The 4th Turn

~ By Tom Boggie

A little over six years ago, I wrote a column about what I called “The Rocky Slam.” In May 2013, Rocky Warner won his first modified feature at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, becoming the first driver to win a feature in four different classes (street stocks, pro stocks, sportsman and modified) at the same track.

But after what he did last weekend, and what he’s going to accomplish in a couple of weeks, I’m running out of catchy names.

Let’s start with last weekend.

On Friday night, he won his first modified feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, cranking up his small block and taking the lead away from Bobby Hackel IV with one lap to spare in the “Stan Da Man 32.”

Then, on Saturday, he charged past Josh Hohenforst on the final lap to chalk up his fifth modified win of the year at Fonda Speedway.

Do you realize how rare it is to accomplish the Albany-Saratoga/Fonda double? In the last eight years, only three other drivers have pulled it off.

Last year, Stewart Friesen did it, although not on consecutive nights. He won Brett Hearn’s “Big Show” on a Tuesday at Albany-Saratoga and came back on Saturday with a win at Fonda. The last actual double in that 24-hour window came in 2017, when Bobby Varin won the KOD 358 Series race at Malta and also put the Palmer Services modified into victory lane at Fonda. Prior to that, Matt DeLorenzo did the double in 2012.

Granted, if you go back to “The Golden Age of Racing,” Jack Johnson, Dave Lape, C.D.Coville and Lou Lazzaro also pulled off the double numerous times. And I even found one weekend that Pete Corey did it, back in 1970.

But Warner also went one better than all of those great drivers. On Sunday, Rocky went to Glen Ridge and won the “Who’s Your Daddy” crate/modified feature, a tribute race for his late father, Don, to complete a three-win weekend.

And in two weeks, “The Flying Squirrel” will make history at Fonda Speedway.

With two nights of points racing remaining, Warner has a 60-point lead over Bobby Varin. When he locks up the title, he will become the first driver in the history of the Track of Champions to win titles in four different divisions. He shared the street stock title with John Bradt in 2005 and won the championship outright in 2007, was the pro-stock champion in 2011 and won sportsman titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Warner, who won his first street stock feature at Fonda in 2002, has over 180 feature wins during his career (thanks to Ed Biittig for digging up that fact) and now he and car owner Jake Spraker are on the verge of setting a record that will never be broken.

MORE FROM ROCKY

While Warner was being interviewed in victory lane at Albany-Saratoga on Friday night, he ended the interview by saying, “This one is for A.J. Romano.”

Romano was Warner’s boyhood idol. Growing up in Johnstown, Warner used to ride his bike to Romano’s garage and hang around. A couple of years ago, Romano and his family moved to North Carolina, but he was back in the area last weekend, and was in the stands at Albany-Saratoga.

Romano also showed up at Fonda on Saturday, and got into some victory lane pictures with Warner.

Last Friday, Warner was disappointed with his car, right up to the feature. “I really don’t know,” he answered honestly when asked what changed, “the car just came to life in the feature. I wasn’t happy all night. I talked to Marc Johnson about it and made a couple of small changes. But once I got heat in the tires, I could run the top or the bottom. This (his win) is huge for us.”

SUPER DIRT SERIES UPDATE

Two races and one rainout this week on the Super DIRT Series. The tour was at Weedsport Sunday for the Hall of Fame 100, with Matt Sheppard getting the win, followed by Erick Rudolph and Mat Williamson. Mike Mahaney was the best local finisher, as he crossed the finish line 10^th in the Adirondack Auto No. 35.

After the series rained out on Tuesday at Sharon, they headed for Eldora on Wednesday, where Rudolph picked up the winner’s check for $10,000. Billy Decker was second, with Williamson third. Sheppard had the lead with 25 laps to go, but slipped to fourth.

Area drivers who made the trek to Ohio were Mahaney (10th), Brett Hearn (14^th), Demetrios Drellos (15^th), Peter Britten (17^th), Jack Lehner (20^th) and Hohenforst (21^st).

Friesen had to start dead-last (29^th) in the feature. He went to his backup car after having engine problems during time trials. He finished eighth, winning the Hard Charger Award.

AROUND THE TRACKS

It was definitely a Warner night at Glen Ridge Sunday. Rocky’s son Corky picked up his first career victory in the junior slingshots feature.

Hackel IV ran his best race of the season Friday at Albany-Saratoga, but had to settle for second behind Warner. He wasn’t the first big block driver to point out that the racing surface seems to be favoring small blocks this season.

“Second sucks,” he said. “You need a big block at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year, but you need a small block in the middle. I figured one of the small blocks would be there at the end and I knew I had to make things happen soon. I knew I needed to get away from them early, but that stretch of cautions screwed me up.”

Marc Johnson went into the night with the modified points lead, but after winding up on his roof and finishing 23^rd, he and DeLorenzo are again tied for the lead, with 552 points. But look who’s now third, just 12 points back. Thirteen-time champion Ken Tremont Jr.

Ronnie Johnson and Andy Bachetti won last Saturday’s double modified features at Lebanon Valley. Johnson’s win was his first on the high banks since Aug. 12, 2000, when he was driving for Bryan Goewey.

Tremont won Sunday’s 100-lap C.J. Richards Memorial Race at Devil’s Bowl. Kale Groff, who races in the sportsman division at Albany-Saratoga, started 18^th and finished second. Tremont’s win, his fifth of the season, gave him a 73-point lead over Frank Hoard III in the chase for the sportsman/modified title.

Randy Miller had his street stock back at Albany-Saratoga Friday for the first time since June 21. He was running second when he started laying fluid down on the race track, ending his night. He was obviously preparing for Friday night’s street stock special at Albany-Saratoga, which will pay $300 to win. That race will also have $100 bonuses for the highest finishing Lebanon Valley car and the highest finishing outsider.

Tim Hartman Jr. didn’t like the pressure of the sportsman points race at Albany-Saratoga Speedway when he had a comfortable lead. Just think how he feels now. After spinning out on the final lap of his heat race last week, when he had a qualified spot, Hartman Jr. had to start 30^th in the feature. He made his way back up to 11th, but with Connor Cleveland finishing third, Hartman’s lead over his rival is down to 12 points.

The Friday card at “The Great Race Place” on “John Grady Memorial Nostalgia Night” will be highlighted by a $3,000 to win modified feature. Many of the top drivers from the past will be on hand to talk to fans and sign autographs.

I’m always amazed at the little things I can find when I’m looking through old records. In 2004, Friesen won seven races at Utica-Rome Speedway, driving the Madsen No. 20, as well as the track championship. On four of the nights that Friesen won, the sportsman division winner was Jessica Zemken, who is now Friesen’s wife.

Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald picked up the first sportsman win of his career last Friday at Albany-Saratoga, and one of the cars he had to pass to get to the front was driven by Marty Kelly III. Although both Wagner-Fitzgerald and Kelly III are only 16, they’ve been racing against each other for 12 years, since their go-kart days.

“I couldn’t let him get the first win here,” said Wagner-Fitzgerald in victory lane.

Then, he added, “I lost my grandfather less than a month ago. This one’s for you, Pop.”

My condolences go out to the family of Lebanon Valley 358 modified driver Brandon Pitcher, who was killed in an ATV accident Saturday night in Chatham. Pitcher, 27, was the son of Lebanon Valley modified driver Rob Pitcher. Brandon Pitcher began racing in the limited sportsman division at Albany-Saratoga in 2013, winning his only feature at the Malta track on July 31, 2015.