By: Ron Szczerba
Fonda, NY – Special events have become a normal happening on a weekly basis at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway. Saturday evening was no exception. On the racing card was the 18th running of the Hondo Classic for the Below Zero Ice Cream Pro Stock division, a prestigious event put on by Kelley and Kaitlyn Keefe honoring the late Hondo Carpenter who was a fan favorite to so many.
The event pays a lot of money to not only the winner but throughout the finishing order thanks to the sponsors and donations by friends of Hondo in a division that on a normal Saturday night produces the best race of the evening.
Along with the Hondo Classic the 2nd Annual BOBCO Memorial Dash was held, another special event honoring the late videographer Bob James, put on by Mark Krosky and a list of friends and sponsors that make the high paying event a prestigious one to win as well.
Both of these special events were won by Kenny Gates, his fourth win of the 2023 season, his 90th career win in the division at Fonda and the fourth Hondo Classic win of his career.
The luck of the draw placed Jason Morrison and Josh Coonradt on the front row of the 29-lap Hondo Classic event with Coonradt taking the lead from the outside pole position. At the completion of lap one, Shane Playford was the new second place car after starting third followed in the top five by fifth place starter Luke Horning, seventh place starter Beau Ballard, and eighth place starter Nick Stone.
Coonradt went between two lap cars on lap eight to maintain the lead with the yellow flag out on lap 11 for Slater Baker who was in the turn one wall. Another caution followed on the restart and the third try at the restart was single file with Coonradt maintaining the lead. At the halfway point in the event, Coonradt was the leader followed by Stone, Playford, Horning, and 12th place starter Kenny Gates.
Stone took the second spot away from Playford on lap 16 while Gates continued his march to the front, getting by Horning for the fourth position. Two more cautions slowed the field on laps 20 and 21 with Gates in the second position on the restart while ninth place starter Ivan Joslin was now third. Coonradt and Gates were side by side for the lead on lap 22 with Gates getting by Coonradt for the lead on the inside of turn four.
Gates led the remaining laps while Coonradt, Joslin, Stone, and Playford completed the top five.
“I can’t thank everyone that puts on this race enough,” Gates said in victory lane. “Kelley and Kaitlyn (Keefe) work their butts off on this event. It’s been a great race for a number of years, this is one we always circle, this is the big one for here at Fonda and I’m thrilled to death to be here. Coming from 12th I said oh boy, there’s a lot of good cars in front of me. We’ve had some bad luck this year a couple of weeks ago, but we turned it around.”
“Second place to Kenny Gates, he’s one of the best in the business,” second place finisher in the Hondo Classic Josh Coonradt said. “This track played to his favor tonight. I knew on the restart when I gave him the inside it was gonna be a challenge, but I knew that I had nothing on the bottom. I had to keep running the top and find any bite that I could. The track was phenomenal tonight and I’m very happy with second.”
“This one bites me all the time,” Honda Cassic third place finisher Ivan Joslin said. “To start ninth, have a good run, and pass all these guys, there’s a lot of good guys out there. Gates started rolling on the bottom, but my car was good on top, so I just had to get a rhythm going. I was getting closer and closer and just tried to keep going. It was good to have a good run here tonight.”
Kaitlyn Keefe threw the green flag to start the 2nd Annual BOBCO Memorial Dash with Josh Coonradt leading that event at the start. Kenny Gates started the event in the third position and took the lead away from Coonradt on lap three, leading the remaining laps for the dash event win.
Gates won a total of $1119 for the win followed by Coonradt ($759), Nick Stone ($509), Luke Horning ($409), Devon Camenga ($209), and Beau Ballard ($159). The winners share of the money included a $100 donation from the New York Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) for the first NYSSCA Member across the finish line which was Gates with all other drivers being NYSSCA members as well.
The purse money for the 2nd Annual BOBCO Dash was donated by Krash Menders, Elmo’s Speed & Supply, Bob & Tina Gamache, Don & Diane Champion in Memory of Craig, Don Kruger Motorsports, All In Printing & Designs, Premiere Landscaping, Friends of Bob James (BOBCO), Northeast Stock Car Old Timers (NESCOT), Bob Hackel Used Cars, Iron Outlaw Vintage Funny Car, Mark & Holly Krosky, BOBCO’S Family, Mom Louise, Sister’s Patty & Sandy.
“$1,119 that’s incredible,” Gates said about the payout after the BOBCO Memorial Dash win. “I’ve got every single win of mine on video from BOBCO, both VHS and DVD, and I love being able to get the old tapes out and watch them. Bob was a great guy, loved the sport, and loved this Pro Stock class. He was fun to talk to and I miss him.”
