King of the Valley again !
Upstate GM Dealers/Abele Tractor Super DIRTcar Series Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A. Results (101 laps): 1) Kenny Tremont Jr., 2) Ronnie Johnson, 3) Brett Hearn, 4) Andy Bachetti, 5) Mat Williamson, 6) Wayne Jelley, 7) Eddie Marshall, 8) Stewart Friesen, 9) Peter Britten, 10) Marc Johnson, 11) Demetrios Drellos, 12) Matt Sheppard, 13) Erick Rudolph, 14) Jimmy Phelps, 15) Billy Decker, 16) Mike King, 17) Ryan Godown, 18) J.R. Heffner, 19) Larry Wight, 20) Danny Johnson, 21) Kyle Armstrong, 22) Keith Flach, 23) Paul St. Sauveur, 24) Kolby Schroder, 25) Mike Mahaney, 26) Jack Lehner, 27) Brian Berger, 28) L.J. Lombardo, 29) Bobby Hackel, IV
DNQ: Dan Humes, Rusty Smith, Josh Delea, Dillon Steuer, Marcus Dinkins, Matt Pupello, Paul Gilardi, Olden Dwyer, Josh Marcus
Saturday night brought some of the toughest Big Block Modified racers in the Northeast to Lebanon Valley for the annual visit for the Super DIRTcar Series. Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A. would prove to be a tough one for those who haven’t been regulars.
By virtue of the redraw, Ronnie Johnson started from the pole with Brett Hearn alongside. Hearn is a tough out on a regular basis, but Ronnie was able to get the jump on Hearn and settle into the lead.
The early portions of the race were run in a stop-and-start fashion. First, Mike Mahaney slowed in turns 3 and 4 with a mechanical issue. On the frontstretch, the car appeared to lock up. That created a situation where Brian Berger and Jack Lehner piled into Mahaney to bring out a yellow. All three drivers were ok, but done for the night. Immediately after the restart, Mike King spun in turn 4 after contact from Larry Wight. This was the beginning of a bad night for Wight, who later cut a tire and ran towards the rear for much of the race, eventually finishing 19th.
Further back, Kenny Tremont Jr. started eighth and slowly made his way forward, taking his time. It was rather difficult to pass Saturday night, so he had to take things as they came.
Tremont made his way into the top five by lap 34 when Kyle Armstrong had a tire issues and was forced to pit. Tremont later took third from Andy Bachetti following a caution for Keith Flach crashing in turn 3.
A few laps later, Tremont was able to run down Hearn and snatch second away. Once in second, he could simply match Ronnie’s pace.
The final yellow flew right after a restart with 35 laps to go when King, Matt Sheppard and J.R. Heffner crashed in turn 2. The Super DIRTcar Series points leader had a terrible night, but ended up finishing 12th.
Once the green came back out, Tremont stalked Ronnie Johnson for a few laps before making a run at him. With 10 laps to go, he caught the Duanesburg native. A couple of laps later, he made the move for the lead and took it in turns 1 and 2 after a short battle.
Once out front, Tremont pulled away to take his second straight Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A. victory. The victory netted Tremont $25,500 and a guaranteed starting spot in the Billy Whitaker Cars & Trux 200 at Oswego Speedway.
Ronnie Johnson finished second, 2.943 seconds back. Hearn was third, followed by Bachetti and Mat Williamson. Source: Lebanon Valley Media Press Release and Track Photo.
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