General information, rules and times have been posted for the upcoming Sunday, September 13 Montgomery County Open finale at Fonda Speedway.

Link: https://www.thefondaspeedway.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MontgomeryCountyOpenInfoSheet.pdf

The Track of Champions will host one final event for 2020!  The Montgomery County Open takes place Sunday, September 13.

Sunoco Modifieds with sail panels – $3,500 to win!
Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman – $1,000 to win!
Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks
Roberts Towing & Recovery Street Stocks
Four Cylinder Cruisers

Race time: 6 p.m. – LIVE ON www.dirttrackdigest.tv

Written by Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – This Saturday, August 15 a special racing program will take place at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway. Championship Night will crown champions in all racing divisions including the Sunoco Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, the Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks, the Robert’s Towing & Recovery Street Stocks, and the Four Cylinder Cruisers both single and dual cam.

The history of the Fonda Speedway makes it a special place to win a Track Championship and it is a prestigious award honoring drivers and crews who have worked hard all season long to achieve this goal. This year has been a different year at Fonda with the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the racing season and changing the face of racing at the “Track of Champions” to only a nine-race season to crown the champions.

All the above divisions will be in action at Fonda on Saturday along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) who will also crown Track Champions in their organization. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. with hot laps at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m. Grandstands and the Infield Drive-In for this event will be closed per New York State regulations but the event will be streamed LIVE exclusively on Dirt Track Digest TV (www.dirttrackdigest.tv).

A rather unique idea put forth by Fonda Speedway Victory Lane Announcer Mimi Lazzaro called “Mimi’s Bounty” will be up for grabs for any driver who can beat Stewart Friesen in the Sunoco Modified feature event on Saturday evening, providing Friesen is still in the race at the checkered flag on the lead lap.

The bounty as of the writing of this press release is up to $1,400 but if you would like to get involved there is still time just get ahold of Mimi on Facebook! If Friesen wins the event on Saturday evening at Fonda however, half the money will go to Friesen and the other half will go to the Crossroads Center for Children which is an Autism Awareness establishment in Schenectady, NY where Stewart and Jessica Friesen’s son Parker has attended.

Current people and businesses taking part in “Mimi’s Bounty” include Mimi Lazzaro herself, Gary Yurgans, Amanda’s Scentastical Scents, James Carroll, Rick Eignor, David Herrick, Jeff Carter, Derrick McGrew Jr. Racing, Chris Moore, “Momma Squirrel” Deb Ward, Joseph Laska, Dirt Track Digest, Gillespie Automotive, Fonda’s own 50/50 Girls, Mike Bohling, TKS Painting Services, Mimi’s Mom Sheila, the Grossetti Family, JoJo & George Bills, and JZ Loves Gasketcase.

Also just announced by Fonda Speedway promoter Brett Deyo is a Pro Stock Dash for Cash sponsored by Tom Hall and Mike Sowle who sit in the first turn tower every Saturday at Fonda. The purse for the Pro Stock Dash will be $800 with two cars from each of the heat races redrawing for a starting position in the six-lap event.

Payouts for the Pro Stock Dash will be as follows:

With two heat races (four cars) – $400, $200, $100, & $100

With three heat races (six cars) – $300, $200, $100, $100, $50, & $50

Looking at the point in all divisions going into Saturday evening here is the top five in each division and if they have a Track Championship in that division or any others at Fonda in the past it will be noted in parenthesis.

Sunoco Modifieds:

Michael Maresca 296 points, Stewart Friesen 290 points (Modified Track Championships at Fonda in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015), Rocky Warner 290 points (Modified Track Championship in 2019; Crate 602 Sportsman Track Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017; Pro Stock Championship in 2011: and Street Stock Championships in 2005 as Co-Champion and 2007), Matt DeLorenzo 280 points (Modified Track Championship in 2007, 358-Modified Championships in 2004 and 2006), David Schilling 246 points, and Modified Rookie Adam McAuliffe 235 points.

Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman:

Chad Edwards 326 points (Crate 602 Sportsman Track Championship in 2018), Joe Williams 302 points, JaMike Sowle 282 points, Brian Calabrese 270 points, and Brian Borst 264 points (358-Modified Track Championship in 2003).

Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman:

Brett Mortensen 270 points, Dylan Eldred 268 points, John Young 260 points (Street Stock Track Championships in 2017 and 2018), Kyle Dingman 220 points, and Harold Robitaille 210 points.

