All About Racing - 6 June 2025

This week we will begin with Albany-Saratoga racing and keep things in a positive light by not mentioning that four letter word that has been plaguing us for the season so far. 

The “Great Race Place” saw Matt DeLorenzo of Cropseyville with the checkered flag at the end of the Modified main event giving him a $500 bonus for back-to-back wins, on top of the $3000 he received for the win on Friday.   DeLorenzo then had a good shot at winning the special DeCarlo Auto Body 358-Modified Shoot Out if not for Felix Roy who nixed that by inches.  The 358-Mod event was the second leg of a special 358 Shootout Tour.

Also winning at Malta on Friday were Joey Scarborough (Sportsman), Beau Ballard (Pro Stocks), Nick Arnold (Limited Sportsman) and Damian Ward (Street Stocks). 

Traveling to the west on the NYS Thruway Utica-Rome was able to complete their show on Friday but not without a short visit from that four-letter word. Matt Sheppard of Savannah NY used a lap car to overtake Rocky Warner of Gloversville on lap 28 for the win.  Other winners at Utica-Rome were Payton Talbot (Sportsman), AJ Walters (Pro Stocks), Jayden West (Limited Sportsman), Justin Pope (Four Cylinder dual cam) and Wayne Russell, Jr. (single cam). 

30 Years Ago in Racing:

This weekend we decided to look into our archives and found that,

May 26, 1995, Alan Johnson of Clifton Springs achieved his first victory at Albany-Saratoga, increasing his career win total to 290. He drove the Dennis Tremont No. 21 small block Modified and subsequently secured two more feature wins at the Malta oval that season. These victories remain his only wins at that track. Alan Johnson continues to race and has amassed a total of 563 career wins to date.

May 27, 1995, Jack Johnson of Duanesburg won his second feature of the season at Fonda on his way to recording six consecutive wins at the track that year.  Jumpin Jack was behind the wheel of the Bobar No. 12B.  In his career Jack Johnson went on to record 152 wins at his home track of Fonda Speedway and became the winningest driver in the track’s history to date.  Glenn Fitzcharles won the URC Sprint event at Fonda.  The URC Sprints came to Fonda every Memorial Day Weekend for many years. 

John Hewitt was the winner of the Modified main event on the high banks of Lebanon Valley Speedway.  John’s first win at The Valley was June 23, 1984.  When he stopped racing his career win total at the track was 14. 

The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in Weedsport inducted drivers Ernie Gahan, John McArdell, Buck Holliday, and the late Jackie McLaughlin into its Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame racing program was cancelled due to inclement weather moving in from the west. 

May 28, 1995, Jacque Villeneuve survived a penalty to win the 79th Indy 500. 

Bobby Labonte recorded his first NASCAR Winston Cup win of his career winning the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.      

Until next week please send all news and/or comments to biittig@yahoo.com