Tremont nips DeLorenzo in wild finish


MALTA - Stock car drivers are a lot like fishermen – they all have a story about the one that got away.

But after Friday night, Ken Tremont Jr. has a story about one that he caught.

Looking like a hound tracking a raccoon, Tremont ran down Matt DeLorenzo coming out of the fourth turn on the final lap and stuck his bumper in front at the finish line to win Friday night's “Freaky Friday” 35-lap 358 modified feature before a packed house at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

The last lap was the only one that Tremont led, but it was enough to give him his second win of the season. The victory was also the 250th of Tremont's racing career.

Tremont's last-lap spurt once again denied DeLorenzo, one of the best young drivers in the Northeast, his first win of the season at Albany-Saratoga. DeLorenzo has finished second in three of the five events run at the Malta track this season, and two of those runner-up finishes have been behind Tremont.

The first portion of the race featured a good, old family feud between the Ronca brothers. Mike and Don Ronca started on the front row and between them, set the pace for the first 27 laps.

But DeLorenzo, who had started 13th, and Tremont, who had started 17th, were running in the top five with 10 laps to go, and when a caution came out on lap 27 for a three-car wreck involving Jimmy Davis, Tim Hartman and Jack Johnson, who went into the night as the points leader, the complexion of the race changed.

DeLorenzo used the restart to get the lead for the first time, but another caution allowed Mike Ronca to regain the lead. DeLorenzo went back on the point with four laps to go, and Tremont rocketed around Ronca at about the same time to move into second.

Tremont stalked DeLorenzo for three more laps, and then waited for an opening between DeLorenzo and a lapped car in turn four the final time around, charging around DeLorenzo to nail down his 44th career victory at the Malta track.

“I really didn't think I was going to be able to catch either Matt or Mike,” said Tremont after the win. “The restarts were killing me, as it took a couple of laps for my tires to get warmed up.”

Tremont's official margin of victory over DeLorenzo was 0.084 seconds. Ronca was third, the first time he's cracked the top five since July 14, 2006, when he also finished third.

Matt Sheppard brought the Randy Ross-owned small block across the finish line fourth, his third top-five finish of the year, and Ronnie Johnson was fifth.

Completing the top 10 were Don Ronca, Vince Quenneville Jr., Keith Flach, Jeff Trombley and defending track champion Brett Hearn.

It was a good night all around for the Ronca family, as Rich Ronca picked up his first win of the season in the 25-lap sportsman feature.

Ronca first took the lead on lap 14 of the feature, but then gave up the top spot to Ken Anatriello on lap 18.

But Ronca stuck right with Anatriello, who was looking for his first career win, and moved back in front with three laps to go. Rob Langevin got around Anatriello on the last lap to finish second, with Anatriello third.

Jeff Washburn recorded the first win of his career in the 25-lap pro-street stock feature, which also kept the crowd on its feet. Gregg McGill, Jim Monroe, Kevin VanChance and Vince Santoro all spent time out in front of the pack in the first 18 laps of the feature, but that was just a prelude of what was to come.

Washburn, who started 12th, took the lead on lap 19, but then had to contend with Kim Duell, who just wouldn't go away. Duell stuck his nose in front on lap 21, but Washburn regained the advantage the next time around, and then held off Duell to get the victory. Defending track champion Lori Cary was third.

Jim Monroe Jr. picked up his fourth win in five starts in the limited division, and Brette Osgood took the checkered flag in the mini-stock feature.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be back in action on Friday, June 1, with the Central New York Mini-Sprints joining the racing card.

MODIFIEDS: KEN TREMONT JR., Matt DeLorenzo, Mike Ronca, Matt Sheppard, Ronnie Johnson, Don Ronca, Vince Quenneville Jr., Keith Flach, Jeff Trombley, Brett Hearn, Todd Stone, Don Mattison, A.J. Romano, Donnie Corellis, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Cottrell, Gene Munger, Frank Hoard, Floyd Billington, Brent LaCoste, Chris Vernold, John Proctor, Brian Whittemore, Marc Johnson, Jimmy Davis, Tom Hartman, Mike Perrotte, Paul Kinney, Don Ackner, Jim Becker, Ken McGuire Jr., Ron Proctor.

SPORTSMAN: RICH RONCA, Rob Langevin, Ken Anatriello, Matt Depew, Tyler Curtis, Scott Duell, Dustin Delaney, Kory Sandstedt, Dick Bisson, Josh Hohenforst, Chris Busta, Mike Ketchum, Mike Tholin, David Peek, Neal Erickson, Stan Lemiesz, Eric Mack, Pep Corradi, Mike Pinke, Joe Santoro, Dave Constantino, Adam Tranka, Erik Nelson, Justin Barber, David DePaolo, Chris Johnson.

PRO-STREET STOCKS: JEFF WASHBURN, Kim Duell, Lori Cary, Kevin Van Chance, Cale Kneer, Dan Madigan, Jimmy Eaton, Jon Bates, Darryl Carl, Jesse Edwards, William Smith IV, John Turco, Matt Anatriello, Gregg McGill, Jake Losaw, Jim Monroe, Vince Santoro, Randy Miller, Chuck Towslee, David Peck Jr., Bernie Companion, Josh Joseph, Frank Twing.

LIMITEDS: JIM MONROE JR., Mike Ostrander, D.J. Brundige, Dan Petronis, John Filarecki, Ben Durie, John Morris, Mike Duclos, Mike Wilber, Amanda Clemens, Charles Primeau Jr., No. 43D, Steve Holcomb, Ken Conroy, Mark Burch, Bill Burlingame, Mike Minick, Dave Billings, Nick Lussier, Brian Ashline, Steve Burch, Curtis Condon, Ed Bradt, Rich Burke.

MINI-STOCKS: BRETTE OSGOOD (4), Phil DeFiglio (6), Travis Tromans (4), Shane Marks (4), Tim Anagnos (6), Andy Hickok (4), Ryan Veitch (4), Mike Cranston, Dan Older Jr. (4), Michele Catone (4), Rick Howe, Ray Galusha, Dan Lorenc, John Baldwin (4), Jason Reome (4), Ted Fitzgerald, Jason Dickson (4).