Rain sets up double features 

MALTA - After dancing around rain drops all day long, one final storm Friday night caused the first rainout of the season at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Qualifying races and time trials had been completed, setting up a huge night of double features on Friday, June 24.

First, the rained-out portion of the program will be run, and the fans will see once again if the Johnson-and-Johnson combination can continue to outrun defending track champion Brett Hearn. Although Hearn won three of the first four races of the season in the Vinny Salerno-owned small block, Ronnie Johnson cranked off two straight wins before his famous father, Jumpin’ Jack Jonhson, picked up his first win of the season on June 10.

In the pro-street stock division, Hollywood Joe Santoro will be gunning for his fifth straight victory. Santoro broke the track record in the support class with his fourth straight win on June 10. That victory was the 23rd of his career, tying him with Ernie Grenier for most career wins in the pro-street stock class.

Once that portion of the show is completed, the second half of the double-header will feature the third leg of the DIRT vs. CVRA big block/small block challenge. All other divisions will also be in action in the annual Summer Sendoff.

Although Hearn has won both legs of the DIRT vs. CVRA Challenge, Bobby Varin is the DIRT big block point leader. He picked up a fifth-place finish in the first race of the series, and chased Hearn across the finish line in the second event.

Another good showing by Varin on Friday night will be a huge step toward securing the big block title and the $3,000 bonus that will come with it at the end of the season. One of the other serious challengers, Jeff Trombley, is out for the season after suffering a back injury.

Although double features and a big block/small block challenge would be enough to satisfy any race fan, the events on June 24 will just be setting the table for the biggest event of the season, the 100-lap Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series race, to be run on Tuesday, June 28. All of the top names on the DIRT circuit will be rolling into Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the 100-lapper, and some, like recently appointed Elite 11 driver Justin Haers, will be seeing the tricky Malta track for the first time in their careers.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway hasn’t hosted a Super DIRT Series race since 1984, when Jimmy Horton outran Jack Johnson and Dave Lape in an 84-lap Schaefer Qualifier.

In addition to the 100-lapper, the card on June 28 will also include a 50-lap open pro-stock race, with promoter Bruce Richards offering $50 in tow money for every pro-stock that comes through the back gate.