By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – After a win on Friday evening Ronnie Johnson was looking for more. And he got it. With some incentive from long time sponsors Gary Mickles from Mickles Automotive and Chris Persons from Persons Farms he was able to get his 32^nd career win at Fonda, tying him with Steve Danish for 14^th on the Fonda Speedway All-Time Win List.

The race finished just in time for Johnson who got a flat right rear tire as victory lane ceremonies were being held.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever done this,” Johnson told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane in reference to winning on back-to-back nights. “It has been a goal of mine for 20 years and it feels good.”

The win came in a throwback paint schemed car back to his father Jack Johnson’s car in 1988 with Ronnie’s last win at Fonda coming on 7/31/2021 the year that he was Co-Track Champion with Rocky Warner.

“One of our goals was to do this throw back to my father’s 1988 paint scheme and to win a race with it here at Fonda,” Johnson said. “It topped off a great weekend and hopefully a great year.”

Other winners on A-Verdi Storage Containers Night at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway were Zach Dufel (Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman), Ivan Joslin (Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks), Lance Hill (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Ken (SOHC) and Kerrie (DOHC) Hollenback (Fonda Fair Four Cylinders), and Tomy Moreau (CRSA Sprints).

Eleven-year-old Robbie Greco sang the National Anthem just after Pastor Greg Nitz’ prayer during opening ceremonies for the evening. Pam from Rose, NY was the winner of the $2,597 50/50 for the evening after another great effort by the 50/50 ticket sellers Julie, Rose, and Heather. Great job ladies!

Pep Corradi started on the pole position in the 30-lap Amsterdam Truck Center Modified feature and took the early lead at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag with third place starter Ronnie Johnson in second at the completion of lap one. Corradi was using the outside groove to his liking while Johnson ran down low, a groove that he stuck with for the entire feature event.

On the inside of turns three and four on lap five, Johnson took the lead away from Corradi with sixth place starter Alex Yankowsi also getting by Corradi for the second position two laps later. Yankowsi was running the extreme outside of the speedway and swung around Johnson for the lead in turn four on lap eight. The top two of Yankowski and Johnson were able to pull away to a straightaway advantage over the third place running Corradi until the caution flew on lap 10 closing up the field.

Yankowski chose the outside for the restart and maintained his lead while behind Johnson the action was starting to heat up. At the halfway point in the event the top five consisted of Yankowski, Johnson, eighth place starter Jack Lehner, ninth place starter Matt DeLorenzo, and tenth place starter Demetrious Drellos.

DeLorenzo and Drellos both got by Lehner for the third and fourth positions with just over ten laps to go with lap traffic coming into play on lap 23, one lap before Johnson started reeling Yankowski in as the top groove that Yankowsi was using started to go away. On lap 25 Johnson got by Yankowski for the lead on the inside of turn two and from that point on the only time that he got out of the bottom groove was to get by the lap cars ahead of him.

“I don’t think I could have beat him if the top didn’t go away on him,” Johnson told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “But I knew that sometimes the track tightens up on the bottom here so that was my thing, I was stuck down there, tried to keep working the bottom, and it kept getting better and better so that worked for us tonight.”

DeLorenzo got by Yankowski for the second position with two laps remaining, going three wide down the middle to get by both the lap car of Daniel Morgiewicz and Yankowski for the spot. Johnson went on to the win followed in the top five by DeLorenzo, Yankowski, Drellos, and Lehner.

“It was a cat and mouse game with the lap cars, you know guys are coming behind you and tonight it worked for us,” Johnson said. “I’ve had it the other way to where it didn’t work out but tonight we timed the lap cars right and it worked. I just want to thank all my sponsors, crew, and dedicated fans, thank everybody for everything.”

The 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman began with outside pole sitter Mathew Perry out to the early lead with Zach Dufel second after starting on the pole. Brendan Gibbons started the event in the fifth position, moving up to the third position on lap six after getting by Brett Mortensen for the spot.

Perry was running a great race until lap 18 when he suffered a left front flat tire after contact was made with the inside wall in turn two. That resulted in Perry falling back through the field while Dufel took over the lead with Gibbons now in second. Dufel led the remaining laps in the #91H KRD Grooming sponsored DKM Car for his first career win in the division followed by Gibbons, 12^th place starter Peyton Talbot, Brett Mortensen, and eighth place starter Chip Constantino.

“This is the first complete night of the season for us after blowing transmissions and wrecking on the backstretch,” Dufel said in F.X. Caprara Car Companies Victory Lane. “It has been a heck of a start, but this makes up for it, this is incredible. The #91H was Michael Jackson’s dad’s last car number when he raced so we wanted to keep the family number alive.”

“The #74 (Perry) was a lot better than me in turns one and two but I could drive it in as hard as I wanted in turns three and four and it would stick so I was able to catch up to him,” Dufel continued to say. “I kept seeing him get closer and closer to the wall thinking that he may hit it, so I had to be ready to pounce on it when he did.”

Three wide competition was the theme at the start of the 20-lap Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stock feature as cars were three wide for the first three laps for positions at the front of the field. When lap one was completed, Randy Cosselman was the race leader after starting on the outside pole but that only lasted one lap as fourth place starter Caden Dumblewski was the new race leader on lap two.

Sixth place starter Ivan Joslin was next to go three wide for the lead which he was able to take over on lap three in turn two. The red flag was out on lap four for Shane Playford who climbed the wall in turn one and barrel rolled the car several times. Playford was not injured in the wreck, but the car suffered heavy damage.

