The 4th Turn ~ by Tom Boggie

C.D. Coville always said that being second just meant you were the first loser.

Now remember, Coville was talking about finishing second. In Brett Hearn’s case, being second means The Jersey Jet is in position to strike.

He did it twice last week. At Albany-Saratoga on Friday night, he used lapped traffic to run down Keith Flach with five laps left and went on to record his 133^rd career victory at Albany-Saratoga.

But the more important win came on Tuesday night. Sitting second with nine laps to go in the 100-lap Super DIRT Series race at Outlaw Speedway (yeah, formerly Dundee), Hearn watched as leader Stewart Friesen suffered mechanical problems, giving the lead to Hearn, who came away with his first Super DIRT Series win since Aug. 31, 2017 at Lebanon Valley Speedway.

Jack Johnson used to say he’d rather be lucky than good. Hearn was both last week. He was patient enough to wait for Flach to make a mistake at Albany-Saratoga, and then lucky enough to have Friesen pull out of a race with a rare mechanical issue with the Halmar-sponsored car.

Being good also played a big part in the early stages of Hearn’s win at Albany-Saratoga. Hearn had started 14^th, behind guys like Marc Johnson and Jessey Mueller, and right beside 13-time champion Ken Tremont Jr.

“I passed the guys I had to pass early,” Hearn said. “Guys like Kenny, Marc Johnson and Jessey Muller, who’s been really fast recently. Those were the guys I had to get by quickly, and that made a big difference.”

And on Tuesday, when he would have settled for second, probably because he’s been struggling in the Tour races, Hearn got the big break he needed.

“You’ve got to be in second to get lucky like that,” he said.

SPRINT CARS

Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be running the CRSA Sprint cars on its card tonight, but don’t expect to see Bobby Hackel IV in action.

Hackel had been running the CRSA series, but was disqualified for having illegal valve springs after winning the stop at Fonda Speedway two weeks ago.

The Hackel team didn’t take the DQ very well.

“I’ve had the valve springs checked four times this year, and every time, Mike Van Dusen checked them, and we were legal all four times,” said Hackel IV last Friday night at Albany-Saratoga. “Mike wasn’t at Fonda, and the tech guy who checked the motors said he had never used the valve spring tool before. We watched him and he wasn’t even using it right.”

After multiple checks, using a couple different methods, according to Hackel IV, CRSA officials opted to go with their initial reading and Hackel IV was DQed.

“Then, to top it off, they broke the seal on our motor,” said Hackel IV’s father, Bobby Hackel III. “They said we can’t race again until we get the engine sealed. It costs $500 to seal the engine for a series that pays $300 to win. I don’t think we’ll be racing with them anymore.”

A WELL-DESERVED HONOR

If you’re signing into the Albany-Saratoga Speedway pits tonight, go to the window on the left and congratulate Jo Ann Davies for being selected to receive the Andrew S. Fusco Award for Media Excellence at the 2018 Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies on July 26. (Yes, her husband Don is sharing the award, but he’s usually wandering around the pits and is harder to find.)

The Davieses met in college and have been actively involved in racing since 1972, when they wrote their first article for “Speedway Scene.” Since 1986, they’ve written a weekly article for “Area Auto Racing News.”

Jo Ann has also become active in handling VIP and media credentials at many local tracks and for the Super DIRT Series.

The Andrew S. Fusco Award has special meaning to Bob and Jo Ann, and to me, as well. Andy Fusco, the former City Court Judge in Auburn and chief general counsel for DIRT, died of a heart attack a few years ago. Andy and I grew up together in Johnstown and were classmates from elementary school until high school graduation. Andy and Don became good friends when Andy was going to Albany Law School and Don was working for an Albany accounting firm.

“Before that, we knew [Andy] as a teenager at Fonda, back when we weren’t much older,” Don said. “But our relationship with Andy encompassed far more than just racing itself.”

The Capital District will be well represented at the Hall of Fame inductions, as Ken Tremont Jr. will be one of the drivers entering the Hall of Fame. Looks like it’s time for a road trip.

AROUND THE TRACKS

Former Fonda Speedway sportsman champion Tim Clemons and his car owner, Tommy Spencer, will be reunited Saturday night at Fonda Speedway. Clemons will be returning to the track, and according to reports, will be climbing behind the wheel of Spencer’s sportsman car.

Clemons and Spencer teamed up to win three straight sportsman championships at Fonda, from 1990-1992, and Clemons also had one big block win at the Track of Champions, in 1997.

Danny Johnson drew the pole and led all 100 laps of last Thursday’s Super DIRT Series race at Canandaigua Speedway. The win was the 600^th of “The Doctor’s” career. Jimmy Phelps won Sunday’s SDS 100-lapper at Utica Rome.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway officials announced last week that “Makeup Madness” will be held on Wednesday, July 25. The card will include all the features that were rained out on June 1. This will be features only, with adult admission to the grandstands only $5.

Mueller, coming off his recent win at Albany-Saratoga, recorded his first win of the season at Airborne Park in Plattsburgh last Saturday.

King of Dirt series promoter Rob Hazer announced that the 358 Modified series race scheduled for Glen Ridge Motorsports Park on July 18 has been canceled, and will be replaced on the schedule by a race at Fonda Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 15, that will be run with “The Grand Daddy 602 Championships.”

Congratulations to Dan Santabarbara for picking up the first sportsman win of his career last Saturday at Fonda. “I’ve been coming to Fonda since I was 3, from Rotterdam, where a lot of different drivers who have won here called their hometown,” said Santabarbara in victory lane. “To be on that list with them now, I don’t even care what happens the rest of my career.”

It’s good to see Eddie Marshall still winning races at the age of 59. Marshall picked up his second big block win of the year at Lebanon Valley Speedway last Saturday. Marshall started sixth after a trio of lackluster finishes (10^th, eighth and 14^th). That brings back memories of the old “three week flu” at the Valley, when one of the top drivers would win, have three bad finishes to get handicapped near the front and then win again. I’m not saying that Eddie Marshall did that, because he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and would never consider sandbagging to get a win, but following that “three bads and a win” theory, Hearn should win Saturday night’s “King of the Track” feature, which will pay $50 to win, as Hearn has finished seventh, fifth and 19^th in his last three starts.