Andy Bachetti Picks up the Modified Feature Win Saturday Night on ‘The Highbanks’
Story and Photos By: MATT NOLES / RACERSGUIDE.COM
WEST LEBANON, NY- July 3, 2016- Persistence always pays off.
With a season full of ups and downs over the past few weeks, modified competitor Andy Bachetti returned to the top of the podium with a dominating and popular victory Saturday night at the ‘Valley of Speed’ in the 30-lap DIRTcar modified feature.
After a convincing win in his qualifying heat race earlier in the evening which put all competitors on notice, Bachetti jumped from his second row starting position at the drop of Rodney Rescott’s green flag and by the time the field exited turn four to complete the second lap, the driver of the familiar Garrity No. 34 found himself in the lead. It was a position he wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the event.
At the midway point of the season, Bachetti and his team seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. “The car is really coming into its own and so is the team right now,” stated Bachetti after his victory Saturday night. “It’s a good time to start thriving because the big shows are starting to come up. We just have to keep up on our maintenance program and keep driving forward.”
Though there have been ups and downs thus far into the 2016 season, Bachetti is pleased with where he finds himself heading into the second half of the year. “I think tonight was win number eight overall on the year,” continued Bachetti. “That’s a phenomenal year for being at the halfway point. We’re pretty pumped up.”
Bachetti cruised to victory in his heat race earlier in the evening but it’s safe to say that there were still some issues to be worked out prior to the feature event. “We had some trouble during hot laps before the feature,” stated Bachetti. “I don’t know if we lost a plug or if we lost a couple things so we changed all the plugs and changed the carburetor and we lucked out.”
Looking back on the events that transpired after hot laps, Bachetti was able to laugh about it but at the time, there were some feelings of stress and anxiety. “There was definitely some panic going on especially with how good of a car we had tonight,” Bachetti said. “You know, we’re here to win and I’m here to get the job done. We were definitely worried for a little bit there.”
From the outside looking in, it’s easy to judge how big of a lead a driver has. From the inside of the cockpit looking out, it’s a completely different story. “You never know how far out in front you are,” stated Bachetti. “Brett [Hearn] is always fast and so are Kenny [Tremont] and Keith [Flach] and to be honest, there are a lot of guys that can win here on any given night so we set our own pace and set sail and see what happens.”
For all the ups and downs, the highs and lows and all the rollercoaster emotions that a driver can go through in a season, Andy Bachetti has been through them all. With last night’s dominating performance, the former track champion is beginning to feel like himself again.
“Do I feel like myself again? Absolutely.” Concluded Bachetti. “We’re really starting to get rolling here and that’s what it’s all about.”
Matt Noles is a contributing writer to Racers Guide, Speedway Illustrated and Dirt Track Digest. He currently resides in Sprakers, New York and can be reached via e-mail at matt_noles@yahoo.com