Joslin chose the outside for the restart and ran side by side with Dumblewski for two laps before finally clearing him for the number one spot. Joslin, Dumblewski, Josh Coonradt, Luke Horning, and Kenny Gates were in the top five at the halfway point with Gates getting by Horning for the fourth position with two laps to go.

Joslin went on to his second win of the season and the 14^th of his career in the division flowed by Dumblewski, Coonradt, Gates, and Horning.

“When we came out for our pace lap I saw the brown on the top, so I knew that I had to get there ahead of those guys,” Joslin said. “He (Dumblewski) bobbled in turn two and opened the door up for me, I took the lead and ran my own race, I just paced myself and told myself not to screw up. My uncle Dennis Joslin owns this car said that we still had something to prove with this leaf spring car and we are out here showing that we can still make it happen.”

Lucas Duncan led lap one of the 15-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature from his outside front row starting position until Lance Hill got around him on the outside of turn four on lap two to take the lead. Hill held the lead through for the remainder of the event in the SHR Speed Shop/Scott Hamlin racing #22 Dave Lape tribute car for his first win of the 2023 season and the second of his career followed by 14^th place starter Tyler Bobar, Mike Hill, Kyle Dingman, and Tim Deffer.

“I want to thank my crew,” Hill said in victory lane. “They worked really hard on this car, put this body on it for the Dave Lape Memorial event last week and I wish we could have done better that night but tonight I got Dave his 100^th win.”

Canadian driver Tomy Moreau took the lead at the drop of the green flag in the 20-lap CRSA Sprint feature after starting on the pole with Peter Dance in tow. Moreau maintained the lead through two restarts for cautions on laps six and ten, and lap traffic over the final three laps for his first career win at Fonda and the first of his career with the CRSA Sprints.

Twelfth place starter Jordan Hutton made his way up to the second position on lap 13 and closed in on the leader in lap traffic but fell short at the checkered flag with Dance, Dalton Herrick, and Timmy Lotz completing the top five.

“To get a win here at Fonda is great,” Moreau told CRSA announcer Brady Houser in victory lane. “The track has so much history.”

Ken (SOHC) and Kerrie (DOHC) were the winners of their respective classes in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder feature. Jon Mason, Wayne Russel Jr., and Justin Ramsey completed the top five finishers overall in the 12-lap event.

Next Saturday June 10 will be New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) Night at Fonda with all divisions in action along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS). NYSSCA will be giving away safety awards to the top finisher in each of the feature events who is a member of the NYSSCA organization and the second-place finishing NYSSCA member in each of the feature events as well.

The Safety Awards will include a $75 award and a NYSSCA hat to the top finishing NYSSCA member in each of the feature events along with a $25 award and a NYSSCA hat to the second NYSSCA member across the finish line.

Some other special awards will be handed out by the organization as well for accomplishments during the 2022 racing season.

If you are a race fan that gets to the track early, be sure to check out the Fonda Speedway Museum & Hall of Fame which is located on the Fonda Fairgrounds at the rear of the parking area going down towards turn four. The museum is open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on race days and admission is free!

All races at Fonda Speedway – will be broadcast live on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv) as part of the $150 annual subscription.

Since 1953, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. Under the management of BD Motorsports Media LLC, the speedway will operate weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter and Instagram: @thefondaspdwy.

DATE – 6/3/2023 A-VERDI STORAGE CONTAINERS NIGHT

AMSTERDAM TRUCK CENTER MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – RONNIE JOHNSON, Matt DeLorenzo, Alex Yankowski, Demetrious Drellos, Jack Lehner, Cody Clark, Rocky Warner, Chris Curtis, Jessica Friesen, Pep Corradi, JaMike Sowle, Bobby Hackel IV, Dave Constantino, Ryan Odasz, Bobby Varin, Brian Pessolano, Tucker O’Connor, David Schilling, Ryan Walther, Dave Camara, Brian Calabrese, Daniel Morgiewicz, Josh Hohenforst, Dale Gray, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Shawn McPhee, Brian Gleason (DNS)

1^st win of 2023 and the 32^nd career win at Fonda for Johnson

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Corradi, 5-7 Johnson, 8-24 Yankowski, 25-30 Johnson

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Corradi, Curtis, Sowle

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-LAPS – ZACH DUFEL, Brendan Gibbons, Peyton Talbot, Brett Mortensen, Chip Constantino, Tanner Warner, Jeremy Tyrrell, Clayton DuMond, Blaine Klinger, Chad Edwards, Stephen Gray, Michael McCallion, Butchie Irwin, Mark Mortensen, Jason Reome, Dylan Eldred, Harry Shaffer, Matthew Perry, Bubba McPhee, Kaydon Hohensheldt, Clyde Peek, Dan Santabarbara (DNS), Josh Kane (DNS), Jason Greco (DNS), Troy Zilles (DNS)

1^st career win in the division at Fonda for Dufel

LAP LEADERS – 1-17 Perry, 18-25 Dufel

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Warner, Talbot, Brett Mortensen

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Talbot 9 positions 12^th to 3^rd

BELOW ZERO ICE CREAM PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – IVAN JOSLIN, Caden Dumblewski, Josh Coonradt, Kenny Gates, Luke Horning, Andy Graves, Beau Ballard, Jason Morrison, Randy Cosselman, Gary Silkey, Slater Baker, Jim Normoyle, Michael Achzet, Hunter Keith, Don Collins, Ken Griffen, Shane Playford

