MALTA, N.Y. — Matt Tanner and Ronnie Johnson shared the spotlight at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway Friday night, with Tanner sailing to a relatively uncontested win in the Empire Super Sprints feature and Johnson running down early leader Marc Johnson to become the DIRTcar modified division’s first two-time winner of 2023.
Marc Johnson started on the outside of the front row and by lap five he’d disposed of polesitter Kris Vernold and driven off to a full turn lead. Jeremy Pitts then started working Vernold over and once they hit lapped traffic on lap 14, slipped by to stand a distant second.
At halfway in the 35-lapper Marc Johnson had a full straightaway lead but six laps later Jack Lehner pulled up with a collapsed suspension to draw the first yellow and it was a whole new race.
Ronnie Johnson, who lined up fifth, had run down Pitts just before the caution and when the green reappeared, the two Johnsons ran a full lap side by side before Ronnie got a great run off the top of the turn to take command.
Two more yellows postponed the inevitable but the race was Ronnie Johnson’s, his 34th career score at the three-eighths-mile oval.
Marc Johnson held on for second with Pitts third ahead of 14th-starting Peter Britten and defending track champion Matt DeLorenzo. Demetrious Drellos made a late surge to claim sixth ahead of Mike Mahaney, Jack Speshock, Vernold and Don Ronca.
“Anytime you beat Marc, you have to really be running,” said Ronnie. “I drove as fast as I could once I got by because I knew he’d be right there. Matt DeLorenzo showed me that the middle was fast, so I used that get some breathing room.”
“We weren’t good all night,” said Marc Johnson glumly. “This big-block motor is new but it doesn’t run down the straightaways.”
Pitts, on the other hand, was thrilled to be third, saying “we’re going forward, finally. We changed a bunch of stuff on the car and we’re a lot closer to where we need to be. Unfortunately, there was no cushion tonight so it was hard to get around guys.”
Tanner had a much easier run in the ESS finale, getting away from front row companion and eventual second place finisher Chad Miller on the break and building up a solid lead by lap five. Miller looked to have hope when Tanner got to the backmarkers at halfway and couldn’t put one away, allowing Miller to draw in, but four laps later Tanner finally got through the logjam and out in the open and quickly rebuilt his lead.
Turner’s run to victory lane took a slight detour with six to go when Jason Barney and Dylan Swiernik got together in turn four, but with order restored he cruised to the checkers ahead of Miller, Shawn Donath, ninth starting Chuck Hebing, and Paulie Colagiovanni.
Local favorite Danny Varin led the second five, which included Davey Franek, Jordan Poirier, Kelly Hebing and Jeff Cook.
“The track was tough tonight and I didn’t want to get off the bottom,” said Tanner.
His pursuers agreed, with Miller saying he “went after the lead on the outside on that restart but didn’t make it” and Donath adding that “passing was hard and a good starting position was the secret tonight.”