Algonkin Pro Stocks:

Nick Stone 321 points (Pro Stock Track Championship in 2014), Josh Coonradt 281 points (Street Stock Track Championship in 2016), Kenny Gates 271 points (Pro Stock Track Championships in 2004, Co-Champion in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, and 2018), Luke Horning 262 (Pro Stock Track Championship in 2019), and Beau Ballard 231 points.

Robert’s Towing & Recovery Street Stocks:

Jason Samrov 270 points (Street Stock Track Championship in 2019), Dave Horning Sr. 264 points (Street Stock Track Championships in 2006, 2014, and 2015), Al Relyea 248 points, Lou Gancarz 244 points, and Michael Arnold 240 points.

Four Cylinder Cruisers:

Single Cam – Ken Hollenback 228 points (Four Cylinder Track Championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2019) Zach McSpirit 210 points, Wayne Russell 190 points, Shawn Hemstreet 166 points, and Mike Lanoux 156 points.

Dual Cam Top 2 only – John Napoli 192 points, and David Peek-Britten 158 points.

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 on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

Written By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Presented by Moody Mile Motorsports, Moody Tree Farms, and Dirt Track Digest the 7-Come-11 special at Fonda was run on Wednesday evening for the Sunoco Modified division. The 30-lap, $3,711 to win event was the final race on the Fonda Speedway schedule until Saturday, August 15 when track champions are crowned in all divisions on “Championship Night”.

Also, in competition at Fonda on Wednesday were the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman and the Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks with the winners of those two events being Cody Clark and Nick Stone, respectively.

Mimi Lazzaro sang the National Anthem in opening ceremonies for the event which was televised live on Dirt Track Digest TV while the 50/50 girls were also busy selling tickets with the winner going home with a total of $582.

The 7 come 11 special didn’t start out too well for a few drivers as Jeff Heotzler, Danny Varin, and Pep Corradi all suffered either motor or other issues during the hot lap session which sidelined them for the evening. Larry Wight was also on hand debuting a brand new DKM “Cyclone” Chassis but contact with the wall in between turns one and two after a part failure made him get a backup #99L out of his trailer.

Stewart Friesen also had issues during his heat race which kept him out of the draw for starting positions for the feature, placing him 16^th on the grid at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag to start the event. Many thought that this would be the night that another driver would defeat Friesen in the feature event and take home “Mimi’s Bounty” which was worth $1,230 on top of the $3,711 winners share in the event on Wednesday evening.

They were wrong and now the bounty carries on until the August 15 event when they will again get a chance to defeat Friesen at his home track. If Friesen wins on August 15^th however, half the bounty will go to him while the other half will be donated to charity. Sponsors of “Mimi’s Bounty” will all be named after the August 15^th event as there will probably be some additional ones involved by then.

Paul Szmal, Jay Severson, and Jeff Ahlum were the announcing trio for the evening and when the initial green flag was dropped it was Sunoco Modified Rookie Adam McAuliffe taking the early lead after starting on the pole. Defending track champion Rocky Warner was the second-place car after both he and McAuliffe started on the front row for the event with mechanical issues slowing Warner in turn one just after lap one was completed. Warner was done for the evening at that point.

Another yellow flag slowed the field on lap three when invader Mat Williamson slowed on track and went to the hot pit to change a flat tire on the car. He restarted at the rear of the field with third place starter Billy Decker the new leader on the restart. The yellow flag was out again on lap four with Bobby Varin the new second place car on the restart. Decker held a straightaway advantage on lap seven until the caution came out and closed the field. Sixteenth place starter Friesen was in the fifth position at the time of the restart.

McAuliffe’s great run ended on lap eight when he slowed on track, pitted for a flat tire, and rejoined the rear of the field. On this restart Friesen was the new second place car and on lap 10 took the lead from Decker with a pass on the inside of turn four. At the halfway point in the event the top five consisted of Friesen, Decker, seventh place starter David Schilling, and 20^th place starter Michael Maresca.

Friesen was in heavy lap traffic at this point but that all changed when the final caution of the event came out on lap 21 for Brian Gleason who came to a stop in turn three. Maresca was able to get by Schilling for the fourth position on lap 24 with Schilling dropping out of the event one lap later ending his fine top five run.

