By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – With the turn of the calendar to 2023, the excitement of the 72^nd consecutive season of racing at the Fonda Speedway is in the air with the schedule for 2023 recently released. This will be the fifth season that Brett Deyo and his staff at BD Motorsports Media LLC have promoted motorsports events at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track so be sure to mark your calendars now for a huge season at the “Track of Champions”.

WEEKLY DIVISIONS

Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders.

MEMORIAL EVENTS

The 72^nd season of racing at Fonda will start on “Opening Night” 2023 Saturday, April 22 with the Jack Johnson Memorial Montgomery County Open featuring the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds with sail panels competing in a 40-lap $12,000 to win event. All other regular divisions will also be in action with points beginning in all classes. Previous winners of Jack Johnson Tribute/Memorial events at Fonda include Mike Mahaney (2012, 2017), Stewart Friesen (2015, 2022), Matt Sheppard (2016), and Rocky Warner (2021).

On Saturday, May 27 the first ever Dave Lape Memorial event will take place with the event also being the first of three “Thunder on the Thruway Series” events at Fonda for the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, and the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks. All other regular divisions will also be in action along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS).

Saturday, July 8 will feature the Eighth Annual “Bill Ag Memorial” Modified Elimination races along with all other regular divisions in action. Previous winners of the event honoring the late Bill Anagnostopoulos include Ronnie Johnson (2016, 2017, 2021), Bobby Varin (2014), Tim Fuller (2018), Stewart Friesen (2019), and Demetrious Drellos (2022).

The 18^th Annual “Hondo Classic” honoring the late Hondo Carpenter will be run for the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks on Saturday, July 22 along with all other regular divisions. Previous winners of the “Hondo Classic” include Nick Stone (2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020), Kenny Gates (2009, 2015, 2018), Pete Broderson (2012, 2014), Jim Burton (2006), Chip Smith (2010), Rob Yetman (2011), Kenny Martin Jr. (2013), Josh Coonradt (2019), Luke Horning (2021), and Beau Ballard (2022).

The 19^th Annual “Earl Halaquist Memorial” Sprint Car event will be held under the Empire Super Sprint (ESS) banner on Saturday, August 5 with all other regular divisions also in action. This event was held at different tracks over the years but the 2023 event will be the 13^th time the event was held at Fonda. Previous winners of the “Earl Halaquist Memorial” event include Justin Barger (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011), Danny Varin (2017, 2018, 2022), Chuck Hebing (2006, 2014), Blake Breen (2004), George Suprick (2005), Doug Emery (2009), Jessica Zemken-Friesen (2012), Jeff Cook (2013), Matt Tanner (2015), Steve Poirier (2016), Jordan Poirier (2019), and Paulie Colagiovanni (2021).

SERIES EVENTS

The Short Track Super Series (STSS) will celebrate their 10^th Anniversary in 2023 with Bob Hilbert Sportswear as the title sponsor with two series events this season at Fonda. The first will be the $10,000 to win “Firecracker 50” for the STSS Modifieds along with a $2,000 to win 25-lap STSS Crate 602 Sportsman event on Sunday, July 2. The second STSS event at Fonda in 2023 will be the prestigious $53,000 to win “Fonda 200” for the STSS Modifieds along with an event for the STSS Sportsman on Saturday, September 16.

The previous four “Firecracker 50” events for the STSS Modifieds at Fonda have all been won by Stewart Friesen while Friesen also has a victory in in the “Fonda 200” in 2021 while Matt Sheppard was the winner of the 2022 edition of the 200-lap event. In STSS 602 Sportsman competition at Fonda during the last four years, Chad Edwards and Cody Clark both have two wins apiece while Rocky Warner and Tim Hartman Jr. each have one win apiece.

The 2023 “Thunder on the Thruway Series” for the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, and the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks will have three events at Fonda this season on Saturday May 27, Saturday July 1, and Saturday July 15. The “Thunder on the Thruway Series is a six-race series between Fonda and the “Home of Heroes” Utica Rome Speedway with three events set to be held at Utica Rome on Friday June 16, Thursday June 29, and Saturday August 19.

SPRINT CARS

There will be three different groups of Sprint Cars competing at Fonda this season including the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) on Saturday May 6 and Saturday August 5, the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) on Saturday, May 20, and the CRSA Sprint Cars on Saturday June 3, Saturday July 29, and Friday September 15.

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).

The Empire Super Sprints (ESS) have competed at Fonda a total of 25 times from 1987 to 2022 with a total of 14 different winning drivers. Local favorite Danny Varin leads the way with six ESS wins at Fonda followed by Justin Barger with five, Lance Yonge and Steve Poirier both with two wins apiece. Ten different drivers have one single ESS feature win at Fonda including John Brutcher, Bobby Parrow, Tom Taber, Craig Lane, Doug Emery, Jessica Zemken-Friesen, Jeff Cook, Chuck Hebing, Stewart Friesen, and Davie Franek.

There are 13 different winning drivers in a total of 27 CRSA Sprint events at Fonda from 2009 to 2022. Mike Kiser leads the way with five feature wins while Danny Varin has four. Josh Pieniazek and Cory Sparks are next with three wins apiece while Kyle Smith, Jeff Trombley, and Jordan Hutton have two wins apiece. Dylan Swiernik, John Matrafailo, Tyler Rice, Jordan Thomas, Brett Jaycox, and Josh Flint complete the list with one win apiece.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Other special events to take note of at Fonda for 2023 include “Dollar Night” with $1 grandstand admission on Saturday May 13, “Twin 20’s” for the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds on Saturday June 17, “Fan Appreciation Night” with $5 grandstand admission on Saturday June 24 which includes a pre-race Meet & Greet, “Hall of Fame Night” on Saturday July 1, “Autism Awareness Night” on Saturday July 15, and “Benjamin Moore Paints Championship Night” on Saturday August 12 when all of the 2023 Track Champions in their respective divisions will be crowned.

The “Fonda 200 Weekend” closes out the 2023 season on Thursday September 14 through Saturday September 16 with all regular Fonda Speedway divisions in action during the three-day event.

VINTAGE

For the vintage racing fan there will be five appearances by the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) at Fonda in 2023 on Saturday April 29, Saturday May 27, Saturday June 10, Saturday July 1, and Saturday August 12.

Weekly grandstand admission is $13 (Adults), $11 for Seniors (ages 65-plus) and Kids 11 and under are admitted FREE. There are increases for special events.

Pit admission is $35 (Members) and $40 (Non-Members). Kids (ages 6-12) pay $10 and Children five and under pay $2. Increases for special events are noted on the schedule.

All race events will again be broadcast LIVE on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv) with an annual subscription. Dirt Track Digest TV will handle the production.

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 www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

Fonda Speedway 2023 Schedule of Events

Weekly Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors ages 65 & Up) – Kids 11 and under FREE – Increases for special events as noted with * 

Weekly Pit Admission: $35 (Fonda Members) – $40 (Non-Members) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2 – Increases for special events as noted with*

Gates Open: 4 p.m. – Hot Laps: 6 p.m. – Racing: 7 p.m. (unless otherwise noted)

Weekly Divisions: Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman, Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks & Fonda Fair Four Cylinders

Saturday, April 15 – Open Practice (Rain Date: Wednesday, April 19)

Pit Gates Open: 2 p.m. – Practice 4-7 p.m.