2^nd win of 2023 and the 14^th career win at Fonda for Joslin

LAP LEADERS – 1 Cosselman, 2 Dumblewski, 3-20 Joslin

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Coonradt, Joslin

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15-LAPS – LANCE HILL, Tyler Bobar, Mike Hill, Kyle Dingman, Tim Deffer, Jonathan Feagles, Bobby Rhinehart, John Anderson, Chris Kugler, Brandon Tyler, Timmy Wilmot, Dylan Huston, Cian DiMezza, Jeff Bobilin, Lucas Duncan, Maddy Broedel, Gus Kamberelis, Connor Prokop, Steve Wagoner, Michael Kalkbrenner, AJ Greco, Kirsten Swartz, Brandon Hazzard

1^st win of 2023 and the 2^nd career win at Fonda for Hill

LAP LEADERS – 1 Duncan, 2-15 Hill

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Kugler, Dingman, Hill

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – 12-LAPS – KEN HOLLENBACK (SOHC), KERRIE HOLLENBACK (DOHC), Jon Mason, Wayne Russell Jr., Justin Ramsey, Keith Tesiero Jr., Josh Ramsey, David Peek-Britten, Tim Warner, Len St. Andrews, TJ Marlitt, John Ray

4^th win of 2023 and the 89^th career win at Fonda for Ken Hollenback

4^th win of 2023 and the 38^th career win at Fonda for Kerrie Hollenback

LAP LEADERS – 1 Russell Jr., 2-12 Ken Hollenback

CRSA SPRINT CAR FEATURE – 20-LAPS – TOMY MOREAU, Jordan Hutton, Peter Dance, Dalton Herrick, Timmy Lotz, Mike Kiser, Alex Adamsky, Chad Miller, Mark Taylor, Ronnie Greek, John Cunningham, James Layton, Aaron Shelton, Steve Glover, Dan Craun, Dustin Sehn, Tyler Chartrand, Jeff Trombley, Kyle Pierce, Blake Warner, Kristen Dombrowski, Thomas Radivoy, Fred Proctor (DNS)

1^st career win for Moreau at Fonda and also in CRSA competition

LAP LEADERS – 1-20 Moreau

CRSA HEAT RACE WINNERS – Hutton, Kiser, Dance

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – On Saturday, June 3 the CRSA Sprint Cars will make their first visit of the 2023 racing season at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway. A-Verdi Storage Containers, who is the title sponsor of the CRSA Sprint Car organization, will sponsor the evenings racing program at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track.

Also, in competition at Fonda on Saturday will be all regular divisions including the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday evening followed by Hot Laps at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.

The CRSA Sprint cars have run two racing programs so far in 2023 with the event winners including Jordan Hutton at Land of Legends (Canandaigua, NY), and Billy Vaninwegen Jr. at the Weedsport, NY Speedway. Hutton is the current point leader coming into the event at Fonda with Bobby Parrow, Dalton Herrick, Darryl Ruggles, and Tomy Moreau completing the top five.

There have been a total of 27 CRSA Sprint events at Fonda between 2009 and 2022 with 13 different drivers winning those events. Leading the way with five victories at Fonda is Mike Kiser followed by local favorite Danny Varin with four wins; Josh Pieniazek and Cory Sparks both with three wins; Kyle Smith, Jeff Trombley, and Jordan Hotton all with two wins apiece while Dylan Swiernik, John Matrafailo, Tyler Rice, Jordan Thomas, Brett Jaycox, and Josh Flint all have one victory apiece.

The first ever CRSA Sprint event was held at Fonda back on 5/2/2009 with Dylan Swiernik the winner of that event while the last CRSA Sprint event was held back on 9/16/22 which was won by Mike Kiser.

With a combination of local products & people, A-Verdi Storage Containers can provide you with temporary storage or office space tailored special for you. Whether short term or long term, they will make sure you have the right layout to get the job done. All of their team members work extremely hard to ensure your storage or office container rental will be an extraordinary experience from beginning to end. Their full-service leasing options will include installation & removal from your site while giving you a professional storage or office space for any environment according to their website www.averdi.com

A-Verdi is not only the title sponsor of the CRSA Sprint organization they are also a marketing partner of the Fonda Speedway.

If you are a race fan that gets to the track early, be sure to check out the Fonda Speedway Museum & Hall of Fame which is located on the Fonda Fairgrounds at the rear of the parking area going down towards turn four. The museum is open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on race days and admission is free!

All races at Fonda Speedway – will be broadcast live on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv) as part of the $150 annual subscription.

Since 1953, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. Under the management of BD Motorsports Media LLC, the speedway will operate weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter and Instagram: @thefondaspdwy.

For more information about the CRSA Sprint organization you can go to their website www.crsasprints.com

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Meant to be.

Stewart Friesen traveled to the Fonda Speedway on Saturday evening to take part in a special event honoring someone who was a dear friend of his after competing in the Craftsman Truck Series event in Charlotte on Friday evening.

Taking the lead on lap “22” of the inaugural Dave Lape Memorial event, he went on to his second win of the 2023 season and the 87^th of his career at the “Track of Champions” in the Amsterdam Truck Center Modified/F.X. Caprara Car Companies Thunder on the Thruway Series event with a $4,022 prize awaiting him in victory lane.