No caution was thrown for Schilling allowing Friesen to pull away until lap traffic slowed him slightly with only two laps to go. It didn’t slow Friesen down enough for anyone to mount a challenge however as the Sprakers, NY resident took home the seventh win of the 2020 season in eight events and the 67^th of his career placing him into sole position of fourth place on the Fonda Speedway Modified All Time Win List.

Decker, Williamson who came all the way from the rear after pitting for a flat tire on lap three, Maresca, and 22^nd place starter Danny Johnson completed the top five in the event.

“Jay Castimore worked his butt off on tires tonight and the Integra Shocks also got a real workout tonight as well,” Friesen told Mimi Lazzaro in the Fuccillo Automotive Group Mike Cole Memorial Victory Lane as Stewart and Jessica Friesen’s son Parker celebrated on the roof with the checkered flag. “And we’re not done yet as we will be back here at Fonda on the 15^th.”

“I was running right through the center of turns one and two and made some hay there,” Friesen continued to say. “I really appreciate all of our Northeast fans and can’t wait until we can race with fans here again at Fonda.”

David Manchester and Cody Clark made up the front row for the $1,000 to win Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman with Manchester taking the early lead. Brian Borst brought out the first caution in the event after a single car wreck on the inside of turn three. Borst was not injured but was done for the evening at that point with heavy damage to his race car.

On the restart, Clark took over the lead with JaMike Sowle now in the second position while behind him defending Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Track Champion Tim Hartman Jr. went between Brian Calabrese and Manchester for the third spot on lap seven. Hartman went out of the race on lap 10 after breaking the suspension on the car in turns one and two while he was trying to mount a challenge on Sowle for the second spot.

The final caution flag flew on lap 19 and on the restart, Clark started to pull away leaving a great battle for the second position between Sowle and Calabrese the race to watch on track. Sowle and Calabrese swapped the second position many times after the race was restarted but when the checkered flag flew it was Clark sitting in victory lane in the Upstate Motorsports #4 Teo car after his second win of the 2020 season and the ninth of his career in the division.

Calabrese ended up second while Sowle, Manchester, and ninth place starter Tim Dwyer completed the top five.

“The track was pretty rough, but we were able to navigate it,” Clark said in victory lane. “We’ve been battling with this car all season and this week we changed bars and shocks and that worked. It definitely feels good anytime you stand in victory lane here at Fonda.”

The winners share of the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature was raised from $800 to $1,000 by a fan of the Pro Stock division at Fonda with Ivan Joslin leading lap one of the 20-lap event. Kenny Gates started the event in the third position, and he was the new race leader on lap two after getting by Joslin on the inside of turn four.

Nick Stone started the event in the seventh position and was the new third place car on lap three after he and defending Algonkin Motel Pro Stock Luke Horning both got by Joslin for the second and third spots. Stone was able to pass Horning for the second position and started to apply heavy pressure on Gates for the race lead on lap six.

The halfway point showed Gates, Stone, Horning, Joslin, and Pro Stock Rookie Tanner Warner in the top five but that all changed two laps later when Stone got by Gates on the inside of turn four after Gates slipped high out of the groove in the turn. The race to the win was between the top two cars of Stone and Gates until the checkered flag as they were a straightaway ahead of the third-place car of Horning.

Gates pressured Stone heavily over the last three laps of the event but Stone hung on for his sixth win out of seven events at Fonda in 2020 with Gates, Horning, Joslin, and fifth place starter Andy Graves completing the top five in the event at the checkered flag.

“I was able to get by Kenny (Gates) on the bottom when he slipped up in turn four,” Stone said in victory lane. “But after trying the outside I knew that I had better get back down to the bottom because Kenny like to run down there.”

The next race at Fonda will be “Championship Night” on Saturday, August 15 when “Mimi’s Bounty” will again be available to any driver who can defeat Friesen in the Sunoco Modified feature event. Championships will be crowned in all divisions on the 15^th with any further announcements being made on the Fonda Facebook page or the track website.