Grandstand Admission: FREE – Pit Admission: $30 (Members) or $35 (Non-Members)

Saturday, April 22 – 72^nd Season Opener: Jack Johnson Memorial Montgomery County Open: Modifieds with sail panels 40 laps, $12,000 to win (25 show-up points) – All divisions (points begin)*

Gates Open 2:30 p.m. – Hot Laps: 5:30 p.m. – Racing: 6:30 p.m.

Grandstand Admission: $25 (Adults) – $23 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $40 (Member) or $45 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, April 29 – All divisions plus Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series

Gates Open: 3:30 p.m. – Hot Laps: 5:30 p.m. – Racing: 6:30 p.m.

Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, May 6 – Supply Wagon Rental Night: Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars – All divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $20 (Adults) – $18 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, May 13 – Dollar Night – $1 Grandstand Admission – All divisions

Grandstand Admission: $1 (Adults & Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, May 20 – Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Cars plus Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Limited Sportsman (feature only) and Four Cylinder (feature only) – Crate 602 Sportsman off*

Grandstand Admission: $30 (Adults) – $28 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $40 (Member) or $45 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, May 27 – Dave Lape Memorial Night – Thunder on the Thruway Series Modifieds ($4,000 minimum to win), Crate 602 Sportsman ($1,500 to win) & Pro Stocks ($1,000 to win) – All divisions plus Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, June 3 – CRSA Sprint Cars – all divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, June 10 – All divisions plus Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series

Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, June 17 – Ferris Mowers presents Modified Twin 20s – All divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, June 24 – Bill Lake Modular Homes Fan Appreciation Night – $5 Grandstand Admission – Pre-Race Meet & Greet – All divisions

Grandstand Admission: $5 (Adults & Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, July 1 – Hall of Fame Night – Thunder on the Thruway Series Modifieds ($4,000 to win), Crate 602 Sportsman ($1,500 to win) & Pro Stocks ($1,000 to win) – All divisions plus Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Sunday, July 2 – Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco ‘Firecracker 50’ – STSS Modifieds 50 laps, $10,000 to win & STSS Crate 602 Sportsman 25 laps, $2,000 to win (25 show-up points both divisions)*

Grandstand Admission: $28 (Adults) – $26 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $40 (Member) or $45 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, July 8 – Dirt Track Digest Night: Bill Ag Memorial Modified Elimination Races – All divisions

Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, July 15 – One Zee Tees/AIM Autism present Autism Awareness Night – Thunder on the Thruway Series Modifieds ($4,000 to win), Crate 602 Sportsman ($1,500 to win) & Pro Stocks ($1,000 to win) – All divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, July 22 – Pro Stock Hondo Classic (draw, 25 show-up points) plus all divisions

Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, July 29 – Parks Companies Night: CRSA Sprint Cars – All divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $15 (Adults) – $13 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, August 5 – Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars Earl Halaquist Memorial – All divisions*

Grandstand Admission: $20 (Adults) – $18 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Saturday, August 12 – Benjamin Moore Paints Championship Night: All divisions plus Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series

Grandstand Admission: $13 (Adults) – $11 (Seniors) – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $35 (Member) or $40 (Non-Member) – Kids (ages 6-12): $10 – Children (ages 5 and under): $2

Thursday, September 14-Saturday, September 16 – $53,000-to-win Fonda 200 Weekend 

Thursday, September 14 – Amsterdam Truck Center Modified “Ultimate Underdog 33” plus Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman & Open Practice All Divisions*

Reserved Seating: $15 (all seats)
General Admission: $12 – Kids 11 and under FREE

Pit Admission: $35 (Non-Member) or $30 (Fonda Member) – $10 Kids (ages 6-12) – $2 Children (ages 5 and under) 

Friday, September 15 – Short Track Super Series Amsterdam Truck Center Modified Qualifying Races plus CRSA Sprint Cars, Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stocks, Street Stocks & Fonda Fair Four Cylinders*

Reserved Seating: $25 (all seats)
General Admission: $22 – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $45 (Non-Member) or $40 (Member) – $10 Kids (ages 6-12) – $2 Children (ages 5 and under) 

Saturday, September 16 – STSS Modified B-Mains & Fonda 200 plus Swagger Factory Apparel STSS Crate 602 Sportsman*
Reserved Seating: $40 (all seats)
General Admission: $35 – Kids 11 and under FREE
Pit Admission: $50 (Non-Member) or $45 (Member) – $10 Kids (ages 6-12) – $2 Children (ages 5 and under)

Friday, September 29-Sunday, October 1 – Garden Motorsports Inc. presents “Monster Truckz” – Visit www.monstertruckz.com to learn more (Season Passes not valid at this event)

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – After opening day 2022 at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway was cancelled two Saturdays in a row due to weeklong rains, BD Motorsports Media LLC management decided to try something a little different and hold opening day on a Sunday. They were successful in doing so with the official opening day for the 2022 racing season coming on Sunday, April 24.

From that day on, every racing program that was scheduled for the 2022 season was run rain free every Saturday through the Fonda 200 weekend in September with a four week break mid-August through mid-September for the annual Fonda Fair. When the final checkered flag flew in August to complete the regular season there were two first time Track Champions at Fonda and four repeat champions in their respective divisions.

THE 2022 CHAMPIONS

The 2022 Fonda Speedway Track Champion in the Sunoco Modified division was Matt DeLorenzo who was crowned a Fonda Speedway Track Champion for the fourth time in his career after championships back in 2004 and 2006 (358-Modified) and 2007 in the Modified division.

Payton Talbot was crowned the 2022 Fonda Speedway Track Champion in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division for the first time in his career

Nick Stone was crowned the 2022 Fonda Speedway Track Champion in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division for the fourth time in his career with the other championships coming back in 2014, 2020, and 2021.

Zach Dufel was crowned the 2022 Fonda Speedway Track Champion in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division for the first time in his career.

Fonda Fair Four Cylinder Division Track Champions for the 2022 season were Kerrie Hollenback in the DOHC class who was crowned a Track Champion once before in the division at Fonda back in 2013 and his brother Ken Hollenback who was the Track Champion in the SOHC class for the ninth time after also winning the title back in 2012 (SOHC), 2013 (SOHC), 2014 (Overall), 2015 (Overall), 2017 (Overall), 2019 (Overall), 2020 (SOHC), and 2021 (SOHC).

CHAMPIONS STATS

Matt DeLorenzo competed in a total of 20 events in the Sunoco Modified division during the 2022 season at Fonda, finishing the season with five wins, nine top five finishes, and 15 top ten finishes. His five wins moved him up to the 10^th position on the Fonda Speedway Modified All-Time win list with a total of 42 wins in 11 winning seasons, his first career win coming on 4/17/2004 and his last on 7/9/2022. In two separate categories, DeLorenzo also has two wins in the 358-Modified division at Fonda and one win in the Open Sportsman division back on 8/7/1999.

Payton Talbot competed in a total of 19 events in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division in 2022 with two sixth place finishes being his worse finishes of the season! Talbot had a total of three wins in 2022 to go along with 17 top five and 19 top ten finishes. His three victories places him in a tie for ninth on the All-Time Win List in the division with a total of four, his first career win coming on 8/14/2021 and his last on 7/23/2022.

Zach Dufel competed in a total of 18 races at Fonda in 2022 with five wins, 13 top five and 15 top ten finishes. His five wins placed him in a tie for fourth on the All-Time Win List in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division with his first career win coming on 5/14/2022 and his last on 8/6/2022.

Ten wins in a total of 17 events propelled Nick Stone to the Track Championship in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division along with 16 top five and 16 top ten finishes. Stone now sits second on the All-Time Win List in the division with 69, his first career win in the division coming on 6/8/2002 and his last win coming on 8/13/2022.

