By Ed & BETTY BIITTIG
Labor Day Weekend spells the end of regular season points for many tracks under the DIRTcar banner.
On Friday at Albany-Saratoga, fans were treated to a battle for the championship pitting defending track champion Matt DeLorenzo against challengers Demetrios Drellos, who was leading going into the night, and Adam Pierson. Flat tires played a significant role in the eventual outcome.
As the fans watched intently, DeLorenzo went to the pits with a flat tire. He returned and made his way through the field until he was battling Drellos. Drellos suffered a flat tire with five laps to go. He returned to the track knowing he had to pass as many cars as possible, as DeLorenzo was battling Marc Johnson and Neil Stratton for the top spot. Johnson was the eventual winner.
Drellos worked his way to finish 11th, and Matty D finished third as fans were busy trying to calculate where the points stood. Drellos won the championship by seven points and claimed his first ever track title at the Malta oval.
This leaves Drellos and DeLorenzo with a unique distinction to share. They have now won the track championships at Albany-Saratoga and Fonda in the same year. Matty D did it in 2022, and now Demetrios Drellos in 2023.
The DIRTcar Series for Modifieds moved into Lebanon Valley on Saturday for the Mr. Dirt Track USA event, and Andy Bachetti of Sheffield, Mass., picked up his third consecutive checker by leading from green to checker, holding off the challenges of Matt Sheppard from lap 25 in the 100-lap event.
Saturday at Lebanon Valley was filled with emotions for many fans that have cheered Kenny Tremont, Jr., for the past 41 years that he has been in competition on the high banks.
Before the racing action, we got the chance to sit and talk with Kenny, who said that he was set to retire after the 2022 season but was discouraged by his sister, Kim, who said he owed it to his fans to give them time to celebrate one more season. He spoke with longtime sponsor George Rifenburg, who told him he would be with him for another season and would leave with him at the end of 2023.
Kenny also said he could not believe how many lifelong fans have come out this year to wish him well—fans he hadn’t seen in years.
Although he has signaled his retirement, Kenny Tremont is still a fan favorite with the young fans, even with this young Bachetti fan, Colton, who brought a Tremont, No. 115 die-cast car to have signed by the “Sand Lake Slingshot.”
This week’s Tremont Trivia: In the 200-lap events held at Fonda Speedway, Kenny Tremont is the only true Lebanon Valley regular to win the Fonda 200. His win came in 2000, and we got to celebrate with him.
Glen Ridge crowned three DIRTcar Track Champions on Sunday: Jordan McCreadie, 358-Modified Champion; Andrew Buff, 602 Crate Sportsman Champion; and Luke Horning, Pro Stock Champion.
First wins are always special and a reason to celebrate, and Tim Deffer was one to celebrate on Sunday after his first career win at The Ridge in the Limited Sportsman.
The MVVDMS were on the road again this weekend to Airborne Park Speedway, and the winners were: Jack Miller, Modifieds; Cliff Haslun, Antiques; George Palmer, Mystiques; and Nathan McFadden, Sportsman.
This weekend, September 9, the MVVDMS will be at Brookfield Speedway on the Madison County Fairgrounds, along with the Crate 602 Sportsman and Four Cylinders.
This Friday, September 8, for the second year in a row, Albany-Saratoga will host the Autism Awareness Race for Pro Stocks, paying $10,000 to win. The event is organized by Pro Stock racer Jordan Modiano and will benefit Autism Awareness and pay out over $30,000 to the racers in attendance. Rain date for the event is Friday, September 22, of the Malta Massive Weekend.
We heard from Bob Vedder this past week, and he will be digging his race car out of moth balls to display at the Car Show on September 17 as part of the Schoharie Village Wide Garage Sale weekend.
We always receive an update from Jim Becker when he races, and this past weekend Jim raced at Utica-Rome on Friday night. Jim and the team are still working on the handling of the coil car, and although he is getting frustrated, he says he is not giving up. With some of Jim’s crew away for the holiday weekend, there was a guest crew member. Joe Tomaino from Newport Telephone/NTC joined the team to help lighten the load.
Until next week, please send all news and/or comments to biittig@yahoo.com.