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 on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – 7 COME 11 SPECIAL – $3,711 TO WIN – 30-LAPS – STEWART FRIESEN, Billy Decker, Mat Williamson, Michael Maresca, Danny Johnson, Jessica Friesen, Bobby Varin, Matt DeLorenzo, Jack Lehner, JR Hurlburt, Mike Mahaney, Brian Gleason, Ricky Davis III, Rich Christman, David Schilling, Darwin Greene, Danny Tyler, Dave Constantino, Adam McAuliffe, Craig Hanson, Andy Bachetti, Larry Wight, Brian Pessolano, Brian Calabrese, Aaron Jacobs, Steve Akers, Rocky Warner, Kailee Dimorier, Danny Varin (DNS), Pep Corradi (DNS), Jeff Heotzler (DNS)

LAP LEADERS – 1-3 McAuliffe, 4-9 Decker, 10-30 Friesen

HEAT RACE WINNERS – $50 to each Sunoco Modified heat race winner from Tyrrell Racing – Hanson, Schilling, Warner

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – $1,000 TO WIN – 25-LAPS – CODY CLARK, Brian Calabrese, JaMike Sowle, David Manchester, Tim Dwyer, Mike Ballestero, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Thomas VanVorst, Michael McCallion, Griffen Mansmith, Don Bellen, Tim Hartman Jr., Joe Williams, David Dickey, Mark Mortensen, EJ McAuliffe, Kyle Dingman, Joel Knudsen Jr., Brendan Gibbons, Dan Santabarbara, Tucker O’Connor, Brian Borst, Spencer Rapp, Kathy Bellen (DNS), Dana Camenga (DNS), Chad Edwards (DNS), Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald (DNS)

LAP LEADERS – 1 Manchester, 2-25 Clark

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Dwyer, Calabrese, Sowle

ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – $1,000 TO WIN THANKS TO AN ANONYMOUS FAN ADDING AN ADDITIONAL $200 – 20-LAPS – NICK STONE, Kenny Gates, Luke Horning, Ivan Joslin, Andy Graves, Beau Ballard, Tanner Warner, Steve Cosselman, Josh Coonradt, Bill Knapp, Shane Playford, Devon Camenga, Don Collins, Jason Morrison, David Demorest, David Emigh, Justin Knight, Randy Cosselman (DNS), Alden Demorest (DNS), Jim Normoyle (DNS)

LAP LEADERS – 1 Joslin, 2-11 Gates, 12-20 Stone

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Graves, Stone

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – On Wednesday, Aug. 5, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway will host the “7-Come-11” special event featuring the Sunoco Modifieds, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman and Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks. Moody Mile Motorsports – through Moody Tree Farm and Niederbuhl Bros. LLC – and Dirt Track Digest present this midweek event streamed LIVE exclusively on Dirt Track Digest TV (www.dirttrackdigest.tv).

Grandstands and the Infield Drive-In for this event will be closed per New York State regulations. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. Hot laps get the green flag at 6:30 p.m., with racing at 7:15 p.m. Pit admission is $35 (Non-Members) and $30 (Members).

On Saturday, August 1 the Fonda Speedway was back in action after a two week break and history was made that night by the Friesen family, Stewart, and Jessica. Stewart won his sixth feature event of the 2020 season at Fonda and the 66^th of his career at the “Track of Champions” in the Sunoco Modified division moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the All Time Win List. He also has single wins during his career at Fonda in a 360-Sprint Open event along with one victory each in both the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) and Patriot Sprint events.

Jessica on the other hand finished second behind her husband last Saturday at Fonda after both started back in the sixth row of the 30-lap main event. That was the first time in Fonda Speedway history that a husband and wife have finished first and second in a feature event at the “Track of Champions”. Jessica also has a victory at Fonda in a 360-Sprint Open event along with a win in an Empire Super Sprint (ESS) event during her racing career at Fonda.

And the talk of the week has probably been what if there were a caution last Saturday in the feature event at Fonda? Could Jessica have possibly beat her husband? Can she do it this Wednesday and collect “Mimi’s Bounty” which is a bounty started by Mimi Lazzaro for anyone who can beat Stewart at Fonda this Wednesday? It will be a great time to get the event live on Dirt Track Digest TV and find out if Jessica or anyone else can beat Stewart at his home track.

One thing is for sure, Stewart and Jessica are both great drivers who put on a great show for the fans who watched the event live on Dirt Track Digest TV last Saturday evening. And if either one of them were to win on Wednesday their son Parker would put on a show of his own in the Fuccillo Automotive Group Mike Cole Memorial Victory Lane!

