By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Saturday evening August 13 was labeled as Benjamin Moore Paints Championship Night, and it didn’t disappoint as point races were very close in three of the regular five divisions, with the champions not decided in those three divisions until the final checkered flag was thrown in each of the feature events. Here are each of the Track Champions thoughts, in their own words, after the championships were decided.

2022 SUNOCO MODIFIED TRACK CHAMPION MATT DELORENZO

DeLorenzo was the 358-Modified Track Champion at Fonda in 2004 & 2005 along with the Big Block Track Champion in 2007.

“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

First career Track Championship in the division at Fonda for 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

Stone had previous Track Championships in the division at Fonda back in 2014, 2020, and 2021.

“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

First career Track Championship in the division at Fonda for 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.”

“Winning anything at the Fonda Speedway is cool,” Dufel’s car owner and team manager Michael Jackson said. “This team has worked really hard, not everybody is here tonight, but we’ve tried to build a program that can win, Zach is a new piece of that, well he’s been a piece for a long time, but to be able to accomplish what he has done this season has been great.”

Mimi concluded the interview with Jackson saying, “I am so happy that you are still here with us, you defied medical experts, you defied life, and you are here, it is so awesome to have you here and thank you for everything that you do for racing,” Lazzaro said about Jackson.

“Thank you for that Mimi, I wasn’t ready for that,” Jackson said with emotion.

2022 FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER SOHC TRACK CHAMPION KEN HOLLENBECK

Ken Hollenbeck had previous Track Championships in the division at Fonda back in 2012 (SOHC), 2013 (SOHC), 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 (SOHC), and 2021 (SOHC).

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

2022 FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER DOHC TRACK CHAMPION KERRIE HOLLENBECK

Kerrie Hollenbeck had a previous Track Championship in the division at Fonda back in 2013 (DOHC).

“I thought they were gonna give us championship belts,” Kerrie Hollenbeck 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.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THE REGULAR SEASON

“It was a fun season, always fun at Fonda,” head announcer Chris Moore said. “The people here are what make it great, our racers gave us great support, we have had a great season. But we’re not done yet, we’ve got the Fonda 200 coming up in a month, so we’ve still got a lot to do.”

“It’s been a really, really good time,” Fonda Speedway General Manager Jamie Page said. “We have an awesome group here, it’s like a family, it’s pretty awesome to have the people that we do here at Fonda.”

“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.”

The Fonda Speedway will be taking a break now for the annual Fonda Fair before the season ending Fonda 200 weekend takes place on September 15-17. Stay tuned to the Fonda Speedway Facebook page and the website for details on the $53,000 to win event!

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.

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – It was labeled as a “Championship Title Fight” on Facebook between Matt DeLorenzo; Ronnie Johnson; and Rocky Warner in the Sunoco Modified division, Payton Talbot and Chad Edwards in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division, Zach Dufel and Kyle Dingman in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division.

At the end of Benjamin Moore Paints “Championship Night” drivers who were crowned 2022 Fonda Speedway Track Champions included DeLorenzo in the Sunoco Modified division, Talbot in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division, Nick Stone in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division, Dufel in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, Ken Hollenbeck in the SOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division, and Kerrie Hollenbeck in the DOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division.

Back on June 16, 2018, Demetrios Drellos won the first Modified feature of his career at Fonda in the Bill & Erik Nelson owned #85. After being very competitive the entire 2022 season at Fonda until bad luck struck him numerous times, Drellos won his second career feature event at the “Track of Champions” on Saturday evening in the family owned Drellos Motorsports #111.

“It took all season and on the final night we finally got it done,” Drellos told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “I can’t thank my mom & dad enough along with my wife, Tom, Joe, and Joanne they have been here all season. It’s been an up and down year and we just had a blast. Congratulations to Matty D for clinching the championship.”

Other feature winners on Benjamin Moore Paints Championship Night at Fonda were Troy Zilles (first career win in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division), Nick Stone (Algonkin Motel Pro Stock), Josh Kane (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Ken Hollenbeck (SOHC Four Cylinder), and Kerrie Hollenbeck (DOHC Four Cylinder).

The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) was also in action with the following drivers capturing feature wins and season championships.

Jimmy Fugel was the Antique division feature winner and won the 2022 Track Championship in the division, Curtis Condon was the winner of the Late Model division feature event and the 2022 Track Championship, John Marks was the winner of the Mystique division feature while Carl Cram captured the Track Championship, Dan Colvin was the Sportsman feature winner and the 2022 Track Champion, and Randy Delaney was the Modified feature winner and the 2022 Track Champion.

