VERNON, NY – Danny Varin picked up his second consecutive Empire Super Sprint A-Main feature event to open the season on Friday night with a thrilling victory over Paulie Colagiovanni and Jason Barney.
Danny Varin was victorious in the return of the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS), capitalizing on a late race restart to take the win. The Fonda, N.Y., resident raced from his 10th starting position and appeared content to finish third for a long stretch of the race.
Cicero, N.Y.’s Paulie Colagiovanni was leading the field through lap traffic on lap 21 when second- running Kelly Hebing spun out, shuffling the deck, and moving Varin into the runner-up spot.
The lap-21 restart saw Colagiovanni get a great jump on Varin, pulling away by more than five car-lengths as the field went down the back stretch. One more caution would prove to be the difference, after Joe Trenca spun off the third turn embankment.
Varin got a better restart and kept pace with leader Colagiovanni before making his move in the first turn.
“I just didn’t lift going into one, I wasn’t sure if it would stick, but I had to try it,” proclaimed Varin in Victory Lane of his race winning move. Varin’s slide job gave him the lead for good, as the remaining three laps fired off caution-free.
Colagiovanni held on for second, and ‘Racin’ Jason Barney rounded out the podium finishers.
After appearing to be the fastest car on the track in the early going, South Onondaga, N.Y.’s Shawn Donath settled for fourth with St. Mathieu del Beloeil, Quebec’s Jordan Poirier rounding out the top-five.
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints 360 Sprint Car Feature Finish (25 laps): DANNY VARIN, Paulie Colagiovanni, Jason Barney, Shawn Donath, Jordan Poirier, Billy Van Inwegen, Jeff Cook, Davey Franek, Dylan Swiernik, Matt Tanner, Chad Miller, Jordan Thomas, Brett Wright, Kelly Hebing, Dalton Rombough, Steve Glover, Keith Granholm, Mike Kruchka, Joe Trenca, Lacey Hanson, Jeff Trombley, Chuck Hebing, Emily Van Inwegen, Bobby Hackel IV, Jonathan Preston, Sammy Reakes IV.