Ken Hollenback won 17 out of 18 races during the 2022 racing season in the Fonda Fair SOHC Four Cylinder division raising his win total to 85 (First on the All-Time Win List in the division) with his first career win in the division coming on 5/5/2007 and his last on 9/16/2022.

Kerrie Hollenback won 13 out of 18 races during the 2022 racing season in the Fonda Fair DOHC Four Cylinder division raising his win total in the division to 33 which is second on the All-Time Win List behind his brother Ken. Kerrie’s first career win in the division came back on 6/16/2007 and his last on 8/13/2022.

2022 TRACK CHAMPIONS THOUGHTS IN THEIR OWN WORDS ON CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT

2022 SUNOCO MODIFIED TRACK CHAMPION MATT DELORENZO

“It wasn’t our plan to be here at Fonda every week, but we started running real well at the beginning of the year so we kind of worked things out that I could race here every Saturday,” DeLorenzo told Mimi Lazzaro during the championship celebration. “The track kind of threw me a curve ball the last month being choppy and stuff, and the car just really wasn’t comfortable. We also had motor problems, but it all worked out. This is the first time we’ve run a big block here all year, I always had a small block here, but everybody went to a small block back then.”

“Back then Bobby Varin I know ran a big block and we always battled back in the day, so it’s been a while hasn’t it. Now everybody has the open small block with Brett’s rules, but it shows that the big block can be competitive. I’ve been sleeping at the shop a lot, I have to thank my wife for letting me do that and my kids they are pretty busy in their lives too so I’m glad they are all here tonight, my mother is here too so it’s pretty cool.”

“The kids were putting the pressure on me saying dad you better win tonight, so I said to them it is just like you being up at home plate with a full count on you and the bases are loaded and the score is tied. A lot of pressure tonight for sure and I just wanted to do good for everybody and finish. My brother Mike is the brains behind the operation and Brian (teammate Brian Gleason) both of them really work hard every week to try and figure out these coil cars.”

“My dad Tom runs around to get parts for us, and we have a great bunch of people along with a lot of extra people tonight to help out which is cool so hats off to my brother Mike he does a phenomenal job. I have to thank BBL Companies who have been with me since I started racing, REO Welding, Collette Mechanical, Recovery Sports Grill, Carey Electric, MCD Metals, Kevin Enders, Dan Bedell whose motor was in the car tonight, Bicknell Racing Products, and Dennis from Integra Shocks. We have been running the same car at both Albany Saratoga and Fonda all season long and tonight this is actually my teammate Brian’s car.”

2022 SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN TRACK CHAMPION PAYTON TALBOT

“Yeah, this is awesome,” Talbot said during the championship celebration. “I didn’t really expect it coming into tonight, I knew that Chad (Edwards) was going to be tough. I didn’t know if the top or bottom was gonna be better, but we got lucky there when Chad pulled the slide job on us, we had enough momentum to get back by him on the bottom. I ran the top for a while, Troy (Palmer) and Chad were checking out, so I was just following them. You know the car didn’t feel bad and I think the tires got a little more heat in them on exit.”

“At the end there I was just trying to run the bottom and keep the 10% behind me. We’ve had a wicked year here, I can’t ask for anymore, I’ve got an awesome crew behind me and trying keep up on maintenance on this thing week in and week out, it paid off. You’ve gotta check everything you can’t have mistakes. We’ve just had a fantastic year; I don’t think that we’ve broken down yet knock-on wood.”

“I have to thank Travis at Ted’s Body Shop, Mike Walton at Fastline Performance, Joe from Precision Hydraulic Oil, Parker at Parker Excavating, Hig Fab Chassis, Jeff at JK Signworks, Brian at Donath Motorworks, Brandon at DIG Race Products, MIR, CC, Northeast Forestry, and Tom Moore at Training Tails.”

2022 ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK TRACK CHAMPION NICK STONE

“Preparation is everything,” Stone said. “I guarantee we have the most prepped out race car. The body looks a little rough, but you take this body off and the car looks brand new underneath it. We got the tires that we needed and didn’t have to be conservative, everything was always prepped out perfect.”

“On Tuesday we all go up to the garage to work on the car and luckily, we never wrecked, all of our stuff was very minor. We noticed things before something happened and that’s how you do it. Every time I go out there, I’m focused, and it’s been both ways for me during my racing career, I’ve had very little help at times, to doing it all yourself, so you come to the track and have some good nights, and you have some rough nights because you’re always working on the car.”

“Some of the guys that I see struggling I know exactly what they are going through because I know how it is, I’ve been there. I finally caught a nice ride with Todd, and I know he enjoys it, so it is kind of a perfect combination. I have to thank Todd, Melissa, Gus, Matt, Scott, Jamie, and my dad. Todd had these sponsors over the years, and some have followed me over, so our teams merged together real well.”

2022 MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN TRACK CHAMPION ZACH DUFEL

“I honestly have no words, I’ve dreamt of being here just as a crew member and being here as a driver is so special to me,” Dufel said. “Obviously with Mike (car owner Michael Jackson) and his long road to recovery I can’t thank him enough, Harry Shaffer, the whole Shaffer family, Harry has been there for me since day one. He’s been there all season telling me what to do, I’m taking his and Mikey’s tips and it worked out. It’s insane, I literally have no words, it’s awesome.”

“If my dad was here (the late Jay Dufel who was a long time crew member for Jack Johnson) he would have been telling me to move up mid-season but Chad (Edwards) is a friend of mine and he will be a good mentor when I move up next year so hopefully we’ll run well, we’ll see what we have for them at the end of the season and how we match up with them so I’m excited.”

2022 FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER SOHC TRACK CHAMPION KEN HOLLENBACK

“This is a new car for us this year,” Ken Hollenback said. “Everybody else has my old junk cars now.”

2022 FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER DOHC TRACK CHAMPION KERRIE HOLLENBACK

“I thought they were gonna give us championship belts,” Kerrie Hollenback said. “I was gonna do a back flip off the top of the car. But anyways I am a champion and God bless my brother Kenny who is the overall champion.”

DIFFERENT WINNERS IN DIFFERENT DIVISIONS

There were 11 different winning drivers in 2022 in the Sunoco Modified division led by Stewart Friesen with six including the $12,000 to win Jack Johnson Memorial event in April and the $10,000 to win Firecracker 50 in July. Track Champion Matt DeLorenzo was next with five feature wins followed by Craig Hanson with two.

Eight drivers took one win apiece including Danny Varin, Dave Constantino, Brian Gleason, Nick Heywood, David Schilling, Demetrious Drellos, Jack Lehner, and Matt Sheppard who won the prestigious $53,000 to win “Fonda 200” in September. For Gleason, Heywood, and Schilling it was their first career Modified wins at Fonda.

Chad Edwards led the way with six wins in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division in 2022. In all there were nine different winning drivers in the division with Cody Clark winning four times and Payton Talbot three times to fall next in line behind Edwards. There were six drivers who won single events including Brian Calabrese, Mark Mortensen, Rocky Warner, Clayton DuMond, Brett Mortensen, and Troy Zilles. For DuMond, Brett Mortensen, and Zilles it was their first career wins in the division.

Zach Dufel led the way with five feature wins in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division followed by Kyle Dingman with four wins, Connor Prokop with three wins, and Josh Kane with two wins. Completing the list of eight different drivers who won features in the division were Lance Hill, Harold Robitaille, Bob Rowback, and Wesley Sutliff who were all single event winners. For Hill, Kane, Dufel, Robitaille, Prokop, Rowback, and Sutliff it was their first career wins in the division.