On Wednesday, August 5 the Sunoco Modifieds will race 30 laps for a minimum of $3,000 to win. Drivers pre-registering for the event will receive an additional $711 in their pay envelope for a total of $3,711. Drivers can “cash in their chips” and pre-register by e-mailing the speedway at fondaspdwy@gmail.com. There is no cost to register for this event in advance. Modified heat winners will each receive $50 courtesy of Tyrell Racing.

Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman (25 laps, $1,000 to win, $100 to start) and Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks (20 laps, an anonymous fan of the Pro Stock division has boosted the winner’s share to $1,000 for Wednesday night, $75 to start).

All events will feature draw for starting positions with a redraw of top qualifiers for the main events. 25 show-up points will be awarded to track regulars attempting to qualify.

Fonda Speedway weekly rules apply.

As stated earlier, Mimi Lazzaro has started a bounty on Stewart Friesen named accordingly as “Mimi’s Bounty” for anyone who can beat Stewart at the Fonda Speedway on Wednesday, August 5. Anyone wishing to participate can reach Mimi on her 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 on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Stewart Friesen made another visit to the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway on Saturday evening and just as he did five other times this season ended up in the Fuccillo Automotive Group Mike Cole Memorial Victory Lane. After Saturday evenings racing program, Friesen has won six out of seven events at Fonda in 2020.

The race at Fonda on Saturday was the 1375^th Modified event held in the history of the “Track of Champions” with Friesen now fourth on the Modified All Time Win List with 66 victories in just 10 winning seasons, passing Bobby Varin for the spot on the win list after Saturday evenings victory which was worth $3,000 after a Dedicated Race Fan of the Fonda Speedway boosted the winners share in the event.

Other Dedicated Race Fan Bonuses handed out on Saturday evening were $100 to the fifth, 10^th, and 15^th place finishers in both the Sunoco Modified and Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature events. Those bonuses were collected by David Schilling (fifth), Roger Henion Jr. (10^th), and Ricky Davis III (15^th) in the Sunoco Modified feature and Rich Crane (fifth), David Emigh (10^th), and Andy Graves (15^th) in the Algonkin Pro Stock feature.

Competition Carburetion also presented $50 to the driver who set the fastest lap time in the feature events with those bonuses won by Dave Constantino (19.929), Tim Hartman Jr. (21.020), and Nick Stone (22.023) in the Sunoco Modified, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, and Algonkin Motel Pro Stock divisions respectively.

Uncle Harry’s Smokehouse also paid out a $50 bonus to the overall winner of the Four Cylinder Cruiser feature which was won by Cole Lawton.

Mimi Lazzaro sang the National Anthem before the racing action started which was streamed live by Dirt Track Digest TV who did a fantastic job with the coverage as the grandstand and infield were again closed due to New York State regulations.

The 50/50 was won by Carl Gray of Fort Plain and was worth $362!

The 30-lap Sunoco Modified feature began with Roger Henion Jr. as the early leader after Joe Kriss dropped the green flag on the event. Fourth place starter Dave Constantino took the lead away from Henion Jr. with a pass on the outside of turns three and four on lap three just before the red flag flew on lap four for a multi car pileup in turn two.

The wreck began when David Schilling got into the rear of Henion Jr. and got out of shape with many cars piling in as the track was blocked by the melee. Involved were point leader and defending Sunoco Modified Track Champion Rocky Warner, Danny Varin, Josh Hohenforst, and Scott Huber among others with Varin’s car ending up on top of the front end of Warner’s car.

Amazingly Warner was able to drive away to the hot pit area to make repairs and continue at the rear of the field. No drivers were injured in the jarring wreck.

Just after the race was restarted the red flag was out again, this time for Darwin Greene who was in the turn four wall by the Cow Palace. Greene was not injured but was done for the evening after the crash.

Constantino maintained the lead on the restart with Michael Maresca the new second place car. Maresca actually got by Constantino for the lead on lap seven at the finish line to complete the lap but Constantino was back in the lead as the cars went down the backstretch as he was able to get back by Maresca for the point.

Stewart Friesen started the event in the 12^th position and by lap 10 had gotten by Schilling for the third position, making it a three-way battle for the lead between Constantino, Maresca, and Friesen. On the outside of turns one and two at the halfway point in the event, Maresca passed Constantino for the lead but that only lasted one lap as Friesen got by both for the lead one lap later.

