By Tom Boggie

Let’s start by boning up on our knowledge of Charles Dickens.

In the opening line of his famous classic, “A Tale of Two Cities,” Dickens said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Sounds a lot like Ronnie Johnson’s season at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, doesn’t it.

The best is the fact that Johnson recorded his third win of the season in last Friday night’s modified feature, making him the only three-time winner this season.

The worst is the fact that, despite the three wins, Johnson is sitting 11^th in points, and has no shot at winning his first modified championship. Other than those three victories, he has no other top-five finishes this season.

“I’m just not finishing races,” said Johnson following his win last Friday. “Right now, I feel like my dad (dirt track legend Jack Johnson) used to feel. I’m not racing for points. I’m racing for wins.”

Johnson’s third win of the season also matches his career-high at Albany-Saratoga. He also had three feature wins in 2007, 2018 and 2019.

There’s no arguing the fact that Johnson has had one of the fastest cars at Malta all season. He’s dominated heat races, has taken home the Four States Enterprises Dash for Cash bonus and he’s always among the leaders during hot laps prior to the features. But he just hasn’t been able to work his way through the pack, either because of mechanical failures or getting caught up in wrecks that weren’t his fault. Last week, he started seventh. In his two previous wins, he was on the outside pole on April 28 and started fifth on June 2.

In his 11 starts this season, Johnson has finished 22^nd, 31^st, first, 24^th, 25^th, 16^th, first, 10^th, 13^th, 26^th and first.

In addition to a good starting position, Johnson also had luck on his side last Friday. Demetrios Drellos, who started 11^th, was sitting in a rocket ship and blew right by Johnson to get the lead early in the feature. But Drellos shredded his right rear tire midway through the feature, giving the lead to Johnson.

“I was on cruise control,” said Drellos after the race. “I must have hit some debris. I’ve never had a tire explode like that.”

Johnson still had his hands full in the closing laps of the race, battling a deteriorating racing surface that was chewing up. Johnson was literally bouncing through the turns.

“We had a really rough track out there. I was bouncing hard,” he said. “I had a lot of momentum with the line I was running and I didn’t want to change, but I just wanted to get smoother through the corners.”

Adam Pierson, who arrived late at the track because a prior commitment kept him in Vermont until 3:30 in the afternoon, finished second to Johnson and continued his hot streak. Beginning with the Super DIRTcar Series race on June 13, Pierson has finished third, first, third and second in his last four starts.

“There were multi lines, top and bottom, tonight,” he said last Friday. “The car was good on top, if you could hammer through it. It feels like I can put the car anywhere I want. I don’t have to force anything.”

MORE FROM MALTA

Prior to last Friday’s feature, defending modified champion Matt DeLorenzo received the Outstanding Performance of 2022 Award by the New York State Stock Car Association, recognizing him for winning the titles at both Albany-Saratoga and Fonda, despite using the same car at both tracks. “It’s great what NYSSCA does for us drivers,” said DeLorenzo after receiving the plaque. “I went to a lot of NYSSCA banquets and I would see drivers like Brett (Hearn) on stage and thought that one day I wanted it to be me up there.” DeLorenzo’s crew, headed by his brother Mike, was named the Crew of the Year by NYSSCA.

There was one less No. 667 than normal in the pits last Friday night. Modified driver Matt Depew and his crew chief, Steve Wilbur, were both serving a one-week suspension for an incident in the pits on June 30.

Drivers hate to finish second, but I’m sure Bryce Breault was feeling pretty good after finishing second to Dylan Madsen in the first sportsman feature last Friday. That was Breault’s best finish (and only his second time in the top five) after moving up to the sportsman division in 2022. Breault won the limited sportsman championship in the final point race of the 2021 season.

The Empire Super Sprints will be making their second appearance of the season at Albany-Saratoga on Friday.

AROUND THE TRACKS

John Virgilio picked up his first career big block win in one of the A. Colarusso-sponsored No. 74s last Saturday at Lebanon Valley Speedway. Virgilio teamed up with the JR Heffner/Colarusso team midway through the 2022 season.

Boy, it was a tough night to be a point leader on Saturday at the Valley. Andy Bachetti finished 15^th in the big block feature, and had motor issues and limped home to a 14^th-place finish in the 358 modified division. Sportsman point leader Tim Hartman Jr. had his worst night of the year, suffering two flat tires on his way to a seventh-place finish.

As a result, Bachetti now has just a 10-point lead over Marc Johnson (420-410) and Jason Herrington had taken over the points lead in the 358 class, now leading Bachetti by four. Herrington is still looking for his first win of 2023. Hartman still has a comfortable 40 points lead over Rob Maxon in the sportsman division.

Mat Williamson won last Sunday’s Super DIRTcar Series Hall of Fame 100 at Weedsport, taking home the top prize of $10,000. Matt Sheppard finished second, with Stewart Friesen third.

On Wednesday, Land of Legends (I hate that name. It will always be Canandaigua to me.) held its rain-delayed Stars and Stripes 70, and Tim Fuller, who was inducted into the Northeast DIRT Modified Hall of Fame last Thursday, held off Sheppard to win the top prize of $7,500. Peter Britten finished third.

The Buff brothers were busy last week. Zach Buff won the sportsman feature at Weedsport, with Andrew second, and Andrew got the win Wednesday at Canandaigua.

Earlier this week, Hearn announced that he’ll be at Lebanon Valley Saturday to take part in the Bryan Goewey Memorial. The 44-lap feature will pay $5,000 to win. The afternoon will include a concert by Whiskey Highway from 2-5 p.m. on the lawn in front of the clubhouse, and there will also be a barbeque, put on by Mark Slavin.

Glen Ridge Motorsports Park was rained out for the fourth consecutive week last Sunday. Ray Sefrin will give it another try this weekend, with Championship Recognition Night on Sunday. Drivers who finished in the top five in points in all divisions will be honored at 3 p.m. in the pavilion on the grounds.