“This is the most I’ve made here all year,” second place dash finisher Josh Coonradt said after getting a check for $759. “When I had a good night Bob would leave me a video of it the next day so that I didn’t have to wait till the following week to get one. I talked to him a lot; he was a great guy.”
“This is probably the best paying race for not running all year long,” Stone said after his third place finish and $509 prize. “Finishing last you still leave with something. Great race to have, I look forward to it every year.”
Next Saturday, July 29 the CRSA Sprint cars will join all regular divisions on Parks Companies Night at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway.
Fonda Speedway Weekly Report
Miss any action from last week’s racing? The Fonda Speedway weekly report can take care of that. A 90 second summary of the previous Saturday racing action will air throughout the week across seven local radio stations including:
WCSS 1490 & 106.9 in Amsterdam/Schenectady
WIZR 930 & 102.9 in Johnstown/Fonda/Gloversville
WKAJ 1120 & 97.9 in St. Johnsville/Canajoharie
WYVS 96.5 in Speculator and the North Country
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.
BELOW ZERO ICE CREAM “HONDO CLASSIC” PRO STOCK FEATURE – 29-LAPS – KENNY GATES, Josh Coonradt, Ivan Joslin, Nick Stone, Shane Playford, Beau Ballard, Devon Camenga, Jason Morrison, AJ Walters, Jim Normoyle, Jay Casey, Caden Dumblewski, Jason Casey, Gary Silkey, Steve Gates, Michael Achzet, Jordan Modiano, Joe Wilson, Nick Hilt, Connor White, Luke Horning, Dean Charbonneau, Chuck Dumblewski, Ian Bressette, Jimmy Eaton, Nick Santuccione, Randy Cosselman, Slater Baker, Dan Krajewski
4th win of 2023 and the 90th of his career in the division at Fonda for Gates, 4th career win in the “Hondo Classic”.
LAP LEADERS – 1-22 Coonradt, 23-29 Gates
HEAT RACE WINNERS – Ballard, Stone, Horning
BOBCO MEMORIAL DASH – 5-LAPS – KENNY GATES, Josh Coonradt, Nick Stone, Luke Horning, Devon Camenga, Beau Ballard
18th ANNUAL HONDO CLASSIC
BONUS POSITION SPONSOR AMOUNT
Finishing Bonuses
Winner Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 100.00
Winner Finish The Martin Family 100.00
Winner Finish Irwin & Sons Farm 75.00
2nd Place Finish Bulldog Concrete 99.00
2nd Place Finish Kelley Keefe 25.00
3rd Place Finish Irwin & Sons Farm 75.00
3rd Place Finish Kelley Keefe 25.00
4th Place Finish Melissa Lazzaro in Memory of Lou Lazzaro 50.00
4th Place Finish Randy Cosselman 50.00
5th Place Finish Patty Gentile in memory of Bobby James 50.00
5th Place Finish Bobco Kenny 93 50.00
6th Place Finish Joslin Racing 70.00
7th Place Finish Irwin & Sons Farm 50.00
8th Place Finish Joslin Racing 50.00
9th Place Finish KKH Auto Sales 100.00
9th Place Finish Stone Motorsports 50.00
10th Place Finish Camenga Construction 50.00
10th Place Finish Gates Racing 35.00
11th Place Finish Camenga Construction 50.00
12th Place Finish Melissa Horton 29.00
13th Place Finish Haslun Racing 50.00
14th Place Finish Gates Racing 35.00
15th Place Start VanWert/Ballard Racing 25.00
15th Place Finish VanWert/Ballard Racing 25.00
16th Place Finish Bobco Kenny 93 25.00
17th Place Finish Bobco Kenny 93 25.00
18th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
18th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
19th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
19th Place Finish Joslin Racing 9.00
20th Place Finish Gates Racing 35.00
21st Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
21st Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
22nd Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
22nd Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
23rd Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
23rd Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
24th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
24th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
25th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
25th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
26th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
26th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
27th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
27th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
28th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
28th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
29th Place Finish In Memory of Bob James 9.00
29th Place Finish Joslin Racing 10.00
Lap Bonuses
Lap 1 Leader Mortensen 1B & 1M Racing 20.00
Lap 2 Leader Stone Motorsports 27.99
Lap 3 Leader Stone Motorsports 50.00
Lap 4 Leader Justin Grant 25.00
Lap 5 Leader Bulldog Concrete 50.00
Lap 6 Leader Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 20.00
Lap 7 Leader Stone Motorsports 27.99
Lap 8 Leader Stone Motorsports 27.99