There were seven different winners in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division led by Nick Stone with ten. Beau Ballard and Ivan Joslin were next in line with two wins apiece, one of the wins for Ballard was the prestigious Hondo Classic held in Memory of the late Hondo Carpenter. Single event winners in the division were Luke Horning, Jason Morrison, Josh Coonradt, and Kenny Gates with the win for Morrison being a career first.

There were six different winners in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division led by Ken Hollenback with 17 wins in the SOHC class. The only other SOHC feature held was won by Todd Morey who celebrated his first career win in the division. Kerrie Hollenback led the way in the DOHC class with a total of 13 wins followed by John Napoli with three, Dale VanAllen and Brandon Ely with one win apiece. For VanAllen and Ely it was the first career wins in the division.

CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THE 2022 REGULAR SEASON FROM FONDA SPEEDWAY PROMOTER BRETT DEYO

“Pretty amazing season really,” Fonda Speedway promoter Brett Deyo said. “We survived through a lot of factors, tire shortages, inflation, and no rain outs. Who would have thought that when we moved the first race to a Sunday to get it in that we would get every other race in. We were struggling with a wet spring, but everybody stuck with us. It was an awesome season, great car counts, fan counts, tonight was off the charts.”

“The 50/50’s were great, I think we survived a wild season and now we can regroup and get ready for the Fonda 200,” Deyo continued to say. “I am excited going into the 200, I think we have a lot of momentum and no conflicts this year on the schedule, so it should be pretty wild.”

MOVING INTO 2023

As 2022 comes to a close, plans are moving forward to the 2023 season at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway.

The annual car show will be held at the Viaport Rotterdam on Friday through Sunday March 24-26.

The 2023 schedule was recently released with the excitement of 410-Sprint cars returning to Fonda on Saturday, May 20 when the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions comes to the “Track of Champions” along with the $10,000 to win “Firecracker 50” on Sunday, July 2 and the $53,000 to win “Fonda 200 Weekend” on Thursday through Saturday September 14-16. The complete schedule can be seen by going to the Fonda Speedway website www.thefondaspeedway.com and clicking on the schedule tab at the top left of the home page.

The first ever “Dave Lape Memorial” event will be held on Saturday, May 27.

Fonda Speedway welcomes the following division sponsors to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track for the 2023 season including Amsterdam Truck Center (new sponsor for the Modified division), Swagger Factory Apparel (returning sponsor for the Crate 602 Sportsman division), Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. (returning sponsor for the Limited Sportsman division), Below Zero Ice Cream (new sponsor for the Pro Stock division), and the Fonda Fair (returning sponsor of the Four Cylinder division).

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 www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – With much anticipation, the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) presented by Mobil 1 released their schedule for the 2023 410 Sprint car racing season according to a press release on Thursday, December 1. Unveiled that day was a 50-race slate for the 2023 season, all of which will be kicking-off in traditional fashion with their annual southern swing through Georgia and Florida on February 3-14.

Diverse as well as competitive, the 2023 All Star agenda boasts a travel plan that features 33 different facilities across 11 states. In addition to the visits to Georgia and Florida, America’s Series will trek through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, and New Jersey during the new year.

When the schedule was unveiled on Facebook and other media outlets, local race fans took notice as the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) presented by Mobil 1 will invade the Montgomery County Fairgrounds facility for the first time in ten years on Saturday, May 20, 2023 with drivers competing for $10,000 to win!

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).

Home to “America’s Series” since 1970

According to the All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) website, www.allstarsprints.com, the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing.

Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first “outlaw” Sprint Car organization of the modern era. After a 10-year stint as owner of the All Stars, Miller passed control of the series to Bert Emick in 1980; a reign that would continue through 2002. Guy Webb then purchased the series from Emick in the summer of 2002 and served as the series President for the next 12 years.

Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015. Stewart and his team look forward to building on the All-Star Series impressive legacy by taking it to a new level of success and sustainability.

“We had objectives to accomplish while working through the scheduling process for the 2023 season”, said Tony Stewart, owner of the All Stars in a press release about the 2023 schedule. “We made a concerted effort to desaturate certain markets to facilitate a hopeful improvement in the demand to attend our events. Further, we continue to pursue partnerships with increased purse payouts for the race teams. Once again, we appreciate the support of the many track owners and promoters in scheduling an All-Star event or events with us in 2023.”

“We’re really excited about what we were able to put together for 2023”, Stewart continued. “We feel it’s a great mix of our staple events, combined with some new dates for some tracks, sprinkled in with a handful of visits to tracks that have either never been on our schedule or we haven’t visited in a few years. We’ll be anxious and ready to head down to Georgia at the end of January.”

THE FIRST VISIT BY 410 SPRINTS TO FONDA 7/28/2002

The 410-Sprint cars produce incredible speeds, and this night was no different as the World of Outlaw Gumout Series invaded the Fonda Speedway with Tyler Walker setting a track record of 15.281 for an average speed of 117 MPH! Walker led the race up until just before lap 10 was completed when a flat left rear tire forced him to the pit area.

Walker’s crew got the tire changed without him going a lap down and he restarted the event at the rear of the 24-car field. Shane Stewart took the lead on lap ten and led the remaining laps for the win with Walker getting all the way back up through the field to finish third behind second place finisher Wayne Johnson.

THE SECOND VISIT OF THE ALL-STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS 410 SPRINTS TO FONDA 6/8/2011

Tyler Walker’s track record stood up until the second ever appearance of the All-Star Circuit of Champions 410-Sprint cars at Fonda 6/8/2011 when Fred Rahmer set a new record with a lap of 15.110 for an average speed of 119 MPH! The record came after a three-hour rain delay when the rain started to fall just as cars were going out for hot laps.

Tim Shaffer was running second to Rahmer up until the white flag was waving as the cars came out of turn four when Shaffer took over the lead and his first ever win at Fonda with Rahmer finishing in the second spot.

So, will we see another track record broken on Saturday, May 20, 2023 by the All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) 410-Sprint cars at Fonda? One thing is for sure, we will see exciting fast laps by the stars of the ASCoC whether or not a new track record is set. It will be a must-see event for sure!

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 of 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 www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

For more information about the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) presented by Mobil 1 please go to their website, www.allstarsprints.com

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Last Saturday evening at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway there were many special moments at the track during opening ceremonies for the 30^th edition of the Fonda 200.

The starting field lined up on the front straightaway, driver introductions with the drivers walking down in front of the grandstands as they were introduced to greet the fans, a four wide salute by the starting field, and the vintage race cars of CD Coville (owned by Bruce Gray and driven by Kyle Fallis), Jack Johnson (owned by Bryon Seyfried and driven by Malachi Matthews), and Dave Lape (owned and driven by Joe Rando) pacing the field.

But the special moment that touched the hearts of all of the fans and everyone in attendance was the tribute to Dave Lape who recently passed away. Here are the thoughts of two of Dave’s family members and two very special friends who spoke about Lape on victory lane in their own words while the #22 Vintage Modified race car of Joe Rando sat on victory lane.

MIMI LAZZARO

“Last week we lost a hero, a legend, a friend,” Lazzaro said to the crowd. “Mr. Dave Lape left us before we completed our 2022 racing season. Dave was a friend to all of us and we thank Dave for all of the memories and thrills that he gave us. He will continue to live through us because legends never die.”