Pastor Greg Nitz said the prayer during opening ceremonies while Mimi Lazzaro sang the National Anthem before the “Championship Title Fight” began. The 50/50 of $3,899 has not yet been claimed so double check your tickets to see if you were the winner! If the prize is not claimed, it will be rolled into the Fonda 200 weekend drawing.

The 30-lap Sunoco Modified feature began with outside front row starter Brian Gleason taking the early lead with Craig Hanson in the second position by lap three after starting seventh. Matt DeLorenzo started the event in the eighth position and was up to the fourth position at that point while tenth place starter Ronnie Johnson also moved into the top five as the championship battle began.

Gleason held the lead through two caution flags on laps five and seven while 11^th place starter Demetrious Drellos was sitting in the fourth position on a lap seven restart. Three laps later on lap ten, Drellos was the new second place car while DeLorenzo and Johnson were swapping the fourth position a couple of times before DeLorenzo took control of the spot on lap 13. Gleason continued to lead at the halfway point followed by Drellos, Hanson, DeLorenzo, and Johnson.

Drellos closed in on Gleason on lap 16 and one lap later was the new race leader with a pass on the inside just as the lap was completed. With no caution flags for the remainder of the event, Drellos pulled away with the attention now turning to the drivers who were in contention for the 2022 track title DeLorenzo, Johnson, and Rocky Warner who was up to the sixth position on lap 21.

Johnson and Warner swapped the sixth position a couple of times before Warner took over the spot late in the event. As DeLorenzo held on to a third-place finish to the checkered flag, 13^th place starter Danny Varin moved steadily into the top five, getting by Gleason for the second position with only three laps remaining. Drellos was the race winner followed by Varin, DeLorenzo, Gleason, and Hanson with DeLorenzo winning the championship.

“That was a lot of fun,” Drellos said. “We worked on a real good shock package the last few weeks and we’ve perfected it I guess a little bit and were able to get through the holes a lot better than Brian (Gleason) was. We finally got enough momentum up that when he bobbled, we capitalized on it.”

The Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman feature was a caution filled event with the championship not decided until the checkered flag flew. Stephen Gray led at the drop of the green flag and led the first four laps until lap five when Greg Havlichek took over the lead. Gray’s night came to an unfortunate end on lap six when he got into turn one a little too hard, spun his car, and backed it into the wall bringing out the caution. Gray was done at that point in the event.

Eighth place starter Troy Zilles took over the lead on the restart with Cody Clark bringing out another caution on the next lap with a broken right rear suspension while running third. Chad Edwards started the event in the 11^th position and moved into the second spot on lap eight after getting by Havlichek for the position with 12^th place starter Payton Talbot also getting by Havlichek for the third spot at that point.

At the halfway point in the event the top five consisted of Zilles, Edwards, Talbot, Jason Reome, and Havlichek. Zilles held the lead through four more cautions, choosing the outside on each double file restart to hold on to the top spot and went on to his first career win in the division in the Alpin Haus sponsored #14Z. Talbot got by Edwards for the second position on lap 20 and sealed up the championship with Troy Palmer, and Brendan Gibbons completing the top five behind Edwards.

“Had a good night,” Zilles said in victory lane. “We hit on the setup, and it was a great night. Every yellow when they said on the Raceiver that the 14T (Talbot) was behind me I was saying to myself this isn’t good, but I was just happy that I could hold him off.”

Gary Silkey led the first lap of the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature before fifth place starter Luke Horning moved into the lead on lap two on the inside of turn three. Eighth place starter Nick Stone was the new second place car on lap three while seventh place starter Beau Ballard was right behind in third.

On the outside of turns three and four, Stone took the lead away from Horning with Ballard also getting by Horning for the second position. At the halfway point Stone led the way with Horning, Gates, ninth place starter Chuck Dumblewski, and Ballard completing the top five. Dumblewski got by Gates for the third position just past the halfway point while lap traffic came into play for Stone with four laps to go.

Stone went on to his 10^th win of the season and the 2022 Track Championship in the Todd Hoffman owned #8N followed in the top five by Horning, Dumblewski, last weeks winner and 11^th place starter Ivan Joslin, and Ballard.

