Story By: TOM BOGGIE / ALBANY-SARATOGA SPEEDWAY – MALTA, NY – Matt Tanner used a front-row starting position to take control, and then held off a late challenge from Chad Miller to win the 25-lap Empire Super Sprints feature Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and take home the top prize of $2,000, sponsored by A-Verdi Containers.
Tanner was in control for most of the feature, but then had his hands full with Miller after the only caution of the race came on out lap 19, when Jason Barney and Dylan Swiernik got together in the fourth turn.
Swiernik, who won the Cobra Coaches Dash for Cash earlier in the night, went off on a hook, while Barney, who recorded his first career win at Malta in June 2022, had both left side tires flattened.
Miller tried to squeeze inside Tanner in the fourth turn on the restart, but he couldn’t complete the pass, and Tanner hung on for the win.
“Lapped traffic was tough tonight,” Tanner said. “The lappers didn’t want to get off the bottom. I’ve been struggling on the ESS. I’ve got a couple of wins at the Bowl (Devil’s Bowl in Vermont), but this is my biggest win so far.”
EMPIRE SUPER SPRINTS, PRESENTED BY A-VERDI CONTAINERS: MATT TANNER, Chad Miller, Shawn Donath, Chuck Hebing, Paulie Colagiovanni, Danny Varin, Davie Franek, Jordan Poirier, Kelly Hebing, Jeff Cook, Mike Kiser, Josh Pieniazek, Chase Moran, Trever Years, Lacey Hanson, Brett Wright, Keith Granholm, Jason Barney, Dylan Swiernik.