a six-cylinder car, won the cruiser feature, with Jamie McCarthy having the first four-cylinder across the finish line.

The remainder of the 100-lap Big Block/Small Block Challenge will kick off Friday night's racing card. Rain checks from Aug. 29 won't be honored. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.