JESSICA LAPE-SCHWAB

“I was born on a Sunday after a rain out and I was back here six days old the next Saturday,” Lape-Schwab said. “We won the track championship that year so clearly, I’m a good luck charm. I would like to share the perspective of a driver’s daughter. Others may see a driver, a promoter, a Champ Car Fabricator, a speed shop owner, a competitor, but truly I just see my dad.”

“Growing up in my family was so different than other people that I knew. Typically, people would go to work and come home at the end of the day. My dad worked from home in the garage so he could make my school lunches, remind me to pick up my room, and welcome me home after school.”

“My parents worked as a team with the same goal and success. In my house I learned to be part of a team. My mother Jackie was a significant team member to my dad. On Saturday nights when we were here at Fonda and able to celebrate together that made the most precious memories. My parents modeled how marriage and life is a team sport.”

“Racing has taught me the significance of kindness, gratitude, help, communication, and the value of relationships that are developed during a life. Racing is a family, let’s keep working together towards a goal to keep this sport alive and thriving.”

JACKIE LAPE

“David’s goal when he wasn’t as competitive as he wished he could be, was to just be here at Fonda, and there are probably a few people that got a little sick on the one lap Lape,” she said. “But he didn’t care because he was here, he wanted to make it to 50 years at his home away from home, so we kept going and we made the best of it and I’m glad we did that.”

“What I want to say is that we were most excited and happy that Fonda Speedway was back. We watched it for years going downhill but look at what Brett (Deyo) has done, look at this track, look at this place. Brett, I hope that you are here for 50 years and thank you, I am so proud.”

ED BIITTIG SR.

“With Dave being here for 50 years, one of the drivers that never left, he never went out on the road or somewhere else on a Saturday night, the only time he left was when there was a race somewhere else,” Biittig Sr. said. “Otherwise, David Lape was here, if David Lape had chosen to race rough like others, he may have had 200 wins. But he chose to drive his car in the hauler every night and not have it in pieces.”

“He had respect for everyone that was involved in racing. As far as I’m concerned, there were three amigos here and now they are all in heaven. Lou (Lazzaro), Jack (Johnson), and David (Lape), those three did so much for this speedway, they are the history of this speedway.”

“If you want to know something that you can do in Memory of David Lape between now and next spring when we return to this racetrack, get a piece of paper out and write 1-22 on it. Then do 22 acts of random kindness of any kind whether it be to shovel a person’s sidewalk, walk a person’s dog, making sure that a neighbor has groceries, anything.”

“It is one of those things that we can do for the Memory of David Lape and that is very important because he was so very important to this place Fonda Speedway. David Lape was this speedway, and he gave so much of his life to it.”

RON SZCZERBA

Although I didn’t say anything about my friend and my hero Dave Lape the evening of his tribute at the track, I’d like to share some thoughts about him now.

When I was 10 years old my brother Jim took me to the Fonda Speedway for the first time. At the time my brother was driving a 1969 Camaro and when we got to the track, I identified Dave by the car that he was driving at the time. It was the red, white, & blue #22 Camaro that looked just like my brother’s car except for the colors. I became an instant fan and added a hero to the list that included my father, my brother, and my other family members.

From that point on the Fonda Speedway became my Saturday night home (and it still is) and I couldn’t wait to get there every Saturday night to watch my hero Dave Lape compete. It was also precious time spent with my brother who took me everywhere with him when I was a kid. Every Saturday I would buy a Gater Racing News and an Area Auto Racing News and read them cover to cover when we got home from the races on Saturday nights.

I started a scrapbook and pasted in it all of the Dave Lape photos that I could find in those papers along with stories about races that he had won at any tracks that he competed at. When he won what was then called the Schaffer Qualifier at Fonda back on 7/31/1973 I purchased a photo of Dave and the Cadillac bodied car that he was driving at the time in victory lane and believe it or not got up enough nerve to go up and ask Dave for his autograph on the picture.

I still have the photo and for those of you that know me I am not one of the most outgoing or outspoken people out there, so it took a lot of nerve for me to go up and ask him for that autograph. Once I got the photo in a frame, I put it up on my dresser in my room with two checkered flags hanging behind it on the wall. It was my own personalized Dave Lape display.

In the month of June 1999, I was writing for Tracy Paige for Redline Magazine and had the chance to interview Dave about his racing career. I remember being just as nervous going to do that interview as I was when I asked him for his autograph on that picture of him and his race car back in 1973. It was a day that I’ll never forget, along with the day that Dave took a picture with me when he had his rebuilt #44B race car at the Fonda Speedway Museum and other memories that come to mind when I think of my racing hero Dave Lape.

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – NASCAR or any of the big league motorsports sanctions had nothing on the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway on Saturday evening as they had all of the pageantry and special ceremonies as well including a tribute to the late Dave Lape, the starting field lined up on the front straightaway, driver introductions with the drivers walking down in front of the grandstands as they were introduced to greet the fans, a four wide salute by the starting field, and the vintage race cars of CD Coville, Jack Johnson, and David Lape pacing the field.

Then it was time to race in the prestigious Fonda 200 presented by Southside Beverage which saw its share of different strategies and twists and turns during the long-distance race. When the checkered flag flew it was “Super” Matt Sheppard the winner of the $53,000 prize in what he called the “crown jewel that we were looking for.”

Also in action on Saturday evening was the Swagger Factory Apparel STSS Crate 602 Sportsman with Cody Clark taking home the top prize after having to repair damage to the car when the left side short rod bracket got ripped off of the frame of the car taking all of the other parts on the left side of the car with it during his qualifying event. The crew was able to get it all back together allowing Clark to take home the win in the event.

The tribute to Dave Lape started off the evening with more on that coming later in a separate release. Pastor Greg Nitz said the prayer followed by the singing of the Canadian National Anthem by Joe Kriss. Mimi Lazzaro performed the National Anthem as the crowd sang along with her in a touching moment and then it was race time.

The top three starters Stewart Friesen, Bobby Hackel IV, and Max McLaughlin were three wide through turns one and two at the start with Friesen taking the lead going down the backstretch. The yellow was out with no laps completed for the Ultimate Underdog event winner from Thursday evening Jack Lehner going hard into the tire wall in turn three. His car sustained heavy damage but fortunately he walked away from the wreck.

Friesen led on the restart with fifth place starter Mike Mahaney the new second place car and when lap traffic came into play on lap five Mahaney was able to close in on Friesen. The action started getting hot and heavy after a caution on lap 16 with Anthony Perrego the new third place car after starting fourth. Laps 30-36 saw four changes to the race lead starting with Mahaney who took the lead from Friesen on lap 30 on the inside of the backstretch.

Perrego also got by Friesen for the second position at that point and took over the race lead briefly on lap 33 at the line to complete the lap. Friesen never dropped too far back however and went three wide around the outside of both Mahaney and Perrego to take the lead back two laps after that. Lap traffic made these passes for the lead very difficult but kept the leader close to the other competitors with Mahaney getting the lead back from Friesen on lap 36.

Everybody settled in at that point with the top five at the quarter race mark consisting of Mahaney, Perrego, Friesen, McLaughlin, and 11^th place starter Matt Sheppard. On a restart after a lap 65 caution, Mahaney continued to lead the event while Friesen fell back to the ninth position. Mahaney held a straightaway lead on lap 77 with all cars racing around the bottom of the track at that point.

During a caution flag period on lap 89, Mahaney decided to go to the hot pit for adjustments to his race car handing the lead over to Perrego who led through to the halfway point with Sheppard the new second place car followed by McLaughlin, 23^rd place starter Danny Varin, and Friesen who fought his way back into the top five.

