Hearn conquers the world


MALTA - Brett Hearn used the home track to his advantage Wednesday night, overpowering a star-studded field to win the 75-lap CVRA vs. The World Big Block/Small Block Challenge at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

It took Hearn an extra 24 hours to pick up the top prize of $10,000, as the race was rained out on Tuesday night. But he put on a show of dominance in the Vinny Salerno-owned small block, and used American Racer tires to pick up his biggest win ever at the historic Malta track.

The $10,000 was Hearn’s biggest payday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, and he made a rare show of emotion after the victory. His previous largest payday came in 1995, when he won $5,000 for taking the checkered flag in a Hot Summer Nights Series race.

Danny Johnson, who picked up a ride in the Jake Spraker-owned big block for the show, won the third heat and started on the pole by virtue of the inversion draw. But as soon as the green flag fell, all eyes were on Hearn, who started 14th. Because of three early restarts, Hearn was up to fourth after just eight laps.

Frank Cozze, who won the first CVRA vs. The World in 2003, was also a force to be reckoned with. Cozze had started third and tucked into second after just four laps. He continued to stalk Danny Johnson through the early portion of the race, while Hearn and Brian Weaver, who had started eighth, waged their own war for third.

Cozze finally made his move on Danny Johnson and grabbed the lead on lap 23, and the fans were already thinking back to 2003, when Cozze grabbed the lead on lap 12 and never gave it up.

But on Wednesday night, Hearn had other ideas. On lap 24, Hearn snaked the Four Star Transmission-sponsored small block past Johnson and quickly got to Cozze’s rear bumper. On lap 29, Hearn put the Salerno ride into the top spot for good.

But this one was far from over. All eyes were now on the ageless wonder, Jumpin’ Jack Johnson. Driving his Friday night ride powered by one of the Pat Morrison motors with Brodix heads, Johnson was driving like it was 1984. Midway through the event, Johnson was making life miserable for Tim Fuller, who had moved into second in the Bob Faust-owned B&M General Machine big block on lap 32. Fuller was racing at Albany-Saratoga for the first time, and Johnson used his wealth of experience of the tricky Malta track to finally grab the No. 2 position on lap 49.

Then the two winningest drivers in the history of the speedway had the fans on their feet. Like a backyard feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, the fans were split into legions, but most were screaming for Jumpin Jack to pull off another big victory.

On a couple of occasions, Johnson stuck the nose of the Witz Roofing small block under Hearn, and each time, Brett the Jet closed the door as quickly as if he has seen a bill collector standing on his front porch. Johnson did everything he could to get around Hearn, but at the finish, Hearn had pulled away to a 1.468 margin of victory, and had the biggest payday of his career at Malta.

Johnson came across the line second, with Pat Ward third in the Gypsum Wholesalers ride. Ward drove one of the steadiest races of the night, starting sixth and always running in the top five. But he didn’t have enough for Hearn or Johnson.

Ward’s teammate, Billy Decker, finished fourth, with Fuller fifth in his Malta debut. Completing the top 10 were Gary Tomkins in the Elaine/James Motorsports Pillsbury big block, Jack Cottrell, Stewart Friesen, Alan Johnson and J. R. Heffner.

Cottrell did an excellent job, as he started 24th in the 26-car field after qualifying through the third modified consi. Matt Sheppard, driving the Randy Ross big block, turned the fastest lap in time trials, stopping the clock in 16.103 seconds. Tim Fuller (16.154) was second, with Tim McCreadie (16.266) third, Hearn (16.375) fourth and Jeff Trombley (16.381) fifth.

The event drew a total of 65 cars, which necessitated seven heats and five consis. The track was in super condition, with three-wide racing all over the surface, and the huge crowd produced a record 50/50 payoff of over $1,800.

Erik Mack, a regular in the Line-X Modified division at the speedway, won the 24-lap non-qualifiers race, which paid $600 to win.

Dean Charbonneau picked up his first victory of the season in the 30-lap pro-street stock feature, easily beating Brian Holbritter and Lori Cary to the finish line.

CVRA VS. THE WORLD (75 LAPS): BRETT HEARN, Jack Johnson, Pat Ward, Billy Decker, Tim Fuller, Gary Tomkins, Jack Cottrell, Stewart Friesen, Alan Johnson, J. R. Heffner, Jeff Trombley, Bobby Varin, Frank Cozze, Don Scarborough, Brian Weaver, Ken Tremont Jr., Matt DeLorenzo, Vince Quenneville Jr., Don Ronca, Danny Johnson, Mike Ricci, Tim McCreadie, Gene Munger, Matt Sheppard, Mike Perrotte, Dave Lape.

NON-QUALIFIERS RACE: ERIK MACK, Randy Hotaling, Scott Noel, Mike Ronca, Paul Cirincione, Tony Ballestero, Tim Hartman, Rich Ronca, Joe Budka, Frank Hoard Sr., Ken Anatriello, Mark Pullen, Brian Sandstedt, Billy Osta, Craig Hanson, John Marsh Sr., Ken Hanson, Josh Pieniaziak, Don Ackner, Derrick McGrew, Bill Cody, Jeff Sheely, Robert King.

AMSOIL PRO-STREET STOCKS: DEAN CHARBONNEAU, Brian Holbritter, Lori Cary, Jimmy Eaton, Vince Santoro, Butchie Irwin, Bob Schmidt, Robert Langevin, Cale Kneer, Steve Burega, William Smith IV, Joe Santoro, Scott Duell, Adam Tranka, Charlie Koenig, Matt Anatriello, Jeremy Pitts, Chris Maxon, Bernie Companion, Henry Tanner.