By Curtis Berleue
(Delevan, NY) | For the second race in a row, Zach Sobotka ended the night in victory lane with the Empire Super Sprints. His victory was worth $5,000 as part of the Julia Horton Memorial, one of the highest paying events on the 2026 ESS schedule.
After drawing the pole, Sobotka was able to jump out in front of the field and never looked back. Using clean air to his advantage, the Parish, NY driver was able to keep a gap on the field until reaching lap traffic. He would have to survive multiple restarts to hold onto his place at the front of the field.
Behind Sobotka, Matt Farnham and Jordan Poirier were both able to advance a handful of spots towards the front throughout the course of the 25-lap main. Ultimately neither driver had anything for Sobotka, even after a close call with a lap car near the end and Sobotka held on or his second win in a row
“That lap car definitely scared me there (at the end),” said Sobotka in victory lane. “I thought we had like five to go and then I saw the white come out – I just had to hit my marks because I figured Farnham was close.”
“We felt kind of off in the beginning of the night, but we tried a few things and the track kind of came to us.”
Matt Farnham came home second.
“Zach got held up in lap traffic there when the 31 or 25 broke there,” said Farnham. “I almost thought we had a shot there coming down the back straight but hats off to those guys, they were fast all night.”
Jordan Poirier rounded out the Ashely Lynn Winery podium in third.
“He (Farnham) was running the inside in three and four so I knew my only chance was going to be on top in three and four,” said Poirier. “I pulled my wing back and tried some things, we just couldn’t get through lap traffic soon enough. Fifth to third though, we’re pretty happy with that.”
18 cars signed into the pits Friday, splitting the field into three timed hot lap groups. Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards went to Matt Farnham, Trevor Years and Jared Zimbardi. Elab Smokers Boutique heats were won by Farnham, Jordan Poirier and Zimbardi. The Donath Motor Worx Dash presented by Kross Welding & Fabrication was won by Jonathan Preston.
The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is this coming Friday June 19th at the Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), X (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).
The Empire Super Sprints would like to thank the following series sponsors for their continued support: Rifenburg Contracting Corp, Hoosier Racing Tire, E&V Energy, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Elab Smokers Boutique, Pinnacle Investments, LLC, Wilwood Disc Brakes, FX Caprara, Ashley Lynn Winery, Slade Shock Technology, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Bicknell Racing Products, Swagger Factory, PJC Sprayfoam, Donath Motor Worx, Transport Benoit Lafleur, All Star Performance, Stirling Lubricants, Trenca & Co. Realty, Speedway Press, Primal Tee, and Glenn Styres Racing.
The ESS Road Ahead:
Friday, June 19 – Mohawk International Raceway – Akwesasne, NY ($2,000 to Win)
Saturday, June 20 – Brockville Ontario Speedway – Brockville, ONT ($2,000 to Win)
Sunday, June 21 – Cornwall Motor Speedway – Cornwall, ONT ($2,000 to Win)
Full Results:
A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 38-Zach Sobotka[1]; 2. 7NY-Matt Farnham[3]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[5]; 4. 79-Jordan Thomas[12]; 5. 87-Jason Barney[8]; 6. 41-Dalton Rombough[10]; 7. 3-Logan Crisafulli[18]; 8. 28F-Davie Franek[2]; 9. 25-Nolan Groves[4]; 10. 66-Jordan Hutton[13]; 11. 13T-Trevor Years[9]; 12. 25G-Tyler Graves[15]; 13. X-Dan Bennett[11]; 14. 31C-Maverick Coffey[17]; 15. 36-Jonathan Preston[7]; 16. 30-Kirsten Dombroski[14]; 17. 35-Jared Zimbardi[6]; 18. 29-Dalton Herrick[16]
Kross Welding & Fabrication Dash (4 Laps): 1. 36-Jonathan Preston[2]; 2. 87-Jason Barney[5]; 3. 13T-Trevor Years[4]; 4. 41-Dalton Rombough[6]; 5. X-Dan Bennett[1]; 6. 79-Jordan Thomas[3]
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 7NY-Matt Farnham[1]; 2. 38-Zach Sobotka[2]; 3. 41-Dalton Rombough[3]; 4. 28F-Davie Franek[5]; 5. 66-Jordan Hutton[4]; 6. 29-Dalton Herrick[6]
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 2. 13T-Trevor Years[1]; 3. 25-Nolan Groves[4]; 4. X-Dan Bennett[5]; 5. 30-Kirsten Dombroski[6]; 6. 31C-Maverick Coffey[3]
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 35-Jared Zimbardi[1]; 2. 36-Jonathan Preston[2]; 3. 79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 4. 87-Jason Barney[5]; 5. 25G-Tyler Graves[6]; 6. (DNS) 3-Logan Crisafulli
Rifenburg Contracting Qualifying 1: 1. 7NY-Matt Farnham, 12.824[2]; 2. 38-Zach Sobotka, 13.124[1]; 3. 41-Dalton Rombough, 13.163[3]; 4. 66-Jordan Hutton, 13.228[4]; 5. 28F-Davie Franek, 13.235[5]; 6. 29-Dalton Herrick, 13.642[6]
Rifenburg Contracting Qualifying 2: 1. 13T-Trevor Years, 13.048[2]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier, 13.155[6]; 3. 31C-Maverick Coffey, 13.770[4]; 4. 25-Nolan Groves, 13.865[3]; 5. X-Dan Bennett, 13.916[5]; 6. 30-Kirsten Dombroski, 14.809[1]
Rifenburg Contracting Qualifying 3: 1. 35-Jared Zimbardi, 13.042[1]; 2. 36-Jonathan Preston, 13.251[2]; 3. 79-Jordan Thomas, 13.317[4]; 4. 3-Logan Crisafulli, 13.379[6]; 5. 87-Jason Barney, 13.596[5]; 6. 25G-Tyler Graves[3]
Awards & Contingencies (full members only eligible for payout):
Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #7NY-Matt Farnham; #13T-Trevor Years; #35-Jared Zimbardi
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat Winners ($25 each): #7NY-Matt Farnham; #28-Jordan Poirier; #35-Jared Zimbardi
Donath Motor Worx / Travis Racing Engines Dash Winner ($125): #36-Jonathan Preston
Keizer Wheels 5th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #87-Jason Barney
King Motorsports 10th Place Finisher ($25 Certificate): #66-Jordan Hutton
Pinnacle Investments 11th Place Finisher (5 Gal Fuel): #13T-Trevor Years
Swagger Factory 12th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #25G-Tyler Graves
Wilwood Disc Brakes 13th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #X-Dan Bennett
All-Star Performance 15th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #36-Jonathan Preston
A-Verdi Storage Containers Hard Charger Award ($50): #3-Logan Crisafulli (+11)
PJC Sprayfoam Reverse Hard Charger ($100): #35-Jared Zimbardi (-11)
Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($30): #X-Dan Bennett
Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #38-Zach Sobotka; #7NY-Matt Farnham; #28-Jordan Poirier
Hoosier Tire Award (RR Hoosier tire): #79-Jordan Thomas
Slade Shock Tech ($50 Certificate): #66-Jordan Hutton