“When the track gets a little slicker you can see a difference,” Stone said in victory lane. “The last couple of weeks we had some bit in the track and every car is fast, great racing it just makes it tough. We struggled a little there and the rough tracks aren’t real coil friendly either, so we struggled a little on that, but now we are right back to where we were at, and the car felt like it did early in the season.”

Josh Kane led the last seven laps of the 15-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature for his second win of the season followed in the top five by Corky Warner, Jonathan Feagles, Connor Prokop, and Ryan Sweet. Zach Dufel was involved in an accident on lap two but was able to finish just behind Kyle Dingman to seal up the championship for Dufel.

“We were pretty strong all season,” Kane said after the victory. “For the ups and downs, wrecking one car and having to learn a whole new car definitely paid off tonight though. I was just praying they stay clean, the last thing I want to do is have another wreck after destroying one car, it definitely doesn’t feel good to crash.”

Ken and Kerrie Hollenbeck continued their domination of the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division, Ken winning his 16^th feature of the season in the SOHC and Kerrie the 13^th of the 2022 season in the DOHC. Both were also crowned the 2022 champions in their respective classes.

The Fonda Speedway will be taking a break now for the annual Fonda Fair before the season ending Fonda 200 weekend takes place on September 15-17. Stay tuned to the Fonda Speedway Facebook page and the website for details on the $53,000 to win event!

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.

SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-laps – DEMETRIOS DRELLOS, Danny Varin, Matt DeLorenzo, Brian Gleason, Craig Hanson, Rocky Warner, Ronnie Johnson, Dave Constantino, Tucker O’Connor, JaMike Sowle, Nick Heywood, Bobby Hackel IV, Jessica Friesen, Bobby Varin, Pep Corradi, Ryan Odasz, Ed Harris, David Schilling, Nicholas Plumstead, Alissa Cody, Darwin Greene, Chris Curtis (DNS), Alex Yankowski (DNS)

1^st win of 2022 and the 2^nd of his career in the division at Fonda

LAP LEADERS – 1-16 Gleason, 17-30 Drellos

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Warner, Sowle, Corradi

2022 SUNOCO MODIFIED TRACK CHAMPION – MATT DELORENZO

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-laps – TROY ZILLES, Payton Talbot, Chad Edwards, Troy Palmer, Brendan Gibbons, Mark Mortensen, Chip Constantino, Tanner Warner, Dan Santabarbara, Tim Dwyer, Matthew Perry, Anthony Cardamone, Kathy Bellen, Cory White, Jeremy Tyrrell, Carter Gibbons, Greg Havlichek, Harry Shaffer, Bill August, Brett Mortensen, Clayton DuMond, Jason Greco, Jeremy Slosek, Stephen Gray, Cody Clark, Dylan Eldred, Griffen Mansmith, Nicholas Plumstead, Jason Reome (DQ weight)

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

LAP LEADERS – 1-4 Gray, 5-6 Havlichek, 7-25 Zilles

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Gray, Zilles, Clark

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Santabarbara +17 27^th to 10^th

2022 SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 TRACK CHAMPION – PAYTON TALBOT

ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-laps – NICK STONE ($100 bonus from RCK Motorsports), Luke Horning, Chuck Dumblewski, Ivan Joslin, Beau Ballard, Josh Coonradt, Kenny Gates, Jim Normoyle, Jason Morrison, Andy Graves, Gary Silkey, Caden Dumblewski, Randy Cosselman, Don Collins, Dillon Vanston, AJ Walters, John Holmes

10^th win of 2022 and the 69^th of his career in the division at Fonda

LAP LEADERS – 1 Silkey, 2-4 Horning, 5-20 Stone

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Ballard, Gates ($50 bonus to each heat race winner from RCK Motorsports)

2022 ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK TRACK CHAMPION – NICK STONE

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15-laps – JOSH KANE, Corky Warner, Jonathan Feagles, Connor Prokop, Ryan Sweet, Mark Lighthall, Kyle Dingman, Zach Dufel, Phil Arnold, Nate Bedell, Chris Kugler, Michael Kalkbrenner, Jeff Lutes, Bob Rowback, Wesley Sutliff, Timmy Wilmot, Lance Hill, Harold Robitaille, Walter Cook, AJ Greco, Steve Wagoner

