T-Mac After Winning Tuesday At Albany-Saratoga; “I Wish I Could Run Here Every Week”

Column By: DYLAN FRIEBEL / RPW – MALTA, NY – Tim McCreadie Banging the cushion or Matt Sheppard rolling the bottom on a slick track, whos your money on?

Well, the last two times Tim McCreadie has strapped into a big block at the 3/8th mile Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY, he’s walked out with $17,500. One check from Brett Hearn and one from track promoter Lyle Devore.

With unfavorable weather forecast for last Friday, Lyle and the crew at Albany-Saratoga pulled the plug on the program and used the Tuesday, April 24th rain date for the “Bring It” Season Opener. The call was the right one.

From the below freezing temperatures forecasted for Friday to the sunny 70 degree spring day on Tuesday, everyone was still gunning for the $7,500-to-win opening night and to put their name on the list of those who have won at “the Great Race Place.”

As you pulled into the track, parked and started to walk to get tickets, you were greeted by a line that spanned a whole row in the parking lot. Race fans were sending a message that it was time to go racing and kick this cold weather. The grandstands felt like standing room only and the atmosphere was electric.

With it being the season opener, it was a heads up start for the feature, meaning if you won heat one, you started first and if you finished second in heat four, you started eighth. Heats were left up to the luck of the draw and the big surprise was Tim McCreadie did not have such luck.

After coming off back to back top 5 finishes in the Lucas Oil Late Model Series in Hagerstown and Port Royal, Tim was ready to get back behind the wheel of a big block but knew he had some work to do to get into the show. With 40 modified in the pits, someone was going home.

The driver out of Watertown, NY got up on the wheel and did just that. Starting 10th in heat two of the 10-lap event, McCreadie was third by lap six when a caution bunched everyone up. Tim took no time in splitting the pair of Demetrios Drellos and Jessica Friesen in turn one and powered down the back stretch for the lead. It put everyone on notice…even the competition.

With the win in his heat, Tim lined up for the main event outside the front row, next to Brian Gleason, and once again wasted no time as the green flag flew. He had the lead by the back stretch and pulled away from the field on lap one.

Tim caught a break around lap eight when a caution flew and he had just caught the back of the field. However, he was not out of the hot water yet.

After the early caution, the hottest man in dirt racing the past three seasons, Matt Sheppard, started making his way up from his 12th starting position. He was knocking the door down at the bottom of the track. Before you knew it, he was out front and slowly started to pull away.

However, when the caution flew to re-rack the field, it was once again the Tim McCreadie show on the top side at Albany-Saratoga. With roughly 10 to go, Tim motored his way around Sheppard and never looked back, taking the checkers once again at “the Great Race Place.”

“I don’t think we had anything for him (Matt Sheppard) if it was more than a 15 lap run,” McCreadie said. “He just kinda, eased away but all those yellows allowed me to keep packing the top and packing the top. It’s such a beautiful race track and sometimes it gets hard to see but once the dust settled down I could see my entry into (turn) one better.”

You could tell Tim was excited and left it all out on the track for the fans.

“When things are going your way man, they just do,” he said. “I left it out there and I hope everyone is happy because I’m pretty happy.”

Tim knows he couldn’t be where he is without his support system

“I have to thank Vic (Coffey), my Co-Owner,” he said. “He’s my boss and does all the work on this deal. When I go to the shop, I work on my late model and help him out…well, I don’t know if I’m much of a help. All the credit goes to him.”

He couldn’t forget about the steam under the hood.

“Chuck built us a new motor this year and it’s gone three-for-five so far I believe,” he said. “I’m very happy with it.”

McCreadie also aknowledged what it’s like to run again a professional like Matt Sheppard.

“I know what Matt is feeling though,” he said. “I’ve had it happen to me several times. He raced me as good as we could against each other. To come out on a Tuesday night this early in the season and have this many people here, this feels like a World 100 win and I’ll take it.”

Oh, and don’t worry fans. Tim plans to return and attempt to repeat his Big Show win from 2017

“I can’t wait to come back for the Big show,” he said. “I wish I could run here every week with how good we go. You guys are some of the most passionate fans in the country and we may not always be happy as racers, but we see you cheering and we enjoy it.”

Other winners on the night were Brandon Emigh in the Pro Stocks, Connor Cleveland in Sportsman and Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald in Limited Sportsman.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway will be back in action on Friday, April 27th, with hot laps starting at 6pm and heat racing at 7pm.