Hearn charges from rear 

MALTA - Anyone who thinks the handicapping at Albany-Saratoga Speedway favors Brett Hearn should have been around Friday night.

After failing to qualify through his heat race, Hearn found himself sitting 27th in a bulky modified field, but then put on an incredible charge to win Round 2 of the DIRT vs. CVRA at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Hearn had won the first leg of the DIRT vs. CVRA series on April 29, but that night, started from the pole through the luck of the draw. But on Friday night, he showed that he can also come from the rear.

Because of the large number of entrants for the big block vs. small block series, officials ran five heat races Friday night, and Hearn struggled early in the night, only managing a sixth-place finish in the second heat race.

Hearn came back to win one of the modified consolations, but all that did was put him 27th in a 32-car field.

Bobby Varin started on the pole in the Jake Spraker big block and was off and running early, but whatever changes the Vinny Salerno team had made to Hearn’s car through the night were obviously working.

Working every inch of the speedway, Hearn was running in the top 10 after just 10 laps. But Varin, who is off to a great start with the Spraker team, looked to be too strong as the race progressed.

But Hearn refused to give up, and moved into the No. 2 position on lap 25. He kept stalking Varin and finally made the pass for the lead on lap 31 of the 35-lap feature. Varin, who had finished fifth in the first DIRT vs. CVRA event, could only watch as Hearn pulled away to a 1.452 second victory. Matt DeLorenzo came across the finish line third, his first top-five finish of the season. He had also put on an impressive run after starting 21st.

Two longtime CVRA rivals completed the top five, with Don Ackner fourth and Bob Savoie fifth. Ackner had started sixth, while Savoie was 22nd in the starting lineup. Ackner, who went into a brief retirement a few years ago, has finished fifth in the last two features at Malta.

Completing the top 10 were Devil’s Bowl modified champion Ray Hoard, Tim Clemons, Gene Munger, Ken Tremont Jr. and Jeff Trombley, who started dead last in the 32-car field.

Big charges were the story of the night, as Scott Duell came from deep in the field to record his second straight victory in the 20-lap pro-street stock main.

Duell started 21st in the 24-car field, but just as Hearn did, made an amazing run to the front.

Duell’s teammate, Hollywood Joe Santoro, started seventh and had the lead by lap four, and Duell didn’t even break into the top five until the mid-point of the race.

Santoro’s run ended on lap 12, which put Cale Kneer into the lead and moved everyone else, including Bernie Companion and Duell, up a spot. Duell got around Companion for second the next time around, and then passed Kneer for the lead on lap 14.

Companion and Butchie Irwin never let Duell get out of their sights, but while they locked in a battle for second, Duell pulled away and hit the finish line just over a second ahead of Companion, who held off Irwin for second. Kneer hung on for fourth, with Adam Tranka fifth.

Byron Wescott nipped Mike Pfau to record his third straight win in the 15-lap Rentway Limited feature. John Filarecki started on the front row and looked like he was going to come away with his first win of the year, but both Pfau and Wescott, who had started11th, had other ideas.

Curtis Condon grabbed the lead on the ninth lap, but by that time, Pfau was running second, and he moved into the lead on lap 14. But Wescott had been sitting right on Pfau’s bumper for a number of laps and on the final circuit, Wescott squeezed past Pfau and hit the finish line a half-car length ahead of him. Jeff Monroe got up for third, with Mike Minick fourth and Kevin VanChance fifth.

Kevin Lukasik (six-cylinder), driving the Rick Mrzyglod car, and John Baldwin (four-cylinder) won the Pro-Built mini-stock features.

The Empire Super Sprints made their first appearance at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in two years, with Alain Bergeron coming away with the victory. Bergeron, who started third, got the lead on lap 11 of the 25-lap feature and beat Lance Yonge and Doug Emery to the finish line.

All divisions will be in action Friday night when Albany-Saratoga Speedway holds its 2005 Open House.

DIRT VS. CVRA ROUND 2 (35 LAPS): BRETT HEARN, Bobby Varin, Matt DeLorenzo, Don Ackner, Bob Savoie, Ray Hoard, Tim Clemons, Gene Munger, Ken Tremont Jr., Jeff Trombley, Jack Johnson, A.J. Romano, Don Mattison, Derrick McGrew, Joe Budka, Keith Flach, Erik Mack, Stan Lemiesz, Jack Gentile, Frank Hoard Sr., Ron Dwyer, David Peek, Mike Perrotte, Ron Proctor, Don Ronca, Rick Davis, Ronnie Johnson, Jack Swinton, Mike Ronca, Mike Tholin, Jack Cottrell, Billy Osta.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: SCOTT DUELL, Bernie Companion, Butchie Irwin, Cale Kneer, Adam Tranka, Steve Burega, Jimmy Eaton, Jeff Washburn, Mike Paquin, Robert Langevin, Lori Cary, Ed Thompson, William Smith IV, Bob Schmidt, Vince Santoro, David Peck Jr., Joe Santoro, Joe Mottoshiski, Walt Brownell Jr., Brian Ashline, Matt Anatriello.

RENTWAY LIMITEDS: BYRON WESCOTT, Mike Pfau, Jeff Monroe, Mike Minick, Kevin VanChance, David Emigh, Bob Smith, Joe Mulvaney, Curtis Condon, Tracy Ash, Jim Monroe, John Filarecki, Richard Burke, Richard Holmes, Mike Scorzelli, John Morris Jr., Tom Conroy, Nick Lussier, Ben Ladd, Mark Burch.

PRO-BUILT MINI-STOCKS (SIX CYLINDER): KEVIN LUKASIK, Lewis Kusalonski, Jeremy Brownell, Randy Mann, Chris McCarthy, Randy Senecal, Dan Uber, Mike Duclos, T.J. Brunelle, Amy Benequista, Emerson Ostrander.

PRO-BUILT MINI-STOCKS (FOUR-CYLINDER): JOHN BALDWIN, Pete Willis, Mike Cranston, Ben Durie, Brett Osgood, Matt Corbiel, Joe Baker, Tyler Peetz, Chris Green, Jason Dickson, Ryan Pechtel, Kevin Connors, Mark Emigh.