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Leicester: John Montecalvo final report

LEICESTER, NY - New York native John Montecalvo was really hoping to impress his home-state fans with a win at the CARQUEST Empire Nationals this weekend, and he came oh-so-close. But to his disappointment, for the third time this season, ...

Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM

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LEICESTER, NY - New York native John Montecalvo was really hoping to impress his home-state fans with a win at the CARQUEST Empire Nationals this weekend, and he came oh-so-close. But to his disappointment, for the third time this season, Montecalvo's Monte Carlo finished in the runner-up spot. One of his previous defeats came at the hands of points leader Ron Miller, and his nemesis was up to his old tricks as he once again trumped the driver from that hails from Center Moriches.

The loss didn't hurt Montecalvo as far as his number three points standing goes, however, and his chances of taking a legitimate shot at the championship this year remain strong. At the very least, John wants to improve on 1999's third place finish. To that end, he has been determined and consistent so far this season, but he obviously would like to get past the final round a time or two. His preliminary efforts have been solid, with a five-race average of third on the qualifying sheet. In eliminations, he's been a little less successful, being knocked out twice in the second round (once by Miller) and going to the finals three times.

Montecalvo continued his good qualifying performances at Leicester as he placed his Citgo-sponsored Chevy in the number two position with a best pass of 6.686/207.75. In the elimination rounds, between rain showers, he outlasted Ed Machacek, Gene Wilson and Carl Baker before lining up beside the black and red entry of Ron Miller. Montecalvo ran quicker to the far end, 6.692/207.42 to 6.723/206.23, but he left too much behind at the tree, and Miller's quicker reaction was the deciding factor in his 0.027 margin of victory.

IHRA Pro Stock racing is highly competitive, and John Montecalvo is undoubtedly one of the top guns in the category. Look for him to be in the thick of things long before the dust settles in the quest for this season's gold.

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