Fittingly Dave Lape’s favorite song “Against the Wind” played as Friesen drove from the scale area to F.X. Caprara Car Companies Victory Lane.

“Dave was my hero as a little kid,” Friesen said to Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “I grew up out west at the Ransomville Speedway and when he came to town with his family, who were close to my family, he let me sit in his racecar, ride my minibike in his trailer, and hang out with the guys for the races. When I raced for Tadd Parks we got to park next to Dave in the pits and those are probably some of the best memories I have of him and racing here at Fonda. Super special to get this win on his night.”

Other winners on M.W. Roosevelt & Son/Roosevelt’s Towing night at Fonda were Peyton Talbot (Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman), Beau Ballard (Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks), Jonathan Feagles (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Ken (SOHC) and Kerrie (DOHC) in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders.

The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) were also in competition Saturday at Fonda with the winners including Don Briggs (Antiques), John Roese (Late Model), John Marks (Mystiques), Randy Delaney (Modified), and Malachi Matthews (Sportsman).

Pastor Greg Nitz said the prayer during opening ceremonies followed by the National Anthem sung by 11-year-old Olivia Delaney, granddaughter of Randy Delaney who won the MVVDMS Modified feature later that evening. Gavin from Central Bridge was the 50/50 winner which was worth $2,945!

Four #22 cars were in competition on Saturday evening at Fonda, Joe Rando in the black #22 replica of the “Troyer Destroyer” in the Vintage division, Anthony Cardamone in the blue #22 which was the last Champ Car that Lape ever built that was actually raced with many wins and championships in 1990 and 1991 also in the Vintage division, John Orsini in the #22 Cadillac bodied replica car in the Vintage division, and Mike Hill in the red #22 that competed in the Limited Sportsman division. All four cars paced the field before the 30-lap Dave Lape Memorial feature event.

“Thank you to everyone for being here tonight,” Jackie Lape said to the crowd. “It is a great place to be on a Saturday night. David was dedicated to the Fonda Speedway, he loved it. His father started him out here in 1965 and he was at Fonda for 50 years. It was our family; it was what we did. Jessica was here at six days old, and David won the feature the following Saturday night.”

“We have so many wonderful memories from this place, a few memories that weren’t great,” Jackie continued to say. “When you’re a racer, you just race and if you did good great and if you don’t you keep on pushing on to the next day. That is what David taught us the most, that was some of his final words and I think this would work for everyone, you just keep going, do what you do, be good to others, and you just keep going and be happy.”

A redraw for starting positions placed Bobby Hackel IV and defending track champion Matt DeLorenzo on the front row with DeLorenzo the race leader at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag. Unfortunately, the field didn’t complete a lap due to the red flag coming out for a four-car wreck in turn one which blocked the track. Two more restarts were necessary before any laps were completed with DeLorenzo taking the early lead.

Stewart Friesen started the event in the sixth position and moved methodically to the front, taking the third position away by lap two and one lap later got by Bobby Hackel IV for the second spot. The yellow was out again on lap six for a two-car wreck in turn four with DeLorenzo choosing the inside for the restart. DeLorenzo maintained the lead with Friesen chasing behind while Jack Lehner and Demetrious Drellos both got by Hackel for the third and fourth positions.

At the halfway point in the event, DeLorenzo was in lap traffic and was followed in the top five by Friesen, Lehner, Drellos and Hackel. On the outside of the backstretch on lap “22”, Friesen took the lead away from DeLorenzo with the yellow out shortly afterwards for Shawn McPhee who went up in a cloud of steam with possible overheating issues.

“I could get to Matt (DeLorenzo) but then I would screw up or get in dirty air and he would check out,” Friesen said. “I knew that lap traffic was gonna be our shot and I was able to get to him in lap traffic. He chose the bottom in turns one and two and I was able to roll the top and clear him. I knew that the Halmar 44 would be good in clean air, and I set sail.”

Friesen chose the inside for the restart and stretched out his advantage lap after lap to the checkered flag for his second win of the 2023 season and the 87^th of his career in the division followed in the top five by DeLorenzo, Drellos, Lehner, and 12^th place starter Rocky Warner.

“Matty was definitely tough, it was good racing with him and everyone else that was here tonight for the Dave Lape Memorial/Thunder on the Thruway Series event, Friesen said. “This one is for Jon Gurley. He was our fabricator on the Halmar Truck Team, we shared a lot of beers together and had a lot of fun. I want to dedicate this win to him and his family.”

Chad Edwards took the lead in the 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman feature after a redraw placed him on the front row for the start. Just as the Modified feature took three tries to get started the same happened in the Sportsman division with Edwards in control when lap one was completed. Defending Track Champion Peyton Talbot started the event in the fourth position and before you knew it he was the new second place car at the completion of lap two.

Talbot took the lead away from Edwards on lap three with a pass on the backstretch and was in lap traffic by lap nine with the yellow coming out at that point for Brendan Gibbons who suffered a flat right rear tire while running sixth. He returned to the rear of the field on the restart. Talbot chose the outside for the restart with the top five at that point consisting of Talbot, Edwards, Joe Toth, Blaine Klinger, and 14^th place starter Tanner Warner.

The restart was beneficial to the sixth place running car of Mark Mortensen who gained two spots up to the fourth position and then by the halfway point Mortensen ran third after a great race with Klinger for the spot. Talbot was again in lap traffic with four laps to go but he had enough of a lead that nobody would challenge him as he went on to his third win of 2023 and the seventh of his career in the division over Edwards, Mortensen, Klinger, and Toth.