2^nd win of 2022 and the 2^nd of his career in the division at Fonda

LAP LEADERS – 1-7 Warner, 8-15 Kane

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Warner, Sweet, Prokop

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

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – 12-laps – KEN HOLLENBECK (SOHC), KERRIE HOLLENBECK (DOHC), Justin Ramsey, Todd Morey, David Peek-Britten, Len St. Andrews, Dale VanAllen, Josh Ramsey, Christopher Jennings Sr., TJ Marlitt

16^th win of 2022 and the 84^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Ken Hollenbeck

13^th win of 2022 and the 33^rd of his career in the division at Fonda Kerrie Hollenbeck

LAP LEADERS – 1-2 Morey, 3-12 Ken Hollenbeck

FONDA FAIR SOHC FOUR CYLINDER TRACK CHAMPION – KEN HOLLENBECK

FONDA FAIR DOHC FOUR CYLINDER TRACK CHAMPION – KERRIE HOLLENBECK

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) ANTIQUE FEATURE – JIMMY FUGEL, Jimmy Hyde, Mike Wheeler, John Wood, Jim Glass, Dustin Chapman, Harley Sheppard, John Mason, Mark Reardon, Bryan Scofield, Speedy Niedeheimer, Phil Mitchell, Don Briggs (DNS), Tex Gordan (DNS)

2022 MVVDMS ANTIQUE DIVISION CHAMPION – JIMMY FUGEL

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

2022 MVVDMS MYSTIQUE DIVISION CHAMPION – CARL CRAM

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) LATE MODEL FEATURE – CURTIS CONDON, John Roese, Will Reed, Ed Docskalik, Bill Knapp (DNS)

2022 MVVDMS LATE MODEL CHAMPION – CURTIS CONDON

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) SPORTSMAN FEATURE – DAN COLVIN, Malach Mathews, Bryon Seyfried, Merv Blackwell, Gene Wrightstone, Jon Trudeau, John Constantino, Larry Stokes, Andy McFadden, Mike Francisco (DNS)

2022 MVVDMS SPORTSMAN CHAMPION – DAN COLVIN

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) MODIFIED FEATURE – RANDY DELANEY, Joe Rando, Jack Miller, Darral Hulbert, John Flach

2022 MVVDMS MODIFIED CHAMPION – RANDY DELANEY

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – It all comes down to this! On Saturday, August 13 a special racing program sponsored by Benjamin Moore Paints will take place at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway called “Championship Night”.

The 2022 Track Champions will be crowned in all regular divisions this Saturday including the Sunoco Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, the Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders, 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 car owners, sponsors, drivers, and crew members who have worked hard all season long to achieve this goal.

The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) will also be in action at Fonda this Saturday, and they will also crown Track Champions in all divisions of 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.

The Benjamin Moore Paints/Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In sponsored #1M of 2011 Fonda Speedway Crate 602 Sportsman Track Champion Mark Mortensen will be on display at gate two from 4:00 p.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. so people can see the race car up close and meet the driver from Scotia, NY who will be handing out autographed pictures as well!

In addition, Mark’s brother Brett Mortensen who won the first feature of his career in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division last Saturday evening will have his Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In/Mohawk Honda sponsored #1B car on display at the Fonda Speedway Museum from approximately 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Brett was crowned the 2020 Fonda Speedway Track Champion in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division where he also has a total of five feature wins.

Going into Benjamin Moore Paints Championship Night this Saturday August 13 the point battles in the Sunoco Modified, Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman, and the Montgonery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman divisions are too close to call and won’t be decided until the checkered flag falls in each of their feature events.

In the Sunoco Modified division, Matt DeLorenzo is the current point leader with 812 followed by 2021 Co-Champion Ronnie Johnson with 804 (-8), and the other Co-Champion from 2021 Rocky Warner with 798 (-14). DeLorenzo has a total of five wins, eight top five, and 14 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the season being 30^th.

Johnson does not have any wins to date at Fonda in 2022 but does have a total of 11 top five and 15 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the season being 22^nd. Warner also goes into Championship Night with no feature wins to date in 2022 but does have a total of 12 top five and 14 top ten place finishes with five consecutive second place finishes in the last six weeks. Warner’s worst finish of the season is 24^th.

Payton Talbot took over the point lead last Saturday evening in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division at Fonda with a second-place finish putting him seven points ahead of Chad Edwards who had mechanical issues last Saturday and finished in the 20^th position.

Talbot’s consistency has put him in a position to challenge for the 2022 title with a total of three feature wins, 15 top five and 17 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the entire season being sixth which happened twice during this year.

