Albany-Saratoga Speedway’s marquee event started with a familiar face in Victory Lane.
Mike Mahaney stormed around Felix Roy on Lap 35 and drove away to score his first career DIRTcar 358 Modified Series victory in Friday’s Malta Massive Weekend opener.
“This car has been awesome all year,” Mahaney said. “To come here and get this win is phenomenal. I didn’t realize I hadn’t won in the 358 Series before. This is cool. And we get this belt again. This is my second Malta Massive Weekend belt.
“I really want to thank all the fans for that ovation. You guys are awesome.”
Roy and defending race winner Mat Williamson brought the field to green in the 50-lap Feature, with Roy gaining the advantage off Turn 2.
That advantage grew in the race’s first 10 laps, as the Napierville, QC driver drove to a full straightaway advantage. However, that didn’t last long, as he reached lap traffic by Lap 11.
Behind the 2023 Super DIRTcar Series Rookie of the Year, Williamson was rolling the inside of the racetrack, with Mahaney gaining momentum on the outside. The two drivers waged war as Williamson met Mahaney’s challenges at every turn.
Eventually, Mahaney’s perseverance prevailed as he crossed Williamson over in Turns 3 and 4, sliding in front of the No. 6 as they completed Lap 32.
While Roy battled in lap traffic, Mahaney and Williamson slowly reeled him in, putting Mahaney in striking distance once he passed “Money Mat.”
Mahaney returned to the outside and needed two laps to catch Roy in traffic, pulling even with “Hollywood” as they raced into Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 34.
They stayed wheel-to-wheel as they raced down the backstretch. But when they again entered Turns 3 and 4, Mahaney found a burst of speed and thundered past Roy on the outside to take the lead on Lap 35.
Despite a pair of cautions for Billy Dunn in the final 15 laps, Mahaney went untouched to earn the $5,000 victory and second Malta Massive Weekend triumph after his Super DIRTcar Series win in 2021.
With the long green flag run to start the race, Mahaney said he didn’t realize how far ahead Roy was.
“I was just trying to get by Mat,” Mahaney said. “All of a sudden, the two of us reeled him in, and it was a three-car battle. It’s awesome to put on that kind of show. I’m really proud of that.
“This is a great confidence booster.”
Roy settled for second after leading the race’s first 35 laps. While he was happy with his podium finish, he said his inexperience cost him a chance to earn his first Series win.
“The more it slicked off, the car wasn’t as good,” Roy said. “With the lap cars, I didn’t really know where to go. I stayed on the bottom, and it seemed faster, but then Mike passed me on the top and I tried to follow him.
“He did a great job, and congratulations to him.”
Roy is the new DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points leader with his runner-up finish. He holds a two-point lead over veteran Lance Willix, who finished ninth.
Defending race winner Mat Williamson rounded out the podium. He said he felt his car wasn’t good from the initial green flag.
“The car never really fired,” Williamson said. “At the end, I felt like I was just running where I had to. It was a tricky racetrack. The cushion was pretty big. You could race all over it, and I think it’ll be really good with the Big Block tomorrow.”
Matt Delorenzo finished fourth, and Albany-Saratoga 358 Modified track champion Marc Johnson finished fifth.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series heads to Super DIRT Week 52. First, the Series visits Brewerton Speedway for the Hurricane Harvey 75 on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Then, they’ll head to Oswego Speedway for theSalute to the Troops 150 on Friday, Oct. 11. For Tickets, visit SuperDIRTWeek.com.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the action at Super DIRT Week on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
DIRTcar 358 Modiifed Series Feature (50 Laps): 1. 35-Mike Mahaney[5]; 2. 91-Felix Roy[1]; 3. 6M-Mat Williamson[2]; 4. 3D-Matt Delorenzo[9]; 5. 3J-Marc Johnson[13]; 6. 92-Andrew Buff[4]; 7. 70A-Alex Payne[21]; 8. M1-David Marcuccilli[3]; 9. 31-Lance Willix[12]; 10. 35C-Chris Curtis[11]; 11. 15X-Justin Stone[10]; 12. 5-Amy Holland[18]; 13. 21A-Peter Britten[24]; 14. 6-Robert Bublak[23]; 15. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[15]; 16. 12-Darren Smith[22]; 17. 19C-Brandon Carvey[20]; 18. 22W-Noah Walker[6]; 19. 7S-Shaun Shaw[19]; 20. 77-Walter Hammond Jr[14]; 21. 28-Michael Trautschold[17]; 22. 88H-Walt Hammond[27]; 23. 39-Ryan Bartlett[29]; 24. 21R-Jeffrey Reis[26]; 25. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[28]; 26. (DNF) 49-Billy Dunn[7]; 27. (DNF) 31B-Ryan Dolbear[16]; 28. (DNF) 9-Tyler Meeks[25]; 29. (DNF) 20-David Schilling[8]; 30. (DNF) 117-CJ Castelletti[30]
Post-Race Tech: Carburetors were checked along with intake for porting.
Hoosier Racing Tire Award (Free Tire): Robert Bublak