But there was another Friesen who was having a great run in the feature after starting alongside her husband in row six, Jessica Friesen who was in the top five when her husband Stewart took the lead. As Stewart pulled away to yet another victory, all attention was on Jessica who picked off cars one by one to get into the second position on lap 21 after getting by Maresca.

That is how they would finish at the drop of the checkered flag with Stewart taking the win in the Halmar #44 Bicknell car while Jessica settled for second in the One Zee Tees #1Z Bicknell car. Maresca, Constantino, and Schilling completed the top five.

“It’s been a good run for us in July and hopefully we can keep it going,” Stewart Friesen said in victory lane as his son Parker celebrated on the roof of the race car. “First and second for the team is great, we had some motor issues with Jessica’s car but were able to straighten it out.”

“The track was good, its been different every week, tonight it blew off and slicked up more than I thought it would,” Friesen continued to say. “I love it here at Fonda, and I’m looking forward to when we can have fans in the stands again.”

Mimi Lazzaro announced that she is starting a bounty on Stewart Friesen starting with the race on Wednesday, August 5. She put up $100 to start and anyone can join in by getting in touch with her on Facebook.

The 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman feature began with Brendan Gibbons leading from his outside pole position start with division rookie Michael McCallion in tow. Brian Borst started the event in the fifth position, was up to third on lap two, and three laps after that he was the new race leader after getting by both McCallion and Gibbons.

Defending Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Track Champion Tim Hartman Jr. started the event in the eighth position and by lap five was in the second position with seventh place starter Brian Calabrese just behind in third. Borst was in lap traffic by lap 13 with the one and only caution out one lap later for Kevin Chaffee who was in the turn four wall. He was not injured in the accident.

Borst continued to lead on the restart with Hartman Jr. trying to find a way by for the lead. On lap nine Hartman Jr. made his move on the outside of turn four to take the lead in the event and from that point on he led the remaining laps for his first win of the 2020 season and the 12^th of his career in the division over Calabrese, Borst, 11^th place starter Joe Williams, and 12^th place starter Chad Edwards.

“This is just a relief,” Hartman Jr. said in victory lane after exiting the Parillo Services #22 car. “I’ve been struggling here at Fonda but have done well everywhere else. We found something with the car recently and went to Lebanon Valley and won so I was hoping it would work here and it did. I feel like this is my first career win again because we’ve been struggling so badly.”

Cody Clark was the winner of the Greco’s NAPA Hard Charger Award after advancing from his 24^th starting position to finish 10^th.

Harold Robitaille led at the start of the 20-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature from his outside front row starting position. By lap four Robitaille held a straightway lead with Stephen Gray closing in on the leader at the halfway point. Gray got the lead on lap 11 with a pass on the inside of the backstretch with sixth place starter Carter Gibbons the new second place car after he also got by Robitaille with five laps to go.

Tenth place starter Brett Mortensen was in the fourth position at that point and with only two laps to go got by Gibbons for the second position. Gray went on to win by a straightaway for his first career win in the division over Mortensen, Gibbons, eighth place starter Dylan Eldred, and ninth place starter Johnny Young.

Andy Graves was the early leader in the 20-lap Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature after starting on the pole with Beau Ballard in the second position after starting third. Graves and Ballard were side by side for the lead on lap four with Ballard able to get the lead away on the inside of turns one and two on lap five.

With three and four wide action throughout the field it was an exciting event with the first caution coming out on lap six with Luke Horning out of the event at that point while running in a top five position. Jim Normoyle was the new leader on the restart with 12^th place starter Nick Stone in the top five by lap seven.

The final yellow of the event was out on lap 10 for Graves who did a slow roll on to his roof in turn two. He was not injured in the wreck with Normoyle, leading on the restart while Stone advanced to the second position. Using the inside groove in between turns three and four, Stone took the lead away and went on to his fifth win of the season and the 51^st win of his career at Fonda, tying him with Todd Hoffman for the second position on the All Time Win List in the division. Seventh place starter Kenny Gates, Normoyle, Ballard, and 11^th place starter Rich Crane completed the top five in the feature event.

“This car is so much better here at Fonda then it is anywhere else,” Stone told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “I was just trying to be patient in the beginning with all the three and four wide action going on but once everyone fanned out it was okay. Each week everyone is getting better and better and once they catch up; we will have to make some adjustments to the car as well but right now we are right where we want to be.”

