WEST LEBANON, N.Y. — In the first DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race at Lebanon Valley Speedway in almost two decades, it was one of the track’s most decorated drivers who stood in vctory lane Saturday night.
Eleven-time 358 Modified track champion Andy Bachetti took the lead from Chris Raabe on Lap 18 and never looked back to win the $5,000 opening night prize.
However, Bachetti’s night was almost over before it started. In Hot Laps, the rear end broke on his primary car, forcing him to switch to a backup. With less than 30 minutes before Qualifying, his team got the car ready, and it paid off, as Bachetti earned the Pole for his Heat Race, won his Heat Race, and pulled a No. 2 pill in the redraw.
“This is for my whole team and everybody who works so hard,” Bachetti said. “They’re thinkers. They think so hard. They go after the right things, and that makes such a big difference, especially when a lot of people would’ve given up. But we don’t give up.”
Raabe led the field to the green in the 50-lap Feature, gaining an advantage over Bachetti on Lap 1. It wasn’t long before Bachetti made a bid for the lead, though, as he dove underneath the No. 01 on Lap 5. But Bachetti’s momentum wasn’t enough, as Raabe held on to the lead before the race’s first caution for Brett Haas in Turn 4.
When the race resumed, Raabe continued his pace for a few laps before Bachetti tried to make another move. The “Wild Child” dove low again on Raabe, but the Alexandria, Ontario, driver shut the door. That didn’t deter Bachetti, though. When they entered Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 18, Bachetti powered underneath Raabe and slid in front of him to take the lead as they exited the corner.
That was all Bachetti needed to score his sixth career DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win.
With the Feature being the Lebanon Valley’s first 358 Modified race of the season, Bachetti said one of the challenges he faced was figuring out what his tires would do.
“It’s the first night on this speedway that we’ve really put laps down,” Bachetti said. “I just wasn’t sure about the tires and how good they were. I just wanted to be conservative in the beginning, and then I said, well, it’s time to go.”
Raabe settled for second, in his first-ever appearance at the “Valley of Speed.” He said his inexperience at the track played a role in knowing what to do while in the lead.
“I really didn’t know where to run, and we were guessing there on tires,” Raabe said. “I’ll take a look at Andy’s tires to see what his were like, but I know mine were beat up pretty good.”
Mike Mahaney crossed the line third. Kyle Sheldon finished fourth, and Alex Payne rounded out the top five.
Defending Series champion Mat Williamson finished 29th after losing oil pressure in his No. 6 car during Hot Laps. With a guaranteed starting spot for the Feature, the St. Catharines, ON driver ran a few laps in Mike Engwer’s car before retiring from the event.
Tim Hartman Jr. won Saturday’s DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region feature.
The finish:
Feature (50 Laps): 1. 4-Andy Bachetti[2]; 2. 01-Chris Raabe[1]; 3. 35-Mike Mahaney[6]; 4. 44-Kyle Sheldon[10]; 5. 70A-Alex Payne[7]; 6. 31-Lance Willix[19]; 7. 22W-Jeff Watson[4]; 8. 94-Joey Coppola[9]; 9. 87-Neil Stratton[14]; 10. 22C-Cedric Gauvreau[8]; 11. 7-Brady Cordova[15]; 12. 60-Brian Berger[5]; 13. 92-Andrew Buff[22]; 14. 17-Brett Haas[11]; 15. 18R-Brad Rouse[12]; 16. 7CT-Donny Travaglin[23]; 17. 17G-Garrett Poland[21]; 18. 5-Jack Butler[20]; 19. 518-Guy Sheldon[18]; 20. 72-Ray Hall Jr[17]; 21. 14M-CG Morey[24]; 22. 81D-Angelo DiCarlo[16]; 23. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[26]; 24. B24-Brendan Gibbons[29]; 25. 117-CJ Castelletti[28]; 26. 14T-Payton Talbot[13]; 27. 35C-Chris Curtis[3]; 28. 21A-Peter Britten[25]; 29. 6M-Mat Williamson[27]; 30. 115-Montgomery Tremont[30]
