MALTA, N.Y. – Just one week after running a nearly flawless race and outrunning defending Albany-Saratoga Speedway champion Marc Johnson to get his first win of the season, Matt DeLorenzo made one mistake Friday which helped Johnson find his way to victory lane.
It was Johnson’s first win this year in a 35-lap modified feature at Albany-Saratoga.
DeLorenzo was probably counting his money, which would have included the Madsen Overhead Doors/Flach Products $500 Back-to-Back bonus – instituted this season for any modified driver that can win two features in a row – when he was setting the pace with five laps to go.
A yellow flag on lap 31, created when Brian Berger spun, negated DeLorenzo’s lead.
DeLorenzo, who had been running the top, chose the inside lane for the restart and Johnson already has his strategy planned. He beat DeLorenzo to the third turn, coming out with the lead, and four laps later, he had his first checkered flag in his Scott Hamblin Racing, Snap-On Tools-sponsored Bicknell, which he debuted three weeks ago.
“Matt had taken the bottom of the other restarts, and then he was sliding to the top in the second turn,” said Johnson, who had two straight second-place finishes prior to his Friday night win. “I knew I had to beat him to three, and when I did, that was it.”
“I spun my tires on the restart,” said DeLorenzo after the race. “I was getting real loose the last five laps.”
While DeLorenzo missed out on the back-to-back bonus, Johnson walked off with a top prize of $3,000, which the extra money provided through sponsorship by Bart Contracting.
The final battle was nearly a three-car tango, as Stewart Friesen, who had started 16th in the 30-car field, was sitting third on the final restart. He followed Johnson on the high side, but looking for even more bite, he slipped off the racing surface in the second turn with two laps to go, and wound up fifth.
Peter Britten matched his best finish of the season, crossing the finish line third, while points leader Mike Mahaney finished fourth.
DeLorenzo was flying from the drop of the green flag, and after starting ninth, took the lead away from polesitter Matt Depew on lap 16. Johnson, who had started 11th, also charged past Depew for second and was making a run at DeLorenzo for the lead when Depew had a tire go down on lap 17, bringing out a yellow.
DeLorenzo and Johnson then locked into a side-by-side battle, with Johnson running the outside. Friesen joined the lead group when he made a low-to-high move around Rocky Warner on the 24th lap to move into third.
But the slicked-over track was causing a lot of traction issues, and when DeLorenzo spun his tires on the final restart, his quest for the back-to-back bonus was over.
The finish:
Marc Johnson, Matt DeLorenzo, Peter Britten, Mike Mahaney, Stewart Friesen, Danny Varin, Rocky Warner, Jackie Brown Jr., Jack Lehner. Ken Tremont Jr., Keith Flach, Jessey Mueller, Anthony Perrego, Ronnie Johnson, Don Ronca, Elmo Reckner, Adam Pierson, Derrick McGrew Jr., Tyler Dippel, CG Morey, Neil Stratton, Brian Berger, Ricky Davis, Todd Stone, Rick Ronca, Matt Pupello, James Meehan, JaMike Sowle, Matt Depew, Bobby Hackel IV.