Edwards started out the 2022 racing season with two consecutive victories in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division and has led the point race for most of the season until last Saturday’s misfortune placed him 20^th in the final race finish. All total Edwards has six wins so far in 2022 to go along with 14 top five and 15 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the season being 21^st.

Zach Dufel is the current point leader in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division with 790 points, 24 points ahead of Kyle Dingman who is second in the point standings going into Championship Night with 766.

Dufel has a total of five feature wins in 2022 to go along with 12 top five and 13 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the season being 18^th twice. Dingman has three feature wins along with nine top five and 14 top ten place finishes with his worst finish of the season being a 21^st.

The 2022 Track Champions in both the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder divisions have already been decided as Nick Stone (Algonkin Motel Pro Stock), Ken Hollenback (SOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder) and Kerrie Hollenback (DOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder) all have enough points built up to have already decided their Track Championships.

For Stone this will be his fourth career title in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock division at Fonda (2014, 2020, 2021, 2022), while Ken Hollenback will celebrate his ninth career title in the SOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and Kerrie Hollenback will celebrate his second career title in the DOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division (2013, 2022).

The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) will be making their fifth appearance of the 2022 season at the “Track of Champions” this Saturday and will be crowning five champions this Saturday night. Three features will decide who will be crowned the 2022 Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) champions that will be settled in all five of their divisions.

The five MVVDMS division champions that will be decided this Saturday include the Antique, Mystique, Late Model, Sportsman, and Modified Divisions. Jimmy Fugel is the current point leader in the Antique division going into Saturday evenings racing program while defending 2021 Co-Champion Carl Cram looks to be in good shape to take the 2022 Mystique Championship.

Randy Delaney has a six-point advantage over Jack Miller going into Saturday’s racing program in the Modified division while Will Reed, Curtis Condon, and John Roese all have a shot at the 2022 Late Model division championship. The trio has battled all season long with the champion to be decided by one single event this Saturday night.

Rookie driver Dan Colvin currently leads the Sportsman Division points as he looks to lock up the title this Saturday as well. Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) promoter Laurie Fallis would like to thank all of her great series sponsors, all of the drivers that support the series, and would also like to thank Fonda Speedway promoter Brett Deyo and his staff.

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.

It’s 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 at Fonda Speedway. Benjamin Moore Paints presents 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 this Saturday, August 13.

2022 Track Champions will be decided!

Sunoco Modifieds

Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman

Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks

Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman

Fonda Fair Four Cylinders

Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series

Gates: 4 p.m. – Hot Laps: 6 p.m. – Racing: 7 p.m.

Adult Admission: $11 – Seniors (ages 65 and over): $9 – Kids 11 and under FREE

Drive-In: $60 (up to four passes). Link: http://fonda-speedway.ticketleap.com/benjamin-moore…/

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

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Stewart Friesen’s grasp on success at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway continued on Saturday evening as he took the Halmar #44 to victory lane for the sixth time this season and the 85^th time in his career at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track. After starting the Sunoco Modified feature in the 12^th position, Friesen took the lead on lap 18 and cruised to yet another victory at Fonda.

“We tried a little bit of different stuff tonight, but a little bit of a different track was definitely challenging for us,” Friesen said in F.X. Caprara Victory Lane. “There were some stutter bumps, but the Integra Shocks are the best in the business, and we got across the stutters probably better than anybody tonight.”

Other winners on Carver Companies/Catman’s Breads Night at Fonda on Saturday evening were Brett Mortensen (first career win in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division), Ivan Joslin (Algonkin Motel Pro Stock), Zach Dufel (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Kerrie (DOHC) and Ken (SOHC) Hollenback (Fonda Fair Four Cylinder), and Danny Varin (Empire Super Sprints ESS).

During opening ceremonies, a prayer was given by Pastor Greg Nitz followed by the National Anthem which was sung by the 2019 Northeast Country Music Association nominee Jenna Sue. Ed Biittig Sr. then took the mic to honor Mimi Lazzaro who was recently honored with a special award at the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame.

“This young lady next to me was honored by the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame for Woman in Racing,” Biittig said in victory lane. “When you have a name like Lazzaro folks, they are an icon to the speedway. Her dad’s (Lou Lazzaro) #4 is posted above the “Track of Champions” sign on the front of the grandstands, Mimi we think the world of you, and you know it, so this is for you.”

