VERNON, N.Y. – In the return to racing at Utica-Rome Speedway, Sprakers, N.Y., native Stewart Friesen dominated the field, lapping everybody but the second-place car in a non-stop, 35-lap Sunoco modified feature.
Friesen captured his second consecutive Fuccillo Autoplex of Nelliston Thunder on the Thruway Series win, and another $4,000 to go with it. The win also set the mark as Friesen’s 13th different winning season at Utica-Rome, the most in the history of the half-mile dirt track.
Following the redraw, Friesen started on the pole alongside Gloversville, N.Y.’s Josh Hohenforst. Stewart quickly jumped to the lead, while his wife, Jessica Friesen, rolled the outside to go from fourth to second on the initial start.
The Friesens would occupy the top two spots until Savannah, N.Y.’s Matt Sheppard slid underneath Jessica to take the runner up spot on lap 12. By the time Sheppard had reached the runner-up position, Friesen had already opened nearly a straightaway lead.
From there, Friesen and Sheppard set an unbelievable pace that nobody else in the field could maintain.
“I knew the one car I wasn’t catching was Sheppard. I kept going as hard as I could because I knew he’d be there if I didn’t,” explained Friesen in victory lane.
As Friesen and Sheppard diced through lapped traffic, Jessica Friesen, Josh Hohenforst, Sheffield, Mass., native Andy Bachetti and Johnstown, N.Y., driver Rocky Warner battled at the back half of the top five.
While they continued to trade positions, Friesen was closing in, while maintaining his straightaway lead over Sheppard. By the end of the 35-lap main event, Friesen put everybody except Sheppard a lap down.
Sheppard kept pace with Friesen, but never could catch the Halmar No. 44, settling for second in his Hurlock Auto & Speed No. 9s.
Bachetti grabbed a podium finish with his Garrity Asphalt No. 4. Jessica Friesen came home fourth in the One Zee Tee’s No. 1z and Warner rounded out the top five in the Jason Simmons Racing No. JS98.
Sherrill, N.Y., driver Matt Janczuk won the Worthington Industries Crate 602 Sportsman 25-lap feature from sixth, picking up a $1,500 check.
After quickly working to second in the opening two laps, Janczuk continued to work the topside of the racetrack. After working Johnstown, N.Y., driver Brian Calabrese over for multiple laps, Janczuk passed Calabrese for good on lap eight.
Calabrese held on to the runner-up spot. Amsterdam, N.Y., driver Mark Mortensen finished on the podium. Cody Clark of Dolgeville, N.Y., came home fourth and Shawn Frost of Munzville, N.Y., rounded out the top five.
If there was an award for race of the night, the Next Generation Graphix Pro Stocks would have won the honor hands down.
After a thrilling battle for 13 of the 20 laps in the main event, Nick Stone up-ended Beau Ballard for his second consecutive Thunder on the Thruway win and the $1,000 payday.
Stone worked the top persistently, finally rolling around Ballard to take the lead before getting the two to go sign from starter Joe Kriss. Stone held off Ballard from there to take the victory.
Ballard held on for second with Ivan Joslin rounding out the podium. Andy Graves and Jim Normoyle rounded out the top five in the season opener.
Clayton DuMond grabbed his first career Utica-Rome Speedway win by leading every lap of the Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman feature. He was chased to the line by David Hacket Jr., Jeremy Slosek, Matt Backus, and Pat Nolan, who were the top five.
Justin Pope was the overall winner of the Cool Stuff Antiques Four Cylinder feature event in dominating fashion. Wayne Russell Jr. came home third overall and took the Single Overhead Cam class victory.
The finish:
A-Main (35 laps): Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Andy Bachetti, Jessica Friesen, Rocky Warner, Josh Hohenforst, Brian Gleason, JaMike Sowle, David Schilling, Claude Hutchings Jr., Marshall Hurd, Sean Beardsley, Randy Shantel, Rich Christman, Willy Decker, Tim Mayne, Alan Johnson, Pep Corradi, Aaron Jacobs.