MALTA, N.Y. — DIRTcar modified point leader Mike Mahaney picked a good night to notch his first Albany-Saratoga Speedway win of the season Friday.
The night’s increased purse saw him head back to Elizabethtown, N.Y., with a big smile on his face and some $4,000 in hand.
Mahaney shared the spotlight with Dillon Paddock, who claimed the caution-marred CRSA 305 sprint car finale over rookie Zach Sobotka and longtime modified star Jeff Trombley.
Polesitter Rich Ronca led the modified 35-lapper early on with Brian Calabrese immediately advancing from fourth to challenge him.
A lap-10 yellow for Billy Pauch Jr.’s flat tire saw Calabrese go high on the restart and sail around Ronca as they hit turn three only to have Ronca take the lead right back. But a lap later Calabrese not only put Ronca away, he pulled Brian Bornt with him into second.
Behind the leaders, the ninth starting Mahaney, hot off a Thursday night 358 modified win at Airborne Speedway, was picking off cars one by one and by halfway he stood third.
With 10 to go, the top three were under the proverbial blanket but two laps later Mahaney finally slid by Bornt, then the next time around split Calabrese and a lapped car as they hit turn three and came out of the turn with the lead.
Calabrese pulled up alongside Mahaney during a caution period with three to go to express his displeasure with the move but the leader was unfazed, riding out two more yellows and the ensuing restarts to win comfortably over 14th-starting Justin Stone and Neil Stratton.
Marc Johnson, Jack Lehner, Bornt, Demetrious Drellos, Don Ronca, Peter Britten and Jeremy Pitts trailed.
“I had a lot of momentum when I got to Brian and I don’t think I hit him,” offered Mahaney. “I couldn’t see him and didn’t feel anything. I actually expected him to cross me and try to take the lead back.
“I saw the opening and had to make it happen. My brother-in-law, Billy Pauch Jr., won right away when Billy the third was born and I wanted this one for my new son to carry on the family tradition. I thought I had a win last week, two days after he was born, but I nicked the wall and gave it away. This week, we got redemption.”
The 25-lap sprint finale got off to a bad start when a car spun as the field hit turn one on the initial break, but the second try saw Bailey Boyd sail around polesitter Billy VanInwegan Jr to take the lead only to give it right back.
VanInwegan then led Chad Miller through cautions on laps five and 14 only to have Paddock, up from 10th, run him down with 10 to go.
Sabotka also came from mid-pack and stood second when the yellow flew again on lap 19. It then took two tries to get the race going again, with a single file try doing the trick.
With the leaders spread out the way they restarted, the field hit the stripe with VanInwegan fourth ahead of Miller, Alysha Bay, Scott Landers, Boyd, Vince Chicklets and Keith Granholm.
Jordan Hill won the Limited Sportsman feature, with Taylor Wason edging Tim Hartman Jr. in the Sportsman finale.
Kim Duell claimed his second consecutive Pro Stock finale over Rich Crane with P.J. Cram taking Street Stock honors.