Biittig then presented a framed photo of the article that was written about Lazzaro in the Area Auto Racing News prior the ceremony last month. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years,” Lazzaro told the crowd. “I just can’t say that enough.”

Timothy from Fonda was the winner of $2,881 in the 50/50 raffle. Another amazing job by Rose, Julie, and Heather who worked hard on a very hot night to get the total up to that amount and who have done an amazing job all season as the 50/50 hasn’t been under $2,000 all season long!

The 30-lap Sunoco Modified feature began with outside pole position starter Chris Curtis the early leader with Demetrious Drellos second after starting in the third position. Stewart Friesen started the feature in the 12^th position and was in the top five by the time the lap counter clicked over to lap six.

An early yellow was out at that point for current point leader Matt DeLorenzo who made contact with the outside wall on the backstretch and suffered significant damage to the right front of his car. After a visit to the hot pit, DeLorenzo was done for the evening at that point. When racing resumed on the restart, Curtis continued to lead with Friesen now up to third after getting by both JaMike Sowle and Dave Constantino.

Curtis encountered lap traffic just before the halfway point in the event with both Drellos and Friesen closing in at that point. Friesen got by Drellos on lap 14 and then got by Curtis for the lead with the caution coming out before lap 15 was completed for Jessica Friesen who came to a stop on the backstretch. With the lap not being completed Curtis kept the lead for a short time longer, choosing the outside for the restart.

Coming out of turn two on lap 18, Friesen took the lead away from Curtis and with no caution flags coming out for the remainder of the event he pulled away to a straightaway advantage as the checkered flag flew with Drellos getting by Curtis for the second position with two laps to go, Curtis, Sowle, and sixth place starter Ryan Odasz completing the top five.

“We were trying to keep up with the track changing but the Halmar Team is the best in the business” Friesen told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “We put our heads together and have been trying to catch Sheppard here the last couple of weeks trying different stuff. It is all about little things, little adjustments that pay off when the track is challenging like it was tonight. But the track had two grooves and it was really wide, it’s late so thanks to everyone for staying out tonight.”

The 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman feature was caution filled, but the excitement of a first-time winner made up for it at the end with Stephen Gray taking the early lead in the event. Brett Mortensen started in the sixth position right alongside his brother Mark, but Brett found the outside groove to be fast early on as he went from sixth to third by the time lap one was completed.

The second-place car of Dylan Eldred brought out the first caution of the event early on with a broken left rear suspension slowing his car in turn three. Gray chose the bottom on the restart with Brett Mortensen taking over the lead at the drop of the green flag on lap four on the outside of the backstretch. The caution was out again two laps later for Carter Gibbons who got into the wall between turns one and two and collected the car of Griffen Mansmith as well. Both were done for the evening at that point.

Brett Mortensen maintained the lead on the restart with his brother Mark the new second place car with 12^th place starter and point leader Chad Edwards now in the top five. Brett pulled away from his brother to a straightaway advantage which was taken away on lap ten when Tim Dwyer came to a stop in turn two along with Cory White who spun in the same turn. Brett Mortensen was quick on the outside and again chose that lane for the restart, with Troy Zilles going from fourth to second at the drop of the green flag.

At the halfway point in the event, Brett Mortensen led the event with Zilles, Edwards, Mark Mortensen, and 11^th place starter Payton Talbot in the top five. Edwards great run came to an end shortly afterwards when he came to a stop at the pit exit in turn four bringing out the caution. Restarts didn’t seem to phase Brett Mortensen one bit as he again chose the outside for the restart and again held on to the lead on the restart.

“I heard over the receiver that all the good guys were getting to the front of the pack, so I was getting a little nervous,” Brett Mortensen said. “But then the car was so fast that I was basically just full rip all the way around.”

Zilles stayed close to Brett Mortensen on this restart with Talbot and Mark Mortensen swapping the third position amongst themselves many times. One final caution was out just short of five laps to go on lap 19, for Tanner Warner who suffered a flat tire which he changed on the hot pit road and then rejoined the rear of the field.

Brett Mortensen led on the restart and pulled away from Payton Talbot who got by both Mark Mortensen and Zilles coming out of turn four with only a couple laps to go. It was the first career win in the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman division for the 2020 Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Track Champion Brett Mortensen in his #1B Mohawk Honda, Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In sponsored Teo car. He was followed in the top five at the checkered flag by Talbot, Mark Mortensen, Zilles, and 13^th place starter Cody Clark.