At the halfway point competitors had a choice to either go to the infield for fuel only and a tire pressure adjustment or go to the hot pit for tires and adjustments to the race car. The first driver to go to the infield was Billy Decker who came out first as the leader of the second half after track prep was completed.

Decker led the next seven laps until lap 108 when Marc Johnson who also pitted on the infield and came out third for the restart, took the lead on the inside of Decker at the line to complete the lap. Decker was able to retake the lead three laps later but that was only for a brief time as Johnson went to the outside of him in turn four on lap 115.

At that point Sheppard, who restarted the second half of the race in the 13^th position, was moving his way to the front, getting by Mahaney for the third position on lap 117. Sheppard was the new second place car two laps later after getting by Decker with Johnson now out to a straightaway lead. A yellow flag on lap 132 slowed the field and took away the big lead that Johnson had built up. On the restart, Sheppard took over the lead after getting by Johnson on the outside of turns three and four.

Lap 150 saw another caution slowing the field and under the caution Friesen went to the hot pit, coming out in 16^th place for the restart. The yellow was back out on the restart, this time for Friesen, who went up in smoke on the front stretch ending his day. Mahaney and Perrego both got by Johnson for the second and third positions on the restart with only one more caution flag slowed the field through the last 50 laps.

The final caution came out with 10 laps to go with a single file restart putting Sheppard under control of the race followed in the top five by Perrego, Mahaney, Danny Varin, and Johnson in the top five. Sheppard got out of the groove in turns one and two with only a few laps to go allowing Perrego to close in down the backstretch, but then Perrego slipped up in turns three and four allowing Sheppard to get away and take the big win in the Hurlock Auto & Speed Supply #9 Bicknell car.

“I’m not really sure what happened,” Sheppard told Chris Moore in victory lane regarding the last few laps of the event. “I felt pretty comfortable but there with three or four laps to go I felt like the thing dropped down on the left rear and I thought that I was getting a flat tire. I was scared to death but then it kind of took back off.”

“We had a decent car all weekend, decent but not really good enough to win,” Sheppard continued. We just kept working on it and working on it and took one last stab at it during the halfway break. This thing came to life in the second half of the race, and I finally found the balance that I was looking for. Such a great season, and I can’t say enough about this whole team, but I can’t wait to see my picture on this trophy with all of the other winners.”

“He (Sheppard) really missed it in turns one and two there that one time and we closed in on him pretty good but down in three and four we got a little bit tight, and he gained on us,” Perrego said after finishing second. “Our car rolled really good there in the second half, but we were a little better in the first half. Obviously, a great night for us though to come home second. I was just biding my time, trying to be patient. I overdrove it one lap and fell one spot short.”

“Or you could say that I just got pushed out of the way,” Mahaney said regarding a pass by Sheppard after Chris Moore asked him about the top two cars making better adjustments than him at the halfway point. “They were a little faster, I felt like we were better in the first half of the race. That sure was a crap shoot when you sit there, you already made changes to the car, and then they do track prep. That’s a tough one and a real serious challenge so live and learn I guess.”

Bobby Varin was named the Hard Charger of the event after starting 40^th and finishing 11^th saying “We didn’t have the fastest car; I wish it was a little bit quicker but coming from 40^th to 11^th that’s not a bad run. Hats off to my crew, after blowing a motor on Thursday they busted their ass on this car for two days straight.”

The 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel STSS Crate 602 Sportsman feature began with Cody Clark leading after the luck of the draw placed him on the pole position for the start. Fifth place starter Troy Zilles moved into the second position on lap four with the caution out at that point for Tanner Warner who was in the wall in turns one and two.

Clark chose the outside for the restart and held the lead with sixth place starter Payton Talbot moving up to the third position on lap nine after getting by Jeremy Tyrrell. Clark was in lap traffic on lap 11 when the caution came out again, with Clark again choosing the outside on the restart. Zilles was the new race leader on the restart with 16^th place starter Tim Hartman Jr. the new third place car behind Clark.

One more caution came out on lap 16 and this time Clark got the best of the restart, taking the lead away and going on for the win in the Upstate Motorsports #4 DKM car, his fourth of the season and the 17^th of his career at Fonda. Zilles, Hartman Jr., 12^th place starter Michael Ballestero, and Talbot completed the top five.

“When I came in after the heat race, I had no idea if we were gonna be able to make it out for the feature,” Clark said in victory lane. “All the guys from DKM along with guys from other race teams came over to help, it’s amazing how other people come and help out everybody. We’ve had a decent year in my book, a lot of bad luck more than anything, we put a lot of preparation coming into this race, all we wanted to do is win and end the year on a good note, so we were able to do that.”

Keep track of off-season news and plans for the 2023 racing season by going to the Fonda Speedway website or Facebook page.

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 www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

DATE – 9/17/2022 DAY 3 OF THE 2022 FONDA 200 WEEKEND PRESENTED BY SOUTHSIDE BEVERAGE

STSS SUNOCO MODIFIED “FONDA 200” FEATURE – 200-LAPS – $53,000 TO WIN – MATT SHEPPARD, Anthony Perrego, Mike Mahaney, Danny Varin, Marc Johnson, Billy Decker, Andy Bachetti, Jessica Friesen, Max McLaughlin, Brian Gleason, Bobby Varin, Rocky Warner, David Schilling, Tyler Dippel, Chris Curtis, Alex Yankowski, JaMike Sowle, Brian Pessolano, Mat Williamson, Jimmy Horton, Payton Talbot, Stewart Friesen, Alan Johnson, Dave Constantino, Ronnie Johnson, Nick Heywood, Allison Ricci, Bobby Hackel IV, Aaron Jacobs, Matt DeLorenzo, Ryan Godown, Brett Haas, JR Hurlburt, Tucker O’Connor, Jeff Trombley, Craig Hanson, Darwin Greene, Danny Creeden, Tim Fuller, Jack Lehner, Demetrious Drellos (DQ Weight)

1^st win of 2022 and the fifth of his career in the division for Sheppard at Fonda

LAP LEADERS – 1-29 Stewart Friesen, 30-32 Mahaney, 33-34 Perrego, 35 Stewart Friesen, 36-89 Mahaney, 90-100 Perrego, 101-107 Decker, 108-110 Marc Johnson, 111-114 Decker, 115-134 Marc Johnson, 135-200 Sheppard

“B” MAIN RACE WINNERS – Dippel, Horton

DID NOT QUALIFY – Scott Huber, Ryan Darcy, Jason Reome, Nick Stone, Neil Stratton, Danny Johnson, Matt Sobiech, Tanner Warner, Ancel Collins, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Daniel Morgiewicz, Jeremy Slosek

STSS SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-LAPS – CODY CLARK, Troy Zilles, Tim Hartman Jr., Michael Ballestero, Payton Talbot, Steve Davis, Troy Palmer, Brendan Gibbons, Chad Edwards, Jeremy Tyrrell, Stephen Gray, Chip Constantino, Mark Mortensen, Jeremy Slosek, Dan Santabarbara, Dylan Madsen, Tyler Peet, Michael McCallion, Kyle Dingman, Jason Greco, Tim Deffer, Ben Feldman, Matthew Perry, Michael Arnold, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Carter Gibbons, Clayton DuMond, Travis Green, Harry Shaffer, Tanner Warner

