VERNON, N.Y. — Stewart Friesen earned $12,000 for winning Monday night’s rain-delayed Broedel Fuel Group & Energy New Yorker 100 at Utica-Rome Speedway.
The win for Friesen made him a perfect five-for-five in Fuccillo Autoplex of Nelliston Thunder on the Thruway races, giving him the $4,000 championship to go with his $12,000 victory.
Friesen started 10th, working into the lead just past the halfway point and never relinquishing it from there.
“We set up for the end of the race, it was a typical New Yorker. Slick top-to-bottom and you could race all over,” explained Stewart of his second-half dominance in the 100-lap main.
Friesen’s New Yorker triumph was the third of his career and his first since 2017, outdueling Ronnie Johnson and Peter Britten.
Britten started on the pole with Andy Bachetti alongside. Bachetti darted off the outside line, taking the lead and setting the pace for much of the early going.
The first 18 laps went caution-free and Friesen and Matt Sheppard had both worked their way into the top five. The next 20 laps saw multiple cautions, continually restacking the field.
One of the yellows was a result of 2021 Sunoco Modified champion Matt Sheppard coming to a stop in turn three, sending him to the rear. Sheppard went pit side to make adjustments to his race car, but the No. 9s machine was only able to rebound to a 12th-place finish.
Friesen continuously traded the third position back and forth with Britten, while Bachetti stayed one step ahead of Ronnie Johnson on each restart.
When the field went back to a long green-flag run, Friesen got exactly what he needed. As the leaders worked in lapped traffic, Friesen negotiated the top and bottom better than any of his competitors.
Right at the halfway point, Friesen seized a moment when Johnson got trapped behind two lap cars, sliding around ‘RJ’ and setting his sights on Bachetti out front.
Just five circuits later, Friesen worked the bottom side to perfection, slipping underneath Bachetti while he also struggled to get by slower traffic.
“We had a great race car; it was very nimble, and I could go anywhere. My guys worked so hard, and they deserve this,” Friesen proclaimed.
The race remained green until lap 81, when Bachetti, who was running third, saw his night go by the wayside, getting over the turns one and two banking and spinning out.
Peter Britten went from fourth to second on the restart, getting around Ronnie Johnson and Erick Rudolph, who’d driven from 17th into the top five.
Friesen remained flawless, racing to a four-second victory in his Halmar International No. 44. The win for Friesen was his fifth of the season at Utica-Rome, coming three days after he got his fourth win on Friday night.
Johnson claimed second and Britten claimed a podium finish.
Paulie Colagiovanni won the first Patriot 360 Sprint Tour event at Utica-Rome since 2006. Colagiovanni started on the pole position, never relinquishing the lead in the 25-lap main event.
Matt Janczuk grabbed his ninth Worthington Industries Crate 602 Sportsman feature event.
The finish
Feature (100 laps): Stewart Friesen, Ronnie Johnson, Peter Britten, Erick Rudolph, Billy Decker, Danny Varin, Alan Johnson, Matt DeLorenzo, Jessica Friesen, Rocky Warner, Andy Bachetti, Matt Sheppard, Matt Janczuk, Brian Gleason, Willy Decker, Bobby Varin, Bob Henry Jr., JaMike Sowle, Dave Constantino, Ricky Davis, Mike Maresca, Dave Marcuccilli, Randy Shantel, Mike Mahaney, Marshall Hurd, Ronnie Holmes, Larry Wight, Craig Hanson.