Dave Horning Sr. led the first three laps of the Robert’s Towing & Recovery Street Stock feature until defending track champion Jason Samrov took over the lead on lap four with a pass on the inside of turn four. Samrov went on to his second win of the season and the 15^th of his career in the division over Zach Sorrentino, Al Relyea, Lou Gancarz, and Horning Sr.

Ken Hollenback went from the 11^th starting position to the lead by the time lap one was completed in the Four Cylinder Cruiser feature with two cautions slowing the 15-lap event. With three laps to go, 14^th place starter Cole Lawton was the new second place car and on lap 14 Lawton got by Hollenback for the lead and went on to his first win of the season in the DOHC class while Ken Hollenback was the first SOHC car across the line.

On Wednesday, August 5 the Fonda Speedway will be back in action with a racing program called the 7 come 11 Special sponsored by Moody Mile Motorsports and Dirt Track Digest. In competition on Wednesday will be the Sunoco Modifieds competing for $3,711 to win in a 30-lap event, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman in a 25-lap $1,000 to win event and the Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks in a 20-lap event for $1,000 to win. The racing program will be broadcast exclusively on Dirt Track Digest TV with race time at 7:15 p.m.

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 on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – STEWART FRIESEN, Jessica Friesen, Michael Maresca, Dave Constantino, David Schilling, Jack Lehner, Adam McAuliffe, Bobby Varin, Matt DeLorenzo, Roger Henion Jr., Rocky Warner, Brian Gleason, Craig Hanson, Jeff Hoetzler, Ricky Davis III, Steve Akers, Brian Calabrese, Ed Harris, Rich Christman, Danny Johnson, Darwin Greene, Josh Hohenforst, Danny Varin, Scott Huber, Jim Introne Jr., Vincent Visconti

LAP LEADERS – 1-2 Henion Jr., 3-14 Constantino, 15 Maresca, 16-30 Stewart Friesen

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Gleason, Constantino, Warner

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-LAPS – TIM HARTMAN JR., Brian Calabrese, Brian Borst, Joe Williams, Chad Edwards, Tony Farone, Michael McCallion, EJ McAuliffe, Mark Mortensen, Cody Clark, JaMike Sowle, Tim Dwyer, Tucker O’Connor, Thomas VanVorst, Rich Ricci III, David Manchester, Griffen Mansmith, Ricky Quick, Kathy Bellen, Justin Severance, Brendan Gibbons, Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Kevin Chaffee, Joel Knudsen Jr., Don Bellen (DNS), Kurtis Hohensheldt (DNS)

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Gibbons, 5-8 Borst, 9-25 Hartman Jr.

HEAT RACE WINNERS – McCallion, McAuliffe, Dwyer

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – STEPHEN GRAY, Brett Mortensen, Carter Gibbons, Dylan Eldred, Johnny Young, Harold Robitaille, Clayton DuMond, Jeff Lutes, Pat Mann, Pete Nowicki Jr., Kyle Dingman, Kadon Hohensheldt (DNS)

ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – NICK STONE, Kenny Gates, Jim Normoyle, Beau Ballard, Rich Crane, Bill Knapp, Josh Coonradt, Justin Knight, Devon Camenga, David Emigh, Don Collins, John Roese, Dan Krajewski, Jason Morrison, Andy Graves, Ivan Joslin, Steve Cosselman, Luke Horning, Tanner Warner, Dave Horning Sr., Randy Cosselman

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Graves, 5 Ballard, 6-12 Normoyle, 13-20 Stone

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Knapp, Crane, Stone

ROBERT’S TOWNG & RECOVERY STREET STOCK FEATURE – 15-LAPS – JASON SAMROV, Zach Sorrentino, Al Relyea, Lou Gancarz, Dave Horning Sr., Michael Arnold, Josh Samrov

LAP LEADERS – 1-3 Horning Sr., 4-15 Jason Samrov

FOUR CYLINDER CRUISER FEATURE – 15-LAPS – COLE LAWTON (DOHC), KEN HOLLENBACK (SOHC), Kerrie Hollenback, Zach McSpirit, Wayne Russell, John Napoli, Shawn Hemstreet, Dan Haslun, David Peek-Britten, Mike Landoux, Pat McSpirit, Jeffery Tubbs, Brandon Tyler, Todd Morey, Bubba Cook, David Frame

LAP LEADERS – 1-13 Ken Hollenback, 14-15 Lawton