Friday September 12, 2025 Results
MALTA – Mike Mahaney has had a lot of memorable moments during the 2025 racing season, but his win Friday night in the John Grady Memorial Nostalgia Night feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway certainly ranks right near the top.
Mahaney drew the pole and led all 43 laps of the feature, which paid $4,300 to win, and he then dedicated the win to Joe Huttig, the late son of George Huttig, Mahaney’s car owner. Joe Huttig passed away on Nov, 7, 2023, at the age of 54.
“This is our 10th win of the season, and 10 was Joe’s number,” explained Mahaney after the win. “Tomorrow, we’ll be holding our second annual golf tournament in memory of Joe and to celebrate his life. This win is really special to me. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor Joe.”
Although Mahaney led all 43 laps, he had some anxious moments. The first came on lap 15, when he caught the tail end of the field. When he came up on two slower cars, driven by Don Mattison and Mike Engwer, he gave Engwer a bump, and then got away cleanly.
Peter Britten, who had started third, was helpless in the first half of the feature. It only took Britten one lap to get by outside pole-sitter Jack Speshock for second, but for the next 24 laps, he could only follow Mahaney around the track, usually three to four car lengths behind.
That changed on lap 25, when the only caution flag flew for Mattison, who spun out. Britten lined up outside of Mahaney, but he couldn’t take advantage of the restart, as David Schilling got a good launch behind Mahaney, got inside of Britten and came out with the No. 2 spot.
Mahaney pulled away, leaving Schilling and Britten to battle for second. Britten finally got the No. 2 spot back on lap 35, but by that time, it was too late.
Mahaney had one other anxious moment, when he caught the cushion in turn three.
“One time in three, I caught the right rear,” he said. “I could have gone over, but the car came back down. Out of 43 laps, I hit on 42 of them.
“Britten can rip the top as well as anyone here, and on the restart, I just wanted to protect the top and get my speed back up,” he added.
“When Schilling got by me on the restart, I knew I lost any shot I had at winning,” said Britten, who earned $2,300 for second, with all the additional purse money Friday being provided by Chris Grady’s Racing Photos. “It took too long for me to get back by him.”
Matt DeLorenzo, who started 11th, made a late charge to finish third, with Schilling fourth and Marc Johnson, who started 13th, fifth.
Craig Wholey also had an emotional win. Early in August, Wholey was involved in a vicious wreck in the third turn, and Friday was his first race since that accident. He also drew the pole for the 25-lap sportsman feature, and led all 25 laps to get his first win of the season, which was worth $1,000.
“Five weeks ago, I barrel-rolled and broke my back,” he said after the win. “This is my first time back, and to get a win is pretty insane.”
Connor Crane was the only real threat to Wholey, but even with a restart on lap 19, Crane couldn’t wrestle the lead away from Wholey. Nick Brundige completed the podium.
Rich Crane won the 25-lap pro stock feature, which also paid $1,000 to win. Shane Henderson led the first 18 laps, but Crane worked his way around Henderson for the lead on lap 19. Just a corner away from Crane taking the checkered flag, Henderson spun out, bringing out the only caution of the feature.
That created a green-white-checkers finish, and Crane held off Jason Casey to come away with his third win of the year. Kyle Hoard nosed out Kim Duell for the No. 3 spot.
The limited sportsman ran for $600 to win, again courtesy of Chris Grady Racing Photos, and 2025 track champion Bodie Marks had to overcome three straight yellows with two laps to go to notch the win.
Marks, who started fifth, took the lead on lap nine, but he suddenly had his hands full with Joe Venditti, who was making his first appearance of the season at Malta.
Venditti had started 12th, but got under James Galarneau for second on lap 13 and then began to put heavy pressure on Marks when they got into traffic.
A yellow flag with one to go bunched the field, and two subsequent restarts kept Venditti right next to Marks. But the teenager hit his marks on the restarts and came away with his third win of 2025. Craig Coons, Adam Tranka and Galarneau completed the top five.
Josh Bussino drove to his first win of the season in the 20-lap street stock feature. Tyler Irwin thought he had achieved a milestone in his career, recording his first career win at Malta, but he failed to pass post-race tech and was disqualified.
That moved Bussino into first, with Derek Van Veghten second and Matt Mosher third.
Champions prevailed in the four-cylinder feature. Adam Montville, the track’s dual-cam champion, picked up his eighth win of the campaign while Ben Ladd was second overall in Friday night’s feature and won the single-cam division for the fourth time this year.
The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds were also on hand to enhance Nostalgia Night. Tony Paes held off Joe Judge by a car length to win the 20-lap Retro Classic/True Vintage feature, while Jackie Brown Jr. drove to an easy win over John Flach and Larry Ricci in the 20-lap ‘80’s Flashback division.
JONH GRADY MEMORIAL NOSTALGIA NIGHT/NEXT GENERATION ROOFING MODIFIEDS: MIKE MAHANEY, Peter Britten, Matt DeLorenzo, David Schilling, Marc Johnson, Jessey Mueller, Neil Stratton, Justin Stone, Jeremy Pitts, Don Ronca, CG Morey, A.J. Munger, Chris Curtis, Brendan Darrah, Cody Higbie, Don Mattison, Mike Engwer, Jack Speshock, Todd Ryan, Derek Bornt, Brandon Daley, Cass Bennett, Nick Perez, Brett Graham.
DOUG WHOLEY’S IDEAL EXCAVATING SPORTSMAN: CRAIG WHOLEY, Connor Crane, Nick Brundige, Tanner Coon, Jeff Washburn, Chris Crane Jr., Joey Scarborough, Tim Hartman Jr., Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Elliott Lussier, Jon Miller, Dave Baranowski, Mike Benson, Dylan Grogan, Chad Gregory, Scott Bennett Jr., Connor Prokop, Cody Ochs, Dan Grignon, Phil Arnold, Nick Lussier, Paul Deruyter, Kyle Smith, Brent Bouplon. Keith Johannessen, Colin Clow.
SARATOGA MASONRY SUPPLY PRO STOCKS: RICH CRANE, Jason Casey, Kyle Hoard, Kim Duell, Brandon Emigh, Ryan Jaxson, Jordan Modiano, Shane Henderson, Phil Difiglio, Chris Wemple, Jay Casey.
HAUN WELDING LIMITED SPORTSMAN: BODIE MARKS, Joe Venditti, Craig Coons, Adam Tranka, James Galarneau, Dan Odell, Devon Palmer, Jordan Hill, Chayton Young, Yule Cook, Nick Arnold, Steve Burch, Colten Emigh, Sloan Cherko, William Lussier Jr., Mike Baker, Will Palmer, Zach Delaney, Cam Van Zandt, Dennis Wischman, Steve Lehner, Matt Humes, Dave Zelker, Noah Carlo, Derrik Emigh, Sarah Arnold, Dan Sequin, Russ Farr.
CORNELL’S AUTO PARTS STREET STOCKS: JOSH BUSSINO, Derek Van Veghten, Matt Mosher, Josh Hemming, Dan Madigan, Shane Wetherington, Mark Burch, John Filarecki, Mike Duggan, Jake Middleton, Tyler Irwin (DQ).
GREG’S TOWING FOUR-CYLINDERS: ADAM MONTVILLE, Ben Ladd (first single-cam finisher), Josh Ramsey, Justin Ramsey, David Frame, Anthony Johnson, Chris Danylieko, Lucas Condon, Josh Ramsey Jr., Lindell Condon, Christopher Hardenbergh, Chris Duffney Jr., Ashlynn Ramsey.
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