RPW Exclusive: Marc Johnson ‘Drives’ To Short Track Super Series “Stampede At Toga” Payday

Column By: LAURIE FALLIS / RPW – MALTA, NY – If you wagered your money on the “White Knight” Wednesday night at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the Short Track Super Series ‘Stampede at Toga,’ you would have hit the jackpot.

Marc Johnson saved his best performance of the year for the 50-lap, $5,000-to-win event, charging from his ninth starting position to claim the biggest victory of his career.

Veteran Frank Cozze showed his might in the early stages of the race, letting the young guns see he still knows his way around a race track. Cozze took advantage of his pole starting position and rocketed out to the lead.

However, the buzz of the night was Matt Sheppard driving the #92s Sweetners Plus machine. Sheppard rolled off from the 27th position. Why you ask? Sheppard won his heat but came up light at the scales. He didn’t advance to a qualifying spot in the consolation race, but did win the B-Main. Instead of taking the winner’s money from that race, he chose to go into the feature.

As Sheppard was picking cars off lap-by-lap on the inside, the action was clearly up front as Ronnie Johnson was putting the pressure on Cozze. RJ drove from his seventh starting spot and tried every trick in the book on the crafty veteran. While the two were battling it out for the top spot, caution came out for Brett Hearn also the Albany-Saratoga points leader slowly limped back to the pits but returned at the back of the field.

Green flag laps clicked off and the #44 of Anthony Perrego showed that he wanted to get into the fun, closing in on the two front runners. Sheppard watch, however, was starting to get interesting, as he was riding in 15th by lap 18.

At the halfway point, Cozze and RJ were still battling side-by-side for the top spot. Kenny Tremont, Mat Williamson and the car who each week quietly makes his way to the front, Marc Johnson, had all worked their way to the top five. Johnson was fifth after charging from his ninth starting position.

A restart on lap 26 saw Marc Johnson dig to the bottom of the speedway and take over the third position. Up front, it still was a two-car battle for the lead. Ronnie was trying everything to get by Cozze but just needed a lil better run off the top.

Don’t look now but the car on the move that had everybody starting to wonder was the 92s of last year’s event winner, Matt Sheppard. Could “Super Matt” possibly pull off the victory?

With 15 laps remaining, Sheppard moved into the fifth spot and you could see the cream of the crop was now in position for an amazing finish.

Ronnie Johnson was finally able to rocket into the lead on the outside of Cozze on lap 43 as the cars made their way down the frontstretch. However, he didn’t pull away as the #3J of Marc Johnson was in the mix, and made his way by the Mickle Automotive Teo on the bottom.

Oh, did I mention that that Matt Sheppard had found the lead battle as well? With RJ, Marc and now Matt all up front, the fans were standing to see what the outcome would be. After some spirited racing over the final few circuits, it was the “White Knight,” Marc Johnson, getting the very exciting win.

“I saw the top was going away and I screwed up last week at the track,” Johnson said. “Tonight, I was just going to stay committed to the bottom, run my own race and just keep on digging. This is my biggest win ever and the check looks real good too.”

I then asked the winner if he was surprised by his good fortune on Wednesday night.

“No, not really,” he said. “I’ve been running in the top 5 all year here. We run really good but look at the guys I run against. I’m happy with the way our season has been. I can’t complain and am really super happy on the win.”

Ronnie Johnson had to settle for second with another great run after his victory Friday night.

“The bottom got better then the top towards the end but I was committed to the top,” RJ said. “I got past Frank with four or five laps to go and I was not going to stay on the top. However, Marc snooker’d us on the bottom. He knows this track and I don’t underestimate him as he knows the bottom very well.”

Johnson had tried the bottom, but it just didn’t work for him.

“I was just driving so hard I didn’t slow down enough to drive the low side,” he said. “I was racing with Frank so long that I just had the feel for it up on the outside. It was kinda live or die up there.”

Sheppard finished his spectacular run in third, right on the rear bumper of the #2RJ. He was followed by Antony Perrego who put in a strong run himself. Rounding out your top 5 was the man who was fast as soon as he hit the track, Frank Cozze. It was great to see the veteran put on a great show.

With the win, Johnson, the 2016 track champion, collected his 12th of his career at the speedway. It was also great to see a home track boy get the win and take the money. Congratulations to Marc and team on taking the Stampede at “Toga.

In the companion Sportsman event, Tim Hartman Jr. out-dueled Robert Bublak for the victory. On a late-race caution, Bublak chose the highside on the restart, allowing Hartman the inside. That left the young driver to get the jump to go to win the 25-lap feature.

As I conclude, I want to say that the Modified race was one of the best that this writer has seen all year. It was a great show put on by some of Dirt Modified’s finest. Fans certainly did not go home disappointed.

God Bless our troops and families. Be safe and see you all at the races. PEACE

Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Modified Halmar International North Region Event No. 6 Feature Finish (50 laps): MARC JOHNSON, Ronnie Johnson, Matt Sheppard, Anthony Perrego, Frank Cozze, Mat Williamson, Mike Mahaney, Billy Decker, Kenny Tremont Jr., Mike Gular, Ryan Godown, Brett Hearn, Danny Varin, Jerry Higbie, Andy Bachetti, Nick Nye, Brett Tonkin, Danny Creeden, Rick Laubach, Jeremy Smith, Duane Howard, Matt DeLorenzo, Jimmy Horton, Jack Lehner, Rusty Smith, Tyler Boniface, Matt Stangle, Brandon Grosso.