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Hoyenga Racing To Field Two-Car Fonda Speedway Sunoco Modified Team for Dave Constantino & Cody Bleau

FONDA, NY – There’s a buzz around legendary Fonda
Speedway for 2019 as change is in the air with a new management team, new name
for the Sunoco-sponsored Modified division and a more relaxed rules package in
the headline class.

With that
said, fans and race teams are gearing up for Opening Night at the ‘Track of
Champions’ on Saturday, April 20.

Laudy
Hoyenga’s Sloansville, N.Y.-based race team will field two cars in the Sunoco
Modified division this season, one for Cody Bleau, who has shown promise since
joining the Mod ranks a year ago, and a second to be piloted by Sportsman
hotshoe Dave Constantino, returning to the Modified wars regularly for the
first time since 2009.

The
38-year-old Constantino was a two-time winner at Fonda in the Crate 602
Sportsman division last season, while dominating the action at nearby Glen
Ridge Motorsports Park in Fultonville, N.Y., where he earned 10 checkered
flags.

Constantino,
who with partners Kyle Hoffman and Eric Mack founded the growing DKM Chassis enterprise
– will look to add his name to the elusive list of Fonda Modified winners this
season aboard a Hoyenga Motorsports No. 34.

Hoyenga came
to DKM in search of a driver after Shaun Pangman opted to take a break from the
sport. He found the replacement he wanted in Constantino.

Constantino’s
ride, of course, will be a DKM-built chassis. The team plans to utilize a
freshly build 360 cubic inch small-block engine, a program that is
budget-friendly thanks to the ’19 rules package.

“I was able
to build a new, competitive small-block very affordably,� Constantino said. “I
didn’t have to spend $50,000 to move up. I think a lot of people up here are
realizing that. You can only go so fast at Fonda by feature time. I think we’ll
have the right combination.�

Constantino,
the ’13 Fonda Sportsman champ, hopes to deliver success to Hoyenga’s team.

“I’d like to
win some races for him,� he bottom-lined.

Bleau, like
Constantino, boasts a successful Sportsman career including the Fonda track
title in the ’12 season. The 27-year-old North Greenbush, N.Y., driver made the
transition into the Modified ranks last season and earned a pair of third-place
finishes and a sixth-place result in the final standings.

“Jumping from
the Sportsman to a Modified is like starting all over again,� Bleau said. “It’s
all about knowledge and what you can learn. The biggest thing is throttle
control. You never know everything. You learn something every year.�

It was
Pangman who opened the door for Bleau to advance to the Modified wars in
Hoyenga’s equipment.

“A seat
opened up in one of the cars and Laudy let me run the 358 car one night,� Bleau
said. “Two weeks later, I drove the big-block car because Shaun (Pangman) was
on vacation. I ended up leading 12 laps in my third Modified start.�

Bleau is a
hands-on driver and frequently makes the drive to Hoyenga’s shop to wrench on
his ride.

“I try to
keep a positive, clean reputation,� he said. “I love to learn about the
adjustments, setups and experiment.�

Like
Constantino, Bleau will be utilizing a DKