MALTA, N.Y. — DIRTcar modified star Matt DeLorenzo and defending Empire Super Sprints champion “Racin’ Jason” Barney shared the spotlight Friday night at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Barney lined up fifth for the 25-lap ESS finale but launched like a rocket down the inside on the green and was third behind polesitter Tommy Wickham and his front row companion, Brett Wright, when they hit the backstretch. He then shot down Wright the next time around and on lap four dove under Wickham to take a lead he would never relinquish.
Chuck Hebing, who started right in front of Barney, followed him past the two leaders but had nothing for the fleet Barney and had to settle for second.
Behind them, Danny Varin was putting on a show that had the fans on their feet, driving from 15th to sixth by lap seven. His charge was temporarily interrupted on lap 10, when Dylan Swiernik, who had moved from ninth to challenge Wickham for third, tried a slide job on Wickham in turn four but didn’t make it, sending Wickham flipping into the outside wall and drawing a red flag.
But with order restored, Varin went back to work and quickly ran down Wright to claim the final podium position.
Ahead of him, Hebing could only watch as Barney drove off to a solid lead and the $2000 win. They hit the stripe with Varin third ahead of Wright, Jordan Poirier, Matt Tanner, Jeff Cook, Davey Franek, Paulie Colagiovanni and Josh Pieniezak.
“I knew Chuck and Danny were up there in the high groove and I had to block their momentum, so I got off the bottom,” tipped Barney. “Otherwise, I was really good on the bottom. We hit on something late last year and I couldn’t wait for the new season to try it again. We’ve been in the top five every night, which is tough, because although you improve, so does everyone else.”
DeLorenzo became the first two-time modified winner of the season with another of his patented charges through the field, driving from 11th to run down Jack Speshock, who started fifth and got the lead away from polesitter C.B. Morey on lap eight.
Speshock then cruised comfortably as Marc Johnson and James Meehan dueled behind him. Fans were entertained by that battle as well as the charges of Peter Britten and Kenny Tremont from deep in the pack.
Johnson had taken second and was closing steadily on Speshock when the race’s only yellow flew on lap 26 after Keith Flach lost an engine. DeLorenzo stood fourth for the restart and went right to the cushion, driving around Meehan, then Johnson and finally Speshock, who has adopted the role of perennial bridesmaid at the three-eighths mile oval.
DeLorenzo had a straightaway lead at the checkers, with Speshock, Johnson, Tremont and Jeremy Pitts trailing. The second five consisted of Demetrious Drellos, Mike Mahaney, Meehan, Jessey Meuller and Adam Pierson.
“I was being patient until that yellow,” said the winner. “That really helped me, because I went to the outside and it felt so good that I stayed up there and went to the front. We changed a lot on our car this week knowing that the sprint cars would be here and they’d make the track slick, wide and hard to pass on. It worked.”
Chad Jeseo claimed the $1,000 to win Pro Stock feature, edging Luke Horning, Chuck Dumblewski and Scott Towslee.