RPW Exclusive: Saturday’s Win At Lebanon Valley Was Very Special To Andy Bachetti; Hartman Picks Right Back Up; Sorrentino’s Statement

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – WEST LEBANON, NY – The box score from Saturday night’s season opener at Lebanon Valley Speedway shows that Andy Bachetti was victorious.

However, this one meant way more. This was the first race he’s been a part of since the passing of his father, Scott, this off-season.

“We won this one for my father,” Bachetti said. “He was there, for sure.”

Bachetti’s run to the emotional victory was a little bit different than it has been in other seasons. This year, he had to drive around Keith Flach to do it.

Flach took the lead from the drop of the green flag and was in command until Bachetti slipped by on lap 13 as the two encountered lap traffic.

“I just had to keep the pressure on Keith,” he said. “He was really fast tonight and I had to work it.”

Through the rest of the way, Bachetti and the rest of the leaders had to encounter lap traffic, which definitely made things interesting.

“The lap cars always seem to make it a little more challenging,” he said. “Once we got out front, I could maneuver the way I felt I needed to and pick those guys off.”

For Sportsman winner, Tim Hartman Jr., utilizing a front row starting spot to grab the lead early and then go on to win seemed like the perfect way to start his title defense from a year ago.

“There’s no better way to start a season,” Hartman said. “Everything worked out great for us tonight. Everything that could have gone our way this weekend went our way. Who knows how long we can carry that type of luck with us?”

Hartman Jr. also found victory lane at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Friday evening. Did the front row spot help the second-generation driver on Saturday or does he believe he could have come from deep if need be?

“Starting spot is always key,” he said. “However, I feel like I could have come from anywhere tonight. It showed in the heat race when we were able to go from the back to the front. The car is just so maneuverable and has such great speed.”

This is actually the same car that Hartman has run at Lebanon Valley for the last two seasons. The DKM Cyclone chassis seems to fit his driving style quite well.

“I love this car,” he said. “It’s the perfect piece for what we’re doing down here. It responds to every change we make and I think this was won number 13 for it, all since the beginning of 2022.”

After starting in the fourth spot, Zach Sorrentino found his way to victory lane on Saturday, but very nearly saw his season opener end on the first lap.

Inside front row starter Frank Twing overcooked it going into the first corner and slammed into the 413 of Tommy Dean, who had gotten out ahead.

What resulted was the two of them spinning while Sorrentino and third place starter Paul Larochelle snuck around to take the top two spots.

“When they both were sideways, I was hoping they’d stay together and not go bouncing off each other,” Sorrentino said. “If they did, we would have been directly in the middle of that.”

Early in the night, Mother Nature decided to throw a monkey wrench into each team’s preparation, causing a sizable rain delay.

The first event on track after the rain was the Pro Stock main event and that had Sorrentino and his team wondering if they made the right adjustments.

“I was unsure of the grip the track would have after the rain delay,” he said. “I was hesitant to drive into the corner the first time as deep as I normally would. That gave me enough of a gap to move up the track and out of the way of the spinning cars.”

After another caution to start the event, Sorrentino was able to get around Larochelle and was able to hold off a Nick Hilt, Chad Jeseo, Dave Stickles and the rest of the field to get his season off to the best start possible, a victory on opening night.

“This was the perfect way to start things off,” he said. “We’ve been through so much at Lebanon through our career. From the Street Stock class up to Pro Stock now, we’ve never held the title of point leader. We know we’ve got the biggest target on our back now.”

It’s that target that Sorrentino and Team 54S is ready to wear. They know they have to keep their game up if they want to compete for the title in 2024.

“We set the bar at a very high standard with lap times and consistency over the averages,” he said. “Everyone in the class has a goal so we have to perform the same way week after week or we won’t be keeping the point lead for too long.”