4^th win of 2022 and the 17^th of his career in the division for Clark

LAP LEADERS – 1-11 Clark, 12-16 Zilles, 17-25 Clark

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Madsen, Talbot, Palmer, Tyrrell, Shaffer, Ballestero

CONSOLATION RACE WINNERS – Brendan Gibbons, Davis, Mark Mortensen

DID NOT QUALIFY – Jason Reome, Blaine Klinger, Karl Barnes, Dale VanAllen, Dale Welty, Brian Borst, Joe Williams, Brett Mortensen, Gerard LeClair, Ron Proctor, Wesley Sutliff, Michael Kalkbrenner, Greg Crooker, Walt Henry, Corky Warner, Josh Kane, Bob Fachini, Doug Kline, Griffen Mansmith, Adam Taft, John Santolin, Garrett Poland, Greg Havlichek, Don Bellen, Chris Kugler, David Hackett Jr., Tim Dwyer, Joey Scarborough, Zach Dufel, Clyde Peek

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Stephen Gray +15 positions 26^th to 11^th

STSS SUNOCO MODIFIED QUALIFYING RACE #1 FOR THE FONDA 200 – 15-LAPS – $500 BONUS THANKS TO PARKS COMPANIES LLC – 7 QUALIFY – 3 REDRAW – BILLY DECKER, Ryan Godown, Jack Lehner, Payton Talbot, JaMike Sowle, Marc Johnson, Matt DeLorenzo, Scott Huber, Ryan Darcy, Josh Reome, Aaron Jacobs, Rocky Warner, Jeremy Slosek (DNS), Nick Stone (DNS)

$100 BONUS FOR THE HIGHEST FINISHING FONDA SPEEDWAY REGULAR FROM THE GANG IN SECTION 8 – PAYTON TALBOT

STSS SUNOCO MODIFIED QUALIFYING RACE #2 FOR THE FONDA 200 – 15-LAPS – $500 BONUS THANKS TO FASTLINE PERFORMANCE – 7 QUALIFY – 3 REDRAW – STEWART FRIESEN, Jessica Friesen, Andy Bachetti, Alan Johnson, Brian Gleason, Danny Creeden, Nick Heywood, Jimmy Horton, Tucker O’Connor, Brian Pessolano, Danny Johnson, Bobby Varin, Craig Hanson

$100 BONUS FOR THE HIGHEST FINISHING FONDA SPEEDWAY REGULAR FROM THE GANG IN SECTION 8 – BRIAN GLEASON

STSS SUNOCO MODIFIED QUALIFYING RACE #3 FOR THE FONDA 200 – 15-LAPS – $500 BONUS THANKS TO UPSTATE AUTOMOTIVE – 7 QUALIFY – 3 REDRAW – MAX MCLAUGHLIN, Anthony Perrego, Matt Sheppard, Mat Williamson, Ronnie Johnson, Danny Varin, Tim Fuller, Tyler Dippel, David Schilling, Allison Ricci, Brett Haas, JR Hurlburt, Matt Sobiech

$100 BONUS FOR THE HIGHEST FINISHING FONDA SPEEDWAY REGULAR FROM THE GANG IN SECTION 8 – RONNIE JOHNSON

STSS SUNOCO MODIFIED QUALIFYING RACE #4 FOR THE FONDA 200 – 15-LAPS – $500 BONUS THANKS TO DAVE PRIME JR. MAC TOOLS – 7 QUALIFY – 3 REDRAW – BOBBY HACKEL IV, Mike Mahaney, Demetrious Drellos, Dave Constantino, Alex Yankowski, Chris Curtis, Jeff Trombley, Darwin Greene, Tanner Warner, Ancel Collins, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Daniel Morgiewicz, Neil Stratton

$100 BONUS FOR THE HIGHEST FINISHING FONDA SPEEDWAY REGULAR FROM THE GANG IN SECTION 8 – DEMETRIOUS DRELLOS

ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – 25-LAPS – KENNY GATES, Beau Ballard, Josh Coonradt, Ivan Joslin, Slater baker, Frank Twing, Jim Normoyle, Gary Silkey, Zach Sorrentino, Kyle Weller, Jeff McPhail, Steve LaRochelle, Caden Dumblewski, Mike Baker, Dillon Vanston, John Holmes, AJ Walters, Don Collins, Randy Cosselman, Chuck Dumblewski

1^st win of the 2022 season and the 86^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Gates

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Ballard, 5-6 Baker, 7-25 Gates

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Ballard, Coonradt

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – 15-LAPS – BRANDON ELY (DOHC), KEN HOLLENBACK (SOHC), Kerrie Hollenback, Billy Hillman, Jay Ingersol, Bruce Liddle, Steve Burbank, Kyle Lanfear, Dale Van Allen, Jamie Warner, Jordan Ryder, Chad Hoffman, Todd Morey, Dustin Cameron, Chris Jennings Sr., Chris Hall, John Ray, Keith Tesiero Jr., Blaze Post, Kyle Coley (DNS)

$50 BONUS FROM UPSTATE AUTO FOR BOTH THE SOHC (KEN HOLLENBACK) & DOHC (BRANDON ELY) WINNERS

17^th win of the 2022 season and the 85^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Ken Hollenback

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

LAP LEADERS – 1 Burbank, 2-3 Ken Hollenback, 4 Ely, 5 Ken Hollenback, 6-15 Ely

STREET STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – ADAM TRANKA ($500 BONUS FROM STONE MOTORSPORTS/ONLINE PERFORMANCE), Jason Samrov ($300 BONUS FROM STONE MOTORSPORTS/ONLINE PERFORMANCE), Matt Mosher ($200 BONUS FROM STONE MOTORSPORTS/ONLINE PERFORMANCE), Ray Pierre Jr., Cliff Haslun, Jason Barrett, Lou Gancarz, Even Denue, Josh Samrov, Greg Brockway, Isaac Hirsch, Bob Gibson, Matt Wells, Dave Horning Sr., Chris Murray (DQ Illegal Exhaust)

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

LAP LEADERS – 1-20 Murray (DQ Illegal Exhaust)

CRSA SPRINT CAR FEATURE – 20-LAPS – MIKE KISER, Jeff Trombley, Jordan Hutton, Thomas Radivoy, Dalton Herrick, Tomy Moreau, Kyle Pierce, Billy Vaninwegen, Dana Wagner, Trevor Years, Timmy Lotz, Mike VanPelt, Mark Taylor, Darryl Ruggles, James Layton, Link Pettit, John Cunningham (DNS), Aaron Shelton (DNS), Ron Greek (DNS)

1^st win of 2022 and the 5^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Kiser moving him to the top of the All-Time Win List at Fonda for the CRSA Sprint Cars

LAP LEADERS – 1-2 Moreau, 3-6 Hutton, 7-14 Trombley, 15-20 Kiser

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Moreau, Vaninwegen

ARNOLD AINSWORTH DASH FOR CASH FOR THE TOP SIX IN STSS HALMAR ELITE SERIES POINTS – 6-LAPS – RYAN GODOWN ($450), Matt Sheppard ($250), Stewart Friesen ($100), Max McLaughlin, Jimmy Horton, Mat Williamson

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Day 1 of the 2022 Fonda 200 weekend presented by Southside Beverage saw the #2 Benson’s Pet Center Modified of Jack Lehner in victory lane for his first win of the 2022 season and the second of his career at Fonda. Lehner’s first win at Fonda was back on 5/1/2021 in the Nelson Motorsports #85 but last night the win came in his self-owned #2 powered by a motor borrowed from Paul Pinkerous.

