MALTA, N.Y. – With the season winding down rapidly, DIRTcar modified point leader Anthony Perrego strengthened his hold on the Albany-Saratoga Speedway championship race with a surprising win in Friday night’s 35-lap modified feature.
Perrego has had a high handicap all year and every week he battles from the rear to the lead pack, but getting all the way to the lead has been difficult. An uncharacteristically good 11th starting spot let him advance more rapidly than usual, aided by numerous cautions that kept the field bunched up.
With the white flag waving, it looked like second was the best he could do. Neil Stratton, who had led since a lap six restart let him shoot under early leader Jack Speshock, slipped over the edge of turn two and was halfway down the backstretch before he could get back on the speedway.
With an audible reaction from the crowd, most expressing sympathy for Stratton’s loss, Perrego jumped to the lead ahead of Matt DeLorenzo, Stratton, Marc Johnson, Peter Britten, Adam Pierson, Mike Mahaney, Demetrious Drellos, Jessey Meuller and Jack Lehner.
The cautions started early, with Kenny Tremont Jr. pulling up on the backstretch before lap one could be completed. Five more would follow, keeping the field in tight formation and the action hot and heavy. Notable movers included DeLorenzo, who advanced from 13th to get even with the leader before a yellow waved just before halfway, and Johnson, who moved steadily from 18th to fourth before running out of laps to advance further.
“Coming here every week and racing against these guys makes you a better racer,” Perrego told the crowd from victory lane.
In Sportsman action, Scott Duell notched his third win of the season, edging soon to be crowned track champion Tim Hartman Jr., Jeff Washburn and Robert Bublak Jr. Jason Meltz claimed the Pro Stock feature, edging another driver who has clinched a title, Chad Jeseo. Jay Casey and Sportsman winner Duell’s father, Kim, trailed.