“I’m kind of speechless, an emotional Brett Mortensen said in victory lane after the win. “That was probably, I think, the easiest I’ve ever driven the car, it basically just drove itself. I gotta thank my tire guy Chris Persons (sponsor Persons Farms) for that, I’m pretty sure that this is all him. I was just really worried about where Mark (brother Mark Mortensen) was because I knew if he gets next to me, he was probably going to take it away from me.”

“I think things finally came together tonight,” Brett Mortensen continued to say. “It’s been a very difficult season with crashes and bad luck but I’m very happy tonight that it all came together. I think I’m going to retire now.”

The 20-lap Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature saw Randy Cosselman lead at the start with Jason Morrison leading lap two after getting by Cosselman on the inside of turns one and two followed by Luke Horning. Sixth place starter Nick Stone took the fourth position at that point with seventh place starter Chuck Dumblewski also in the top five when the caution came out on lap three. The caution was for Cosselman who got up high in turn four, struck the wall, and flipped several times. He was not injured in the accident.

Morrison continued to lead on the restart with Stone the new second place car until Stone slowed on lap seven with the right rear wheel on the car totally gone. He went to the hot pit for repairs and restarted at the rear of the field. Dumblewski was the second-place car on the restart and took the lead on lap ten on the outside in turns one and two. The caution was out again at the halfway point and on this restart eighth place starter and last weeks feature winner Ivan Joslin moved into the second position.

Joslin took over the lead from Dumblewski with five laps to go with one more caution slowing the field on lap 17. Joslin led the remaining laps after the restart and went on to his second win of the season and the 12^th of his career in the division over Dumblewski, tenth place starter Beau Ballard, Morrison, and AJ Walters.

“Oh my God this thing is on rails,” Joslin told Mimi Lazzaro about his car in victory lane. “My uncle did something to it, he’s got this thing on rails, and I can’t thank him enough for what he does. This is amazing, I never did two in a row before so here we are. It is a big team effort, so we’ll take it.”

Timmy Wilmot led the first lap of the 15-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature until mechanical problems took him out of the event just after lap one was completed. Lance Hill was the new race leader after Wilmot’s issues, and he held the lead until lap eight when 11^th place starter Zach Dufel took over the top spot with a pass on the inside of turns three and four.

Dufel led the remaining laps for his fifth win of the season over seventh place starter Josh Kane, Hill, 13^th place starter Phil Arnold, and 12^th place starter AJ Greco.

Kerrie Hollenback (DOHC) was the overall winner of the 12-lap Fonda Fair Four Cylinder event over Chris Hall, third place finisher and SOHC winner Ken Hollenback, Wayne Russell Jr., and Josh Ramsey.

The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) were also in action with Fonda Speedway favorite Josh Pieniazek leading the first eight laps until third place starter and another track favorite Danny Varin took over the lead on lap nine on the inside of turns one and two. Varin led at the halfway point in the event followed by Dylan Swiernik, Pieniazek, Matt Tanner, and Jordan Poirier.

There was a close call for Poirier just after the halfway point when he came in contact with the back of a lap car in turn four and did a total 360-degree spin, continuing on but falling back to the ninth position.

Two yellows slowed the field before the checkered flag was thrown but there was nothing stopping Varin on this night as he went on to his sixth consecutive ESS win at Fonda over Swiernik, 15^th place starter Shawn Donath, Tanner, and 13^th place starter Paulie Colagiovanni.

“Six in a row here at Fonda means a lot,” Varin told ESS announcer Adam Buchannon in victory lane. It means a lot for this team. We’ve worked very hard this year and over the winter to put a program together to where we would be competitive, so it means a lot. We just have to keep chugging forward maintaining this thing and keep it up front.”

“We were lacking a little bit in the feature, I think it was just the hard tire we had on,” Varin continued. “It was brand new going bon, no laps on it, and it took a little bit to go but at the end of the feature the car kept getting better and better so the longer the feature the better we were gonna get.”

Next Saturday, August 13 local Johnstown, NY company Benjamin Moore Paints will present “Championship Night” with the 2022 Track Champions being decided in all divisions. The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) will also be in action to decide their 2022 Track Champions.

