Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series Sizzles At Albany-Saratoga Speedway

Story By: DENISE MARKLE / MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES – MALTA, NY – On a very warm Friday evening that resembled summer, the third stop of the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) dubbed the “Vintage Frenzy” certainly added to the heat.

You knew it was going to be a special night at the “Great Race Place” when two original “Ridge Runners” (Stanley Wetmore and Mert Hulbert) from Oak Hill NY were in the house. Fans were treated to three action packed retro style features representing five vintage divisions with an on track flagger while the drivers and stands exchanged waves!

The Vintage Antique Feature saw Jimmy Fugel take control moving through the field with speed to a first place finish followed by Frank Blanchard taking second. Tex Gordon made the trip to run with the MVVDM’s but had trouble early leaving Mark Reardon and Don Briggs to entertain fans finishing in the third and fourth positions.

Next out were the Vintage Sportsman and Vintage Mystique class cars combined feature. The “Doughboy” Stephen Denton was the early advancing leader with fifth place starter Bryon Seyfried catching him on lap eight. The two put on a thrilling show as Seyfried went low, Denton high resulting in bumper-to-bumper action with lap car traffic mixed in. After a last lap with thrilling side-by-side racing the whole way into the fourth turn, the No. 1 of Denton running the bottom would ultimately take the checkered flag with No. 12a of Seyfried crossing the finish line a close second. Dan Wood having settled into a groove took third position followed by Mike Francisco fourth, with the “Dancing Bear” John Constantino taking fifth.

In Vintage Mystique action, Carl Cram in the No. 99x “Frankenstein” took home the checkered as well as accolades from seasoned announcer Dan Martin, the two having had previous wheel-to-wheel experience! Dan Karl gave fans a show moving from fourth starting position to a second place finish with George Palmer coming in a strong third, followed by Mike Wheeler and Tim Natalino.

Next up was the combined Vintage Modified/Vintage Late Model Feature.

Vintage Modified action saw Randy Delaney and John Flach barrel around the track to the delight of fans with Delaney moving into the lead spot from sixth, John Kuleszo’s No. m1 running second and Flach advancing to third from 10th position at the seven lap mark. After a restart on lap eight, Stanley Wetmore, Darral Hulbert and Jack Miller put on a show with three wide racing while in the third through fifth positions. A topside spin by Hulbert, plus yellows for Gus Kamburelis enabled several restarts and changes in the backside of the top five. Merv Blackwell, Mike Parodi and Mark Anatriello put on their own show breaking into the top five positions throughout the feature and providing thrilling side-by-side reality checks to the crowd’s excitement. The finish line would see Delaney’s lead hold, with Kuleszo, Flach, Wetmore, and a well-earned fifth place for Jack Miller as he held off Blackwell.

When the green flag dropped for the Vintage Late Models, the No. 28 of John Roese worked his way to the front from third position leading the field through lap 10. Curtis Condon followed in second position of the combined race as he and Roese battled for the number one spot. Condon gained the lead as he sliced through turn one on a late restart to grab the win. Following Condon and Roese were Will Reed and Adam Warner.

Sunday, May 30th is the next stop on the series tour at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, which MVVDMS considers the “Fastest ¼ Mile on Dirt” its birthplace. The “Grassroot Memories” event will be keeping the past alive with exciting vintage racing while remembering and honoring our fallen military heroes.

See you there vintage race fans!

Vintage Antique Feature: JIMMY FUGEL, Frank Blanchard, Mark Reardon, Don Briggs, Tex Gordon
Vintage Sportsman Feature: STEPHEN DENTON, Bryon Seyfried, Dan Wood, Mike Francisco
Vintage Mystique Feature: CARL CRAM, Dan Karl, George Palmer, Mike Wheeler, Tim Natalino
Vintage Modified Feature: RANDY DELANEY, Jon Kuleszo, John Flach, Stanley Wetmore, Jack Miller, Merv Blackwell, Mike Parodi, Darral Hulbert, Gus Kamburelis, Mark Anatriello
Vintage Late Model Feature: CURTIS CONDON, John Roese, Will Reed, Adam Warner