“I have a lot of cool people that make this all happen for me and thanks to Paul Pinkerous, this is his motor that he let us use this week,” Lehner told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane.

The “Ultimate Underdog 33” was a race that allowed anyone, from any track, to participate in if they didn’t have a win during the 2022 racing season. It also allowed a few of the Crate 602 Sportsman competitors to get some track time and experience running with the Modifieds.

The other event held on Thursday evening was a 20-lap event for the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman cars and it was Kyle Dingman taking home the $1,100 win in the Sickler Construction car #1D. For Dingman it was his fourth win of the 2022 season and the sixth of his career in the division at Fonda.

Special thanks to Holmes & Kugler Towing who contributed $1,000 to the winner of the event making it a big $1,100 payday for the competitors in the division.

Pastor Greg Nitz said a prayer before Stephanie May performed the National Anthem during opening ceremonies. Great job by all of the 50/50 girls with the winner Aaron from Fonda, NY taking home the $1,349 prize!

Jimmy Horton led the first lap from his outside front row starting position with the yellow flag coming out just after the first lap was completed for Ryan Odasz who was in the turn two wall. On the restart, Bobby Hackel IV was the new race leader with Horton dropping all the way back to the sixth position, Hackel pulling away to a straightaway advantage by lap five.

JaMike Sowle started the event in the fifth position and was running fourth before making a great move on lap six to get around both Chris Curtis and Jack Lehner for the second position. When George Foley slowed in turn four on lap eight, Lehner who was running third on the restart made his move into the second position as he got by Sowle with Ronnie Johnson also getting by Sowle for the third position after starting 11^th.

The top three of Hackel, Lehner, and Johnson were nose to tail for the lead just before the halfway point in the event with Johnson getting by both Lehner and a lap car for the second position on lap 17. At the hallway point in the event Hackel, Johnson, Lehner, Sowle and 15^th place starter Tanner Warner were in the top five with the race for the lead becoming a very interesting one as lap traffic came into play.

Johnson and Lehner both made a strong bid for the lead just past the halfway point when the lap car of Matt Sobiech was right in front of the leader with Johnson and Lehner looking for a way to get by both the lap car and Hackel for the lead. Hackel maintained the lead at that point after getting to the outside of the lap car with Johnson and Lehner also clearing Sobiech to continue their battle for the lead.

Warner’s great run came to an end on lap 18 when he suffered what looked like a flat tire, but it must have been more serious as he never re-entered the race from the hot pit. The top three continued their see saw battle to lap 22 when Lehner got by Johnson for the second position and began pressuring Hackel for the lead three laps later.

Coming out of turn four to complete lap 27, Lehner took the race lead away from Hackel and immediately pulled away to a straightaway advantage with only two laps to go. He led the rest of the way to Joe Kriss’ checkered flag for the win followed by Hackel, Johnson, Sowle, and 18^th place starter Tyler Dippel.

“That was definitely a lot of fun,” Lehner said in victory lane. “It got kind of hairy with the lap cars not being sure which way they were gonna go so I think that played a big part in it. Bobby was running a good race there running the bottom and sliding across the track, I was hoping that would fade for him when the track slickened up, I felt really good on the bottom, so it just worked out for us.”

“You had to pick your lane wisely, I was pretty tight early but as the race went on, I felt like I was getting better and better so it kind of fell at the right time in the right place for us,” Lehner continued saying. “The new lighting is awesome, usually you can’t see a whole lot on the top of turns two and three, and three and four is kind of dark but it is lit right up now. It’s great that Brett (Deyo) did that, he’s always trying to make it better.”

27 cars started the 20-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature with Lance Hill the early race leader. Second and fourth place starters Zach Dufel and Butchie Irwin made contact at the start with Irwin getting the second position while Dufel dropped back to third.

Two consecutive yellow flags slowed the field one lap into the event and on the single file restart the top two of Hill and Irwin pulled away from the third place running Dufel. When something broke on the left rear of the leading car of Hill, it brought out the caution and handed the lead over to Irwin on lap five.

On the restart, 10^th place starter Kyle Dingman took over the second position and at the halfway point it was Irwin, Dingman, Dufel, 16^th place starter Connor Prokop, and eighth place starter Michael Arnold in the top five. Dingman took the lead away on a lap 11 restart ad pulled away from the rest of the field.

With one lap to go the red flag was out after EJ Gallup rolled his car over in turn four but landed on all four wheels and kept on going. Other cars were involved as well causing the red flag condition. Dingman got a good restart and led the final lap to the big win followed in the top five by Irwin, Dufel, Arnold, and Michael Kalkbrenner.

“When I ended up getting up to second with Butchie (Irwin) there, I knew that he’s been doing this stuff for a long time,” Dingman said in F.X. Caprara Car Companies Victory Lane. “My only thinking was I knew he was gonna fire there at the first sign and I just had to drive it harder into the turn. He did that but it stuck for me, and I drove out to a lead and never looked back after that.”

“It got a little scary there during that red flag on the front stretch, but the car was awesome and went anywhere that I wanted it to,” Dingman continued to say. “Thank you to my crew and sponsors and everyone that helps me, this is my final Limited Sportsman race. I’m moving up to the regular sportsman division next year, so this is definitely the way to go out.”

Day two of the 2022 Fonda 200 Weekend presented by Southside Beverage continues today (Friday) with qualifying events for the STSS Sunoco Modifieds for the Fonda 200, The Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks, the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders, the Street Stocks, and the CRSA Sprint cars with racing beginning at 7:00 p.m.

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!

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 www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

DATE – 9/15/2022 DAY 1 OF THE 2022 FONDA 200 WEEKEND PRESENTED BY SOUTHSIDE BEVERAGE

SUNOCO MODIFIED “ULTIMATE UNDERDOG” FEATURE – 33-LAPS – $2,000 to win – JACK LEHNER, Bobby Hackel IV, Ronnie Johnson, JaMike Sowle, Tyler Dippel, Chris Curtis, Tucker O’Connor, Scott Huber, Jeff Trombley, Payton Talbot, Ancel Collins, Brian Pessolano, Ryan Darcy, Aaron Jacobs, Joe Williams, Brett Mortensen, Mark Mortensen, Matt Sobiech, Mark Pullen, Tanner Warner, Bobby Varin, Jimmy Horton, Nick Stone, George Foley, Vinnie Sanganetti, Ryan Odasz, Brett Hass, Stephen Gray, Allison Ricci, Jessica Friesen (DNS), Daniel Morgiewicz (DNS)

1^st win of 2022 and the second win of his career in the division for Lehner

LAP LEADERS – 1 Horton, 2-26 Hackel, 27-33 Lehner

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Sowle, Curtis, Varin

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-laps – $1,100 to win – $1,000 added to the winners share by Holmes & Kugler Towing – KYLE DINGMAN, Butchie Irwin, Zach Dufel, Mike Arnold, Michael Kalkbrenner, Nick Arnold, Timmy Wilmot, Mike Hill, Jonathan Feagles, Phil Arnold, AJ Greco, Corky Warner, Harold Robitaille, Walter Cook, Chris Kugler, Connor Prokop, Josh Kane, EJ Gallup, Wesley Sutliff, Colin Clow, Dale VanAllen, Russ Farr, Lance Hill, Cian DiMezza, Gus Kamberelis, Mark Lighthall, Tim Deffer (DNS)

4^th win of 2022 and the 6^th of his career in the division for Dingman

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Hill, 5-10 Irwin, 11-20 Dingman

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Irwin, Dingman, Michael Arnold