“The car was pretty good,” Talbot told Mimi Lazzaro. “I thought that it was gonna be a little sketchy tonight, but we made some adjustments, and they worked out pretty good. The top in one and two was good and you could really hustle on entry. It was definitely a drivers track tonight.”

All Time Win leader in the Below Zero Ice Cream division Kenny Gates led at the drop of the green flag in the 20-lap main event with Shane Playford second. Sixth and eighth place starters, Beau Ballard and Nick Stone moved into the third and fourth positions respectively on lap four with Ballard making his way by Playford for the second position on lap nine after a side-by-side battle.

Gates led at the halfway point followed by Ballard, Playford, Stone, and Luke Horning with the yellow flag out for Ivan Joslin on lap ten. On the restart, Ballard was the new race leader after getting under Gates for the lead with Gates getting shuffled back to eighth in the process. Stone was the new second place car on lap 13 with Playford behind him with the yellow out again with five laps to go.

Despite one more caution flag with two laps remaining, Ballard pulled away to his first win of the season and the fourth of his career in the division followed by Stone, Playford, Horning, and Gates who got back up to the fifth position.

“We’ve been struggling pretty hard the last few weeks with this new car,” Ballard said in victory lane. “I thought that we were on to something the first week then we just back peddled from there. Spent a lot of time in the garage this week making changes and I think we finally made the right ones; this thing was a rocket.”

Jonathan Feagles led all 15 laps in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature for his first career win in the division over Michael Kalkbrenner, Kyle Dingman, Steve Wagoner, and Connor Prokop.

Ken (SOHC0 and Kerrie (DOHC) Hollenback were the winners of the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder feature events.

5/27/2023 M.W. ROOSEVELT & SON/ROOSEVELT’S TOWING DAVE LAPE MEMORIAL NIGHT

AMSTERDAM TRUCK CENTER/F.X. CAPRARA CAR COMPANIES THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES DAVE LAPE MEMORIAL MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – STEWART FRIESEN, Matt DeLorenzo, Demetrious Drellos, Jack Lehner, Rocky Warner, David Schilling, Jessica Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Bobby Hackel IV, Josh Hohenforst, Max McLaughlin, Dave Constantino, Chris Curtis, Ronnie Johnson, Tucker O’Connor, Alex Yankowski, Pep Corradi, Cody Clark, JaMike Sowle, Dace Camara, Bobby Varin, Shawn McPhee, Ron Holmes, Brian Pessolano, Brian Calabrese, Brent Cross, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Daniel Morgiewicz

2^nd win of 2023 and the 87^th of his career at Fonda for Friesen.

LAP LEADERS – 1-21 DeLorenzo, 22-30 Friesen

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Hackel, Varin, Stewart Freisen

DAVE LAPE MEMORIAL BONUSES 5/27/2023

$22 from Palmer’s Service Center for drivers who drew the 22^nd spot in the initial draw in all divisions – Max McLaughlin (Modified), Jason Greco (602 Crate Sportsman), Shane Playford (Pro Stock).

$122 Dave Lape’s Ladies 2^nd place – Matt DeLorenzo

$122 Mimi Lazzaro & Sheila Palmer 4^th place finisher – Jack Lehner

$99 Sacandaga Seamless Gutters/Nigel Skottke 7^th place finisher – Jessica Friesen

$122 Riley Mortuary/Pat Riley 8^th place finisher – Matt Sheppard

$250 Fulton County Electric/Jim Senzio 11^th place finisher – Max McLaughlin

$122 Dave Lape’s Ladies 13^th place – Chris Curtis

$122 Dave Lape’s Ladies 22^nd place – Shawn McPhee

$76 Palmer’s Service Center/Alton & Carole Palmer 22^nd place finisher – Shawn McPhee

$122 B & B Dumpster Rentals/Bodie Bellinger Hard Charger – Jessica Friesen +8 15^th to 7^th.

$122 Sacandaga Seamless Gutters/Nigel Skottke last car on lead lap – JaMike Sowle

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL/F.X. CAPRARA CAR COMPANIES THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-LAPS – PEYTON TALBOT, Chad Edwards, Mark Mortensen, Blaine Klinger, Joe Toth, Tanner Warner, Clayton DuMond, Jason Reome, Dylan Eldred, Chip Constantino, Jeremy Tyrrell, Jim Nagle, Stephen Gray, Brendan Gibbons, Michael McCallion, Seth Martin, David Hackett Jr., Josh Kane, Brent Cross, Don Bellen, Harry Shaffer, Brian Calabrese, Jason Greco, Troy Zilles, Aaron Burton, Brett Mortensen, Butchie Irwin

3^rd win of 2023 and the 7^th of his career for Talbot.

11^th place finisher Jeremy Tyrrell won a $250 bonus from Jim Senzio of Fulton County Electric

LAP LEADERS – 1-2 Edwards, 3-25 Talbot

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Edwards, Constantino, Talbot, Calabrese

CONSOLATION RACE WINNERS – Kane

DID NOT QUALIFY – John DuMond, Clyde Peek, Kathy Bellen, Zach Dufel, Matt Perry, Lance Hill, Dan Santabarbara

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Nagle 25^th to 12^th

BELOW ZERO ICE CREAM/F.X. CAPRARA CAR COMPANIES THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – BEAU BALLARD, Nick Stone, Shane Playford, Luke Horning, Kenny Gates, Caden Dumblewski, Josh Coonradt, Gary Silkey, Ivan Joslin, Jason Morrison, Randy Cosselman, Slater Baker, Kyle Weller, Johnny Holmes, Jim Normoyle, Michael Achzet, Andy Garves (DNS)

1^st win of 2023 and the 4^th of his career for Ballard.

