For years, Brian Calabrese had been chasing a signature win in a Modified. That moment finally came Sunday night at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park against the best 358 Modified drivers in the Northeast.
The Johnstown, NY driver stunned Mike Mahaney and Felix Roy in traffic, driving around them both on the outside lane with 12 laps to go to score his first career DIRTcar 358 Modified Series victory.
Calabrese had tears of joy falling before he climbed out of his car, leading to an emotional Victory Lane.
“To win here and beat these guys is a dream come true,” Calabrese said. “These guys are no slouches.
“I have to thank my crew guy, Alex. This car didn’t have a body on it today. No shocks. No radius rods. I turned the A/C on, and we got to work, and we got here.”
Preston Forbes took the early lead in the 50-lap Feature, holding onto the top spot as he completed Lap 1. However, his lead was short-lived as Roy, who started fourth, found momentum on the outside of the racetrack and stormed around the No. 45 car to take the lead.
Following two cautions for Brendan Gibbons on Lap 6 and Lap 7, Roy jumped out to a full-straightaway lead over Lance Willix, who took over second from Forbes on Lap 3. Despite the lead, it wasn’t long before Willix reeled the Napierville, QC driver in as Roy reached lap traffic on Lap 23.
Just as Willix tried to find a way around Roy on the bottom, that opened the door for Mahaney on the outside lane. Using a lap car as a pick, Mahaney thundered by Willix on the top on Lap 28 to claim second. His momentum didn’t stop there, either. With a swift move on the outside, Mahaney drove by Roy to take the lead on Lap 29.
But with heavy traffic in front of both drivers, Mahaney couldn’t get away. The two continued their see-saw battle for the next few laps, with “Smooth Shoe” keeping his No. 35 ahead.
As Roy and Mahaney battled for the lead, it allowed cars behind them to start catching them in the race’s closing stages. At one point, five cars were fighting for the lead within five car lengths, as Calabrese, Andrew Buff, and eventually Jordan McCreadie were all in striking distance of the front.
Then, with 12 laps remaining, Calabrese saw a lane open on the top of the racetrack. As he entered Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 38, Calabrese swung his No. 21C car to the outside of Mahaney and Roy, going three-wide through the corner. Once they hit the start/finish line, Calabrese had taken second away from Mahaney.
Brian Calabrese sets up Mike Mahaney and Felix Roy for the race winning pass/Joe Grabianowski
And just like Mahaney 10 laps earlier, Calabrese kept his momentum going. With Roy on the bottom, Calabrese powered around the No. 91 on Lap 39 to grab the lead.
From there, Calabrese went untouched in the final 11 laps to become the 75th DIRTcar 358 Modified Series winner, taking home the $4,000 winner’s prize.
“We knew we had a better car in the end,” Calabrese said. “When we hit lap traffic, we were just riding and riding, and I said, if there’s a top up there, let’s see if we can find it.”
Mahaney snuck by Roy on the outside in the final 10 laps to finish second, earning back-to-back Series podiums. The Elizabethtown, NY driver also takes over the Series points lead, holding a two-point lead over Felix Roy, who finished fourth, and Mat Williamson, who finished sixth.
It was another strong run for Mahaney, who said he was surprised to see Calabrese on the top.
“It was really unexpected,” Mahaney said. “We had a really good top and exciting racing. It was funny. Right when we got to the lapper, and we couldn’t pass them, I thought we were going to end up on the bottom.
“Props to [Calabrese], he made a great move. It was something else.”
McCreadie finished third, matching his Glen Ridge finish from last year. The Watertown, NY driver praised the track crew in Victory Lane.
“Ray (Sefrin, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Promoter) and his guys did a great job with the heat and everything,” McCreadie said. “I think that was about as good of a show as you could have at a short track. Hats off for the fans and everyone who put it on.”
Glen Ridge regular Andrew Buff rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series returns to action at Fulton Speedway on Wednesday, June 25, for the Highbank Holdup. Drivers will battle in a 50-lap Feature paying $4,000-to-win.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
DIRTcar 358 Series Feature (50 Laps): 1. 21C-Brian Calabrese[5]; 2. 35-Mike Mahaney[3]; 3. 28-Jordan McCreadie[8]; 4. 91-Felix Roy[4]; 5. 92-Andrew Buff[18]; 6. 6-Mat Williamson[14]; 7. 31-Lance Willix[6]; 8. 45R-Preston Forbes[1]; 9. 57H-Remington Hamm[9]; 10. 38J-Jarrett Herbison[21]; 11. 11S-Steve Lewis[19]; 12. 44P-Brian Pessolano[11]; 13. 60-Jackson Gill[7]; 14. 97-Bobby Hackel IV[23]; 15. 5H-Amy Holland[12]; 16. 21A-Peter Britten[17]; 17. 38-Kevin Stevens[22]; 18. 76-Brett Graham[10]; 19. 18-Tony Farone[16]; 20. 61-Dale Gray[24]; 21. 117JR-CJ Castelletti[2]; 22. 76C-Chip Constantino[13]; 23. B24-Brendan Gibbons[15]; 24. 10A-Nathan McacFadden[27]; 25. 427-Carter Gibbons[25]; 26. 17G-Garrett Poland[20]; 27. 10C-Willy Decker[26]