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 – 8/6/2022 CARVER COMPANIES/CATMAN’S BREADS NIGHT

SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-laps – STEWART FRIESEN, Demetrious Drellos, Chris Curtis, JaMike Sowle, Ryan Odasz, Dave Constantino, David Schilling, Rocky Warner, Ronnie Johnson, Danny Varin, Bobby Varin, Nick Heywood, Tucker O’Connor, Craig Hanson, Pep Corradi, Darwin Greene, John Lutes, Dylan Scribner, Jessica Friesen, Bobby Hackel IV, Matt DeLorenzo, Steve Akers, Aaron Jacobs, Rich Christman, Brian Gleason (DNS)

6^th win of the 2022 season and the 85^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Friesen

LAP LEADERS – 1-17 Curtis, 18-30 Friesen

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Curtis, Drellos, Sowle

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-laps – BRETT MORTENSEN, Payton Talbot, Mark Mortensen, Troy Zilles, Cody Clark, Troy Palmer, Chip Constantino, Stephen Gray, Clayton DuMond, Greg Havlichek, Jason Reome, Harry Shaffer, Anthony Cardamone, Matthew Perry, Nikki Ouellette, Tanner Warner, Cory White, Kathy Bellen, Brendan Gibbons, Chad Edwards, Tim Dwyer, Jeremy Tyrrell, Carter Gibbons, Griffen Mansmith, Dylan Eldred, Kurtis Hohensheldt

1^st career win in the division for Brett Mortensen

LAP LEADERS – 1-3 Gray, 4-25 Brett Mortensen

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Warner, Havlichek, Gray

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Troy Palmer plus 14 spots from 20^th to 6^th

ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-laps – IVAN JOSLIN, Chuck Dumblewski, Beau Ballard, Jason Morrison, AJ Walters, Kenny Gates, Jim Normoyle, Josh Coonradt, Dennis Joslin, John Holmes, Caden Dumblewski, Gary Silkey, Don Collins, Nick Stone, Luke Horning, Randy Cosselman

2^nd win of the 2022 season and the 12^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Joslin

LAP LEADERS – 1 Cosselman, 2-9 Morrison, 10-14 Chuck Dumblewski, 15-20 Joslin

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Horning, Chuck Dumblewski

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15-laps – ZACH DUFEL, Josh Kane, Lance Hill, Phil Arnold, AJ Greco, Kyle Dingman, Bobby Rhinehardt, Jonathan Feagles, Collin Williams, Steve Wagoner, Harold Robitaille, Walter Cook, Cian DiMezza, Chris Kugler, Timmy Wilmot, Bob Rowback, Michael Kalkbrenner, Connor Prokop, Nate Bedell, Mark Lighthall, Ryan Sweet (DNS), Wesley Sutliff (DNS), Corky Warner (DNS)

5^th win of the 2022 season and the 5^th of his career in the division at Fonda for Dufel

LAP LEADERS – 1 Wilmot, 2-7 Hill, 8-15 Dufel

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Wilmot, Hill, Kane

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – KERRIE HOLLENBACK (DOHC), Chris Hall, KEN HOLLENBACK (SOHC), Wayne Russell Jr., Josh Ramsey, Bruce Liddle, Jim Blue, John Napoli, David Peek-Britten, Len St. Andrews, Justin Ramsey, TJ Marlitt

12^th win of the 2022 season and the 32^nd of his career in the division at Fonda for Kerrie Hollenback

15^th win of the 2022 season and the 83^rd of his career in the division at Fonda for Ken Hollenback

LAP LEADERS – 1 St. Andrews, 2-4 Ken Hollenback, 5-12 Kerrie Hollenback

$50 bonus to both Kerrie & Ken Hollenback compliments of Marty from Upstate Auto

LUCAS OIL EMPIRE SUPER SPRINT (ESS) FEATURE – 25-laps – DANNY VARIN, Dylan Swiernik, Shawn Donath, Matt Tanner, Paulie Colagiovanni, Davie Franek, Jordan Poirier, Josh Pieniazek, Jason Barney, Mike Kiser, Chad Miller, Joe Trenka, Scott Kreutter, Jeff Cook, Kelly Hebing, Jeff Trombley, Lacey Hanson, Chris Jones, Logan Crisafulli, Tyler Cartier, Scott Holcomb, Floyd Billington (DNS), Travis Billington (DNS), Jeremiah Munson (DNS)

6^th consecutive ESS win at Fonda for Varin

LAP LEADERS – 1-8 Pieniazek, 9-25 Varin

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Cook, Barney, Varin

SUPPLY WAGON RENTALS ESS DASH – Poirier