Lap 8 Leader Leeann Achzet in Memory of Fonda HOF Lee Achzet 81.00
Lap 8 2nd Place Leeann Achzet 35.00
Lap 9 Leader J&J Racing and INOC DataCenters 50.00
Lap 9 Leader Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 20.00
Lap 10 Leader Justin Grant 25.00
Lap 11 Leader Justin Grant 25.00
Lap 12 Leader Melissa Horton 25.00
Lap 13 Leader Haslun Racing 50.00
Lap 14 Leader Stone Motorsports 50.00
Lap 15 Leader FireFly Creations In Memory of Wolfie (Kevin George) 50.00
Lap 15 Leader VanWert/Ballard Racing 25.00
Lap 15 15th Place VanWert/Ballard Racing 25.00
Lap 16 Leader Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 20.00
Lap 16 Leader Joslin Racing 20.00
Lap 17 Leader Cheesestick Paro 20.00
Lap 18 Leader Joslin Racing 20.00
Lap 19 Leader Joseph Williams In Memory of Big Joe Williams 20.00
Lap 19 Leader Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 20.00
Lap 20 Leader Stone Motorsports 50.00
Lap 21 Leader Joslin Racing 20.00
Lap 22 Leader Bulldog Concrete 50.00
Lap 23 Leader Fox23 Fast Tracks Alumni 23.00
Lap 24 Leader Snap On Tools – Chris Morris 20.00
Lap 24 Leader Rick LaGrange 25.00
Lap 25 Leader Stone Motorsports 50.00
Lap 26 Leader Aaron Burton 26.00
Lap 27 Leader Stone Motorsports 50.00
Lap 28 Leader Justin Grant 25.00
Lap 29 Leader Mary Berry in Memory of Brit Goss 25.00
SPECIAL AWARDS
Hondo’s Lunch Joe Achzet 40.00
Winner’s Check Joe Achzet
Victory Lane Sign Joe Achzet
Heat Races sponsored by J&J Racing/INOC DataCenters and paid as follows:
1st – $75 2nd – $50 3rd – $25
NYSSCA 9th Member Award – The New York State Stock Car Association will
reward the 9th NYSSCA member to cross the finish line with $100.
Hard Charger Award – The driver advancing the furthest from his starting position
will receive $100 from Stone Motorsports, $25 from VanWert & Ballard Racing
and $20 from Joslin Racing.
Stone Motorsports Hard Luck Award $100
VanWert & Ballard Hard Luck Award $25 to the driver that loses the most positions.
Krash’s Last Pass Bonus: $100 goes to the driver that is passed last for the lead,
resulting in the win. Courtesy of Krash Menders
Last Car to take the Checkers: $50 from Randy Cosselman
Special thanks to Ed Lamberton and Chatham Clothing for their sponsorship of our driver’s shirts.
Lap Leaders Heat Winners
Lap/Place Driver Heat 1:
1 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 1st 15 – Beau Ballard
2 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 2nd 35 – Ken Gates
3 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 3rd 3 – Shane Playford
4 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
5 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt Heat 2:
6 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 1st 8N – Nick Stone
7 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 2nd 110 – Devon Camenga
8 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 3rd 74N – Jim Normoyle
8 – 2nd 6 – Shane Playford
9 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt Heat 3:
10 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 1st 2H – Luke Horning
11 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 2nd 00X – Josh Coonradt
12 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 3rd 324 – Jason Casey
13 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
14 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
15 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt Hondo’s Lunch Money (Last Place Car)
15 -15th 75 – Gary Silkey 80 – Dan Krajewski
16 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
17 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
18 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt Hard Charger (w/ # of Positions)
19 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt 35 – Ken Gates – +11 – 12th to 1st
20 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
21 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt
22 – Leader 00X – Josh Coonradt Hard Luck Award
23 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates 9B – Slater Baker – Retired due to mechanical issues
24 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates
25 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates
26 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates 15th Place Starter
27 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates 57 – Joey Wilson
28 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates
29 – Leader 35 – Ken Gates
Ballard/VanWert Hard Luck Award (w/ # of Positions)
2H – Luke Horning – -16 – 5th to 21st
9th NYSSCA Member Across the Line
22W – AJ Walters
Last Car to Take the Checkers
5 – Connor White
BOBCO Dash
1st 35 – Ken Gates
2nd 00X – Josh Coonradt Krash’s Last Passed for the Win Bonus
3rd 8N – Nick Stone 00X – Josh Coonradt
4th 2H – Luke Horning
5th 110 – Devon Camenga
6th 15 – Beau Ballard
1st NYSSCA Member – BOBCO Dash
35 – Ken Gates