LAP LEADERS – 1-10 Gates, 11-20 Ballard

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Ballard, Stone

Special thanks to the Man with the Red Chair who paid a bonus of $100 to each finisher from 2^nd to 11^th in the Pro Stock feature.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15-LAPS – JONATHAN FEAGLES, Michael Kalkbrenner, Kyle Dingman, Steve Wagoner, Connor Prokop, John Anderson, Mike Hill, Gus Kamberelis, Kirsten Swartz, Bobby Rhinehart, Lance Hill, Dylan Huston, Chris Kugler, Lucas Duncan, Jim Mallia, Bob Rowback, Timmy Wilmot, AJ Greco, Zach Welch, Bella Pickard, Ryan Sweet, Brandon Tyler

1^st career win for Feagles

LAP LEADERS – 1-15 Feagles

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Feagles, Rhinehart

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – 12-LAPS – KEN HOLLENBACK (SOHC), KERRIE HOLLENBACK (DOHC), Keith Tesiero Jr., Len St. Andrews, Chris Duffney Jr., David Peek-Britten, TJ Marlitt, Tim Warner, Wayne Russell Jr., Adam Montville, Todd Morey

3^rd win of 2023 and the 88^th of his career for Ken Hollenback

3^rd win of 2023 and the 37^th career win for Kerrie Hollenback

LAP LEADERS – 1-6 Montville, 7-12 Ken Hollenback

CAPTAIN CARL’S LUXURY CRUISES/DONE BETTER POOLS NON-QUALIFIERS RACE FOR SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN CARS – 5-LAPS – JOHN DUMOND

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) ANTIQUE FEATURE – DON BRIGGS, Bryan Scofield, Mike Wheeler, John Wood, Cliff Haslun, Jimmy Hyde, Brent Williams, Harley Sheppard, John Orsini, Dustin Chapman, Malcum Warner, Mark Tomek, Tony Kamberelis (DNS), Mike Gray (DNS)

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) MYSTIQUE FEATURE – JOHN MARKS, Carl Cram, Harry Baldwin, George Berbench, George Palmer, Mark Anatriello, Dan Karl, Peter Nowicki

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) LATE MODEL FEATURE – JOHN ROESE, Chris Cross, Curtis Condon, Ed Docskalik, Will Reed (DQ)

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) SPORTSMAN FEATURE – MALACHI MATTHEWS, Mike Francisco, Jimmy Fugel, Merv Blackwell, Jon Trudeau, Nathan McFadden, Frank Brown, Brian Gray, John Constantino

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) MODIFIED FEATURE – RANDY DELANEY, Joe Rando, Jack Miller, Anthony Cardamone, Jon Kulesco, Don Colvin, Darral Hulbert (DNS)

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Memorial events are held on a yearly basis at local speedways, but as sad of a time as it is to hold these events it is also a time to remember those people and how they may have touched or affected your lives. This week is no different as on Saturday, May 27 at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway, a Dave Lape Memorial event will be held, fittingly on Memorial Day weekend.

The jam-packed racing program at Fonda on Saturday will include the Dave Lape Memorial event, presented by one of Lape’s long-time sponsors M.W. Roosevelt & Son/Roosevelt’s Towing. It will also be the opening round of the F.X. Caprara Car Companies Thunder on the Thruway Series, a six-race series between Fonda and its sister track Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y.

The Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds will race 30 laps for $4,022 to win, with the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman battling for $1,522 to win and the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks racing for a $1,022 top prize. Fonda Speedway track points, Thunder on the Thruway Series points, and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series points are available to racers.

The Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, Fonda Fair Four Cylinders, and the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds will complete the program.

Lape passed away last September and was remembered with a tribute during opening ceremonies for the 30^th edition of the “Fonda 200” last year.

Before that, nearly eight-years after retiring from 50-seasons of modified competition at the famed Fonda Speedway [in Fonda, NY] in September, 2013, seven-time track champion Dave Lape was remembered by the promotional team spearheaded by Brett Deyo with twin 22-lap feature events at the historical fairgrounds oval on Saturday, May 29, 2021 according to a press release written by long time Lape crewmember and friend Matt Noles.

Not to be left out on that day by any means, the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame & Museum also honored not only the driving career of the Canajoharie, NY native, but his many other accomplishments as well including his efforts as the acting curator of the museum, which he had been at the head of since 2016. On what I thought was a long-lost tape that I was able to find recently, there were thoughts about Lape from many people who attended the event at the museum back on May 29, 2021 with some of their thoughts now shared below in their own words.

JESSICA LAPE

“A drivers daughter’s perspective is very different. Others may see a driver, promoter, Champ Car fabricator, speed shop owner, or competitor but I just see him as my dad. Growing up my family’s life was very different from the other children that I knew. Others may have worn a suit and tie or typical office attire to work, my dad had to put on a fire suit and get into this dangerous contraption every Saturday night.”

“My parents worked as a team towards the same goal of success. In my house I learned how to become part of a team. I observed a racing crew member coming over each night to prep the racecar and build strategies, but from my perspective the significant team member was my mom Jackie. She wore many hats during my dad’s career.”

