MALTA, N.Y. – With defending modified point champion Marc Johnson breathing down his neck, Matt DeLorenzo knew he couldn’t make a mistake.
So he didn’t.
DeLorenzo ran a flawless race and survived a couple of late restarts to pull away from Johnson and chalk up his first win of the season in the 35-lap modified feature that highlighted John Grady Memorial Night Friday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Because of extra purse money put up by Chris Grady in memory of his father, the longtime track photographer at the historic Malta track, DeLorenzo walked off with $3,000.
The win was his first in more than a year. The last time he celebrated in victory lane was June 28, 2019.
While Matt Depew, who started on the outside pole, set the early pace, DeLorenzo was quickly working his way forward from his seventh starting position. It only took him 11 laps to move into second, and he and Depew started to put on a show, with Depew running the top and DeLorenzo sticking to the bottom in a two-car breakaway.
On lap 20, the leaders came up on the lapped car of Vinnie Visconti, and DeLorenzo had to move up, into Depew’s tracks, momentarily breaking his rhythm. But as soon as he could, DeLorenzo moved back to the bottom, and passed Depew for the lead coming out of the fourth turn on lap 23.
Johnson, who has been on fire since switching to a Bicknell chassis three weeks ago, was sitting third when C.G. Morey fell off the pace on lap 24, bringing out a yellow. On the restart, DeLorenzo switched lanes, moving to the top, and Johnson snaked past Depew for second.
Two more restarts put Johnson right next to DeLorenzo, but each time, DeLorenzo got the jump, remained right against the cushion, and beat Johnson to the finish line by .980 seconds.
“I felt if I ran the top, it would be harder to make a mistake,” sad DeLorenzo, who also drives a Bicknell. “It’s harder to hold the inside. I felt if I could get into the brown on the restarts, I could get the jump on Marc. He was ducking under me, and I didn’t want to screw up.”
Johnson had no regrets about finishing second for the second week in a row.
“He was just good,” he said of DeLorenzo.
Danny Varin crossed the finish line third, with Rocky Warner fourth and Ronnie Johnson fifth.
Three-time winner Stewart Friesen was a no-show, campaigning his Halmar-Friesen truck in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Michigan Int’l Speedway. His wife, Jessica, substituted in the Halmar big-block and finished 13th.
The finish:
Matt DeLorenzo, Marc Johnson, Danny Varin, Rocky Warner, Ronnie Johnson, Anthony Perrego, Jackie Brown Jr., Jack Lehner, Mike Mahaney, Jessey Mueller, Keith Flach, Neil Stratton, Jessica Friesen, James Meehan, Brian Berger, Matt Pupello, Peter Britten, JaMike Sowle, John Brown, Ken Tremont Jr., Vinnie Visconti, Matt Depew, Bobby Hackel IV, Todd Stone, Ricky Davis, Elmo Reckner, C.G. Morey, Don Ronca, Rich Ronca, Drew Cormie.