Bruno gets first win at Albany-Saratoga

MALTA –  Mike Bruno, who began his career on the dirt tracks of the Champlain Valley Racing Association, showed off his skills on asphalt Friday night and drove to his first win of the season in the 35-lap modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Running an outside line that critics said wouldn't exist on the new surface at Albany-Saratoga, Bruno took the lead away from Ron Proctor on lap 27 and made his way to victory lane for the first time since 1994.

Bruno and the CVRA go back a long way. Bruno's father, John, fielded modifieds at Albany-Saratoga and Devil's Bowl for a number of drivers, including C.D. Coville, and Mike Bruno won the Busch North Rookie of the Year title in 1999 driving for Summit Racing, which was owned by CVRA founder C.J. Richards.

The win Friday night was the third of Bruno's career at the historic Malta track, and proved that his vast asphalt experience is going to make him a factor on the CVRA again this season.

“I had the car set up for the outside tonight, and all the myths about not being able to pass on the outside here, without rubber on the track, are false,” said Bruno in victory lane after his win. “Albany-Saratoga needed a race like this to put the myths to rest, because there was no rubber out there tonight. It was all in the setup on the car.”

While Proctor was setting the early pace, Keith Flach and Derrick McGrew were waging a mini-war behind the leader, with Bruno not too far back.

Flach used a caution on lap six to take the second spot away from McGrew, and Bruno, who had started ninth, quickly moved up on the outside to start putting pressure on McGrew for third.

A restart on lap 18 helped Bruno take over second, and he and Flach started running side-by-side, giving Proctor a little breathing room.

Bruno finally got past Flach on lap 26, and the next time, went around the outside of Proctor in turn three to get the lead for good.

Bruno went on to get the win, while Flach, who won the Denooyer Dash for Cash, passed Proctor for the No. 2 spot with two to go. Proctor, running a home-built engine that he put together over 10 years ago, ran an impressive third, with McGrew and Chris Ross completing the top five.

“I gained a lot of experience by racing at other tracks on the asphalt, and I knew that I had to get up on the wheel and get off the bottom of the track tonight in order to win,” said Bruno.

Defending track champion Ken Tremont Jr., who finished second on opening night, missed his setup Friday, and finished 13^th.

Jason Herrington, another former dirt racer who has been active on asphalt in recent years, won the 25-lap sportsman feature. Herrington, who won four sportsman features on the dirt at Albany-Saratoga between 2001 and 2003, took the lead on lap 18 and beat Mark Hughes to the finish line by nearly three seconds. They were followed by Luke Klob, Anthony Marro and Hunter Bates.

Mike Scorzelli rocketed into the lead with five laps to go and came away with his first career victory in the 25-lap pro stock feature. Scorzelli and Sheldon Martin started on the front row, and kept the fans entertained with a great battle that lasted all 25 laps. Jim Monroe crossed the finish line third, with Fred Little fourth and Kim Duell fifth.

Brandon Emigh continued his fast start in the renegade division, winning the 25-lap feature after finishing third in the opener, and Randy Martin picked up his second straight win in the 40-lap feature for bomber warriors.

A huge of night of racing is scheduled for May 21 at Albany-Saratoga. In addition to all the regular CVRA divisions, the MRS/RoC East vs. West Challenge, which was rained out in April, will be completed. The touring asphalt modifieds ran two heats on April 18, and will pick up their card where they left off. Rain checks from the April rainout will be accepted in the grandstands and the pits. Racing will begin at 6:45 p.m.

MODIFIEDS: MIKE BRUNO, Keith Flach, Ron Proctor, Derrick McGrew, Chris Ross, Marc Johnson, Don Scarborough, Don Ronca, Kris Vernold, Jim Ryan, Mike Perrotte, Joe Williams, Ken Tremont Jr., Rich Ronca, Andy Lindemann, Randy Hotaling, George Foley, Pierre Berthiaume, Matt Depew, Jim Introne, Dave DePaulo, Dave Manny.

DENOOYER DASH: KEITH FLACH, Kris Vernold, Ron Proctor, Mike Perrotte, Derrick McGrew, Chris Ross.

SPORTSMAN: JASON HERRINGTON, Mark Hughes, Luke Klob, Anthony Marro, Hunter Bates, Adam Tranka, Paul Dunham, Cody Sargent, Andy Durie, Fred Proctor.

PRO-STOCKS: MIKE SCORZELLI, Sheldon Martin, Jim Monroe, Fred Little, Kim Duell, Scott Duell, Joe Santoro, Darryl Carl, Mike Paquin, Bobby Schmidt, Carl Guilefuss, Jimmy Monroe.

RENEGADES: BRANDON EMIGH, Dan Petronis, Jon Miller, Paul Braymer, Dan Older, Josh Coonradt, Tony Brayton, Dave Emigh, Bill Burlingame, Mike Ostrander, Glen Watkins.

BOMBER WARRIORS: RANDY MARTIN, Harold Lavair, Jameson Tromans, Brent Warren, Dan Older Jr., Mark Lindblade, John Lindblade, Jon Hayes, Colin Clow.