“I was at the Fonda Speedway on Saturday nights and when we were able to celebrate and be happy together were some precious memories. Racing is a lifestyle which many of us here understand, but others may not. I have observed how the little things in life matter. The words and the actions that we use are important too. Racing has taught me the significance of kindness, gratitude, help, communication, and the value of relationships that are developed during your lifetime.”

ALTON PALMER

“Dave was always quite serious about his racing career. He was a great competitor and a perfect gentleman on the track. He kept us going a lot of times when things weren’t going so well, and I was down and out. He would tell me you gotta forget about it and keep the drive going. I owned quite a few Champ Cars and Dave brought the level of racing quite high. I won a lot of races with Champ Car. Dave had a very good input on the race cars, and he had a great guidance system there.”

GARY SPAID

“Dave was an honest, fair, driver and a good strong competitor. Dave, Jackie, and Andy (Fusco) were great to work with, they were always very good to me. He was a real plus to Northeast Modifieds.”

BOBBY VARIN

“Dave’s wins tell the story. He taught me a lot and is someone that I always looked up too. I spent a lot of time behind Dave during warmups trying to get behind him to learn what I could when I first started racing. He is quite honestly one of the pioneers that brought Fonda Speedway as far as it has. Without Dave, Fonda Speedway wouldn’t be what it is today.”

PAT WARD

“Dave was easy to race with, you could always go wheel to wheel with him without worrying about being wrecked. I think that I drove a lot like him, drove as hard as I could. Dave and Jackie were always very kind to us. When I drove for John Finch, we were looking to build some cars and Dave let me come to his shop and use his jig. Dave’s brother-in-law Billy Gray built a couple of cars in 1996 and 1997 using Dave’s ideas and some of my own from when I worked at Show Car. My first year out with the Champ Car I lost the Track Championship at Fonda to Jack Johnson by four points! Champ Cars were good cars.”

SHANE ANDREWS

“I owe Dave and Jackie a debt of gratitude and a big heartfelt thank you because without them I wouldn’t have taken my next step announcing for the DIRT Motorsports organization. When I was announcing at Fonda they thought I had what it took to be a good announcer, so they put me to work in the booth with Joe Marotta at Can-Am which opened the doors for me to meet Glenn Donnelly, Cory Reed, and Joe Marotta which led me to announcing at Super DIRT Week. The #22 Dave Lape was always a big influence on a racing group. It was enormous, and everyone knew who the #22 was anytime he came to a racetrack.”

“I am humbled and honored to be a part of this ceremony. Dave has had an influence on me as a race fan since childhood, it’s been a pleasure to watch you race, to announce races that you’ve won, and to get to know you, Jackie, and Jessica. Thank you for all the great memories that you created for all of the fans in the northeast.”

TERRY RUMSEY

“Dave (Lape) and Andy (Fusco) together with their LAPCO banner promoted a race at Can-Am and brought the big blocks back to the track with a Super DIRT Week qualifier that packed the place. Dave was a quiet guy who snuck up on you, he covered an awful lot of bases in racing and there wasn’t anyone like him. He covered all of the bases and was successful in all parts of racing.”

GLENN DONNELLY

“I got into this in the 70’s and opened Weedsport and here are these three guys from Fonda, Dave, Jack (Johnson), and Lou (Lazzaro) who raced with me through my whole career. The one thing with Dave is that you could always rely on him and know that he was there for the betterment of the sport. I had Dave on the DIRT grievance committee, and you could rely on him for rules and officiating changes at the track. I couldn’t say enough about having someone racing for you that was that important and meant that much so that is one of the reasons that I came up from Florida for this ceremony.”

ADAM FUSCO (ANDY FUSCO’S SON)

“Growing up and hanging out with your favorite race car driver, like everyone here at this ceremony today, I’m just a Dave Lape fan. I would follow him back from Western, NY and that is where I found out about exit 22A on the New York State Thruway. It is the stop right by the Canajoharie exit where instead of Dave paying for tolls he would slide off on the flat spot on the Thruway and drive off the hill.”

JIM SENZIO (FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER IN CHAMP CAR)

“I first saw Dave race at the Meco Go-Kart track where a good friend of mine used to race there with him. You can have the desire but if you don’t have the talent to do as much as you can do in this situation. This was Dave’s life racing, car building, and winning races. Everyone that got into a Champ Car won, I even won a race in one, you have to do what your meant to do. Lots of good memories of travel and good times racing, I’m glad to be here today to honor Dave.”

LEW BOYD

It is easy to think that the Indianapolis 500 is happening tomorrow, the biggest event in the world, and you might think that we are just here at the little Fonda Fairgrounds celebrating a great northeastern driver my contention is that it is a little bit more than that.”

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES ALSO A BIG PART OF THE MEMORIAL DAY RACING PROGRAM AT FONDA THIS SATURDAY

Starting out with a car show at the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame & Museum with setup at 1:15 and going through 4:00 p.m. the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) will be a big part of the racing program at Fonda with a memorial event of their own honoring Tex Gorden.

Being a huge fan and crew member to David Lape, MVVDMS driver Joe Rando will be in his hero’s honor donating two $22.00 cash envelopes to 2 drivers in each of our ️five divisions. Rando will be competing in his beautiful Lape replica #22. Thank You Joe and Rando/Lape Racing Team for being a part of making our series shine.

According to information from the MVVDMS organization, John Orsini out of Morris, Connecticut will be hailing his Dave Lape #22, a 1940 Cadillac that was resurrected by Doug Mathewson years ago that Dave Lape once drove.

Thanks to new owner Brent Williams and the whole Williams family, Tex Gorden #36 1938 Ford Coupe with a 6cyl under the hood will be making the 219 mile trip from Woodhull, NY to be a part of the Gorden/Lape Memorial at Fonda Speedway this weekend.

MVVDMS would like to welcome back to the series the gentleman who purchased Tex Gorden’s second #36 race car, a 1938 Hupmobile body that rides on a 1965 Dodge Power Wagon, Tony Kamburelis out of Fort Ann, NY.

We are excited to see Tony back for this special event at Fonda Speedway this coming Saturday.

Tex built this car during his bout with Cancer when he was unable to race due to his health. Thanks to Tony he kept the cars looking exactly the same in Tex’s Honor.

Many other bonuses will be paid out at this event from different people and organizations.

LETS GO FONDA SPEEDWAY KIDS

This fun and exciting adventure for the kids is back! Saturday, May 27th at “The Track of Champions.”

How Cool is this!

In conjunction with Fonda Speedway promoter Brett Deyo, Fonda Speedway Kids Club coordinator Ashley Abeling, MVVDMS Promoter Laurie Fallis, and longtime racing veteran Frank Blanchard, three lucky kids from the ages of 7 to 13 will have a chance to win a ride and put a smile on their face from ear to ear. Winners will win a trip around the famed 1/2 mile in a 1936 Hudson Body 2-seater and pace the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds feature events.

So, adults get those kids signed up this Saturday at the Kid’s Club and possibly get a chance to ride around the “Track of Champions.” The sign-up table is located just inside the middle entrance gate under the grandstands.

All races at Fonda Speedway – will be broadcast live on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv) as part of the $150 annual subscription.

Since 1953, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. Under the management of BD Motorsports Media LLC, the speedway will operate weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter and Instagram: @thefondaspdwy.

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Coming up this Saturday May 13, Holmes & Kugler Towing presents $1 Night at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway with a $1 grandstand admission for the fans. In competition this Saturday will be the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Hot laps at 6 p.m. Racing at 7 p.m.

According to their website www.holmesandkuglertowing.com Holmes & Kugler Towing is located in Schenectady, NY and they provide local towing, long distance towing, and roadside assistance. They were established back in 1986 and their services include local towing, long distance towing, roadside assistance, and vehicle lockouts.

ONE YEAR AGO

One year ago this week, Craig Hanson won the Modified feature event, the eighth win of his career and his first win since 7/30/2016. The Hanson Paving Modified has been competing at the “Track of Champions” for a long time and is part of the track’s history. Craig’s father Ken Hanson competed at the track in car #20 and has one career victory to his credit coming back on 7/5/1986.

Craig Hanson competes at Fonda in car #20C and on Saturday evening he added to the history of the Hanson family at Fonda with his eighth career win. What made it even more special is that it came on his father Ken’s birthday! Ken was present at Fonda for the win and was also a part of a special photo with the family on FX Caprara Victory Lane.

“I really wanted to win one for dad on his birthday,” Hanson said in victory lane. “After the wreck last week, I was ready to quit but all my guys helped me put the car back together and here we are, so I have to thank them for that.”

Craig Hanson took the lead from the outside pole at the drop of the green flag to start the 30-lap Sunoco Modified feature event and led every lap until Ronnie Johnson got by him with five laps to go. Right after Johnson got by Hanson for the lead, the yellow flag came out without the lap being completed so the field went back to the last completed lap handing the lead back to Hanson. He survived a late challenge by defending Track Champion Matt DeLorenzo to secure the victory.

“We’ve got something going on with the carburetor and the motor was skipping,” Hanson said in victory lane. “When Ronnie got by me, I thought I gave it away.”

Hanson won for a second time last year for his ninth career win which came on 6/11/2022.

This coming Saturday leads up to one of the biggest racing programs of the 2023 season at Fonda as the following week on Saturday May20 the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) presented by Mobil 1 will compete at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track. When the schedule for the ASCoC was unveiled on Facebook and other media outlets back in December, local race fans took notice about the race date at Fonda with the drivers competing for $10,000 to win that evening!

The visit by the ASCoC marks the ninth time in Fonda Speedway history that 410 Sprint Cars have competed at the “Track of Champions”, with each of the previous four events falling under ASCoC sanctioning.

Shane Stewart (7/28/2002 World of Outlaw Gumout Series), Daryn Pitman (7/29/2003 410-Sprint Open), Craig Keel (7/14/2005 410-Sprint Open), and Danny Lasoski (7/18/2006 National Sprint Tour 410-Sprints) won the first four 410-Sprint events ever held at Fonda while the last four events, all sanctioned by the All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC), were won by Daryn Pittman (2010), Tim Shaffer (2011 & 2012), and Danny Dietrich (2013).

If you are a race fan that gets to the track early, be sure to check out the Fonda Speedway Museum & Hall of Fame which is located on the Fonda Fairgrounds at the rear of the parking area going down towards turn four. The museum is open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on race days and admission is free!

All races at Fonda Speedway – will be broadcast live on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv) as part of the $150 annual subscription.

Since 1953, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. Under the management of BD Motorsports Media LLC, the speedway will operate weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter and Instagram: @thefondaspdwy.