Submitted by Terry Guest
Photos by Fernando Pereira
A night of track records started off in the I.M.C.A Modified division. #98 Pat Brown who made his first appearance off the year, set an amazing time of 15.383 in qualifying, beating the old record by almost .3 of a second. #8 Brad Purdy won yet another dash on Saturday; Purdy has won every dash so far this season. Purdy started on the pole for the 10 lap heat and managed to hold off the rest of the field to take the win. The 3 top in the reverse heat were only separated by inches, but the advantage went to #98 Pat Brown who led from lap 2 on to take the win. The 18 lap feature saw some drama unfold on the last lap. Purdy had been leading from lap 1, but #48 Rob Ryan spun him out on the very last corner. Ryan received a black flag, giving the win to #98 Pat brown. #53 Kevin Noble finished 2nd and Purdy managed to finish 3rd.
The Old Timers made their first appearance off the season on Saturday. #1 James Campbell set fast time in qualifying with a time of 16.402. #24 Roger Beck won the B dash, and #25 George “The Jet” Jensen took home the win in the A dash. #12 Ron Simpson led up until lap 9, but #35 Kail Beck finally finished off his pass in the final corner, taking the win. #09 Joe Dardengo led the reverse heat from start to finish, taking the win. The 25 lap feature saw #71 James Miller start the race in the pole position and hold that lead for 20 laps. #1 James Campbell would eventually take the lead on lap 21 and hold on for the win. #8 Duane Zeinstra finished 2nd, and Miller finished 3rd.
The Wilroc Sprint cars also made their first appearance of the season on Saturday. Fast time in qualifying went to #44 Scott Aumen, who set a time of 12.824. #2 Randy Vincent held off the field to take the win in the dash. #7 Mark Fisher held the lead in the heat for the first 8 laps, but #2 Randy Vincent managed to continue his winning ways, taking the lead on lap 9 and holding on for the win. Aumen started pole for the reverse heat and spread his lead from there, winning his first race of the evening. The 20 lap feature saw Vincent prove his dominance once again, taking the lead on lap 1. A caution on lap 12 tightened the field, but Vincent would not give up his lead. Vincent led every lap in a main event that only took 6 minutes and 10 seconds to complete. Aumen finished 2nd, and 3rd went to #91 Darren Yates.
#55 Jeff Bird also set a track record on the evening. Bird set an amazing time of 14.653 in qualifying. #28 Wayde Heckford took the win in the Lite C dash. The B dash went to #34 Duane Zeinstra, who was filling in for Paul Verhagen for the dash. #25 Chris Root took home the win in the A dash. Bird managed to make his way from the very back to take the win in the Lite B heat. #43 Matt Verhagen held the lead in the A heat for the first 8 laps, but # 52 Jesse Dardengo managed to take the lead on lap 9 to take the win. The Lite B reverse saw #27 Frank Mayell lead for 4 laps, but once again Bird made his way from the back to take the lead and the eventual win. #28 Wayde Heckford held the lead in the A reverse heat for the first 5 laps, but #47 Richard Lejeune took away the lead on lap 6 to take the win. The 35 lap feature saw #15 Eli Ross hold the lead for the first 2 laps. #86 Ron French took over the lead on lap 2 and held that lead for 14 laps. #52 Jesse Dardengo eventually caught French and took the lead on lap 18. #55 Jeff Bird was coming on strong but mechanical issues caused him to withdrawal from the race. Dardengo would spread his lead from there and hold on to take the win. #8 Robbie Haslam finished 2nd, and #47 Richard Lejeune finished 3rd.
Extra laps... Next weekend marks our 30th year anniversary. Our rain or shine event will feature Fireworks, a Limo Jump, and a great performance from the Jet dragster. The Dwarf cars, Bomber cars, and the I.M.C.A Modifieds will be racing on the night. Make sure to check out all of the great events happening at Saratoga Speedway.