MALTA, N.Y. — The podium for Tuesday night’s Summer Starter DIRTcar big-block modified feature at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway was a mixed bag, with invader and first-time series winner Chris Hile topping defending track champion Matt DeLorenzo and weekly racer Adam Pierson, who also runs the tour.
“This is awesome,” declared Hile. “We’ve had a really good car all year and just kept building on it until it all came together tonight. Still, we were lucky to make it. Oil is pouring out of the rear end, so it looks like some of our winnings will go for a new rear.”
Hile’s chances for a $7,500 win in the 71-lap event seemed dim at first, even though he pulled the pole in the redraw, as front row companion Anthony Perrego prevailed on the initial break, leaving Hile to battle Pierson for second.
The New Englander finally dropped Hile to third on lap 15, just before Max McLaughlin drew the night’s first yellow and brought Perrego back to the pack.
Behind the leaders, Matt Sheppard had been working his way forward from seventh on the grid but slowed on the subsequent restart for another yellow. The green would return for just three laps before Mathieu Desjardins, who had set a new track record in time trials, bicycled off the turn one cushion and flipped onto his side.
With order restored, Perrego got a big jump on the restart but so did Hile, running alongside Pierson for three laps before reclaiming second. He then closed rapidly on the fading Perrego and drove by on lap 39 to stake his claim to the win.
DeLorenzo was closing rapidly on Hile and Pierson when Tim Fuller pulled up on lap 50 for another yellow only to get sent backward when Demetrious Drellos rode the cushion around him and then Pierson when green returned.
Ten laps later Hile’s car began throwing sparks from the rear end and then the question became whether he’d make it to lap 71 and his first big payday or hand the win to Drellos.
A final yellow with four to go revealed that Drellos also had problems, a flat left-front tire and while Hile’s night would turn out to be memorable, Drellos’ went downhill once green returned. First DeLorenzo and Pierson slid by, then Peter Britten, up from 13th, dropped him to fifth just before the checkers flew.
Sheppard came from the tail to claim sixth ahead of Tim Sears Jr., Mat Williamson, Marc Johnson and Ronnie Johnson.
“That last caution hurt us,” said DeLorenzo. “We lost a spot and fought to get it back, then didn’t have anything left for Chris. I’m a weekend warrior now and I’m tired after 35 laps here Friday night, so this race was tough on me.”
For his part, Pearson was ok with third but had hopes for a win after leading another series race at Albany-Saratoga and building a huge lead only to lose an engine in the waning laps.
“I took it easy for a while waiting for the tires to come in and when they did, we got going and I thought we might get a win, but tonight was Chris’ night to shine.”
In the companion twin sportsman features, Cody Ochs bested division kingpin Tim Hartman Jr., Chad Edwards and 70-year-old Ron Proctor in the opener, while another old-timer, Mike Ballestero, won the nightcap with Mike Coffey Jr., Derrick McGrew Jr. and Chris Crane Jr. trailing.
The finish:
Feature (71 Laps): 1. 5H-Chris Hile[1]; 2. 3D-Matt Delorenzo[6]; 3. 215-Adam Pierson[3]; 4. 21A-Peter Britten[13]; 5. 111-Demetrios Drellos[9]; 6. 9S-Matt Sheppard[7]; 7. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[11]; 8. 88-Mat Williamson[16]; 9. 3J-Marc Johnson[20]; 10. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[8]; 11. 91-Felix Roy[15]; 12. 12-Darren Smith[14]; 13. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[21]; 14. 96-JF Corriveau[12]; 15. 7MM-Michael Maresca[22]; 16. 7-Donald Ronca[24]; 17. 35-Mike Mahaney[18]; 18. 99L-Larry Wight[19]; 19. (DNF) 15X-Justin Stone[17]; 20. (DNF) 4-Anthony Perrego[2]; 21. (DNF) 19-Tim Fuller[5]; 22. (DNF) 54-Steve Bernard[26]; 23. (DNF) 17-Marcus Dinkins[28]; 24. (DNF) 2-Jack Lehner[23]; 25. (DNF) 91D-Billy Decker[10]; 26. (DNF) 8H-Max McLaughlin[25]; 27. (DNF) 37M-Mathieu Desjardins[4]; 28. (DNF) 32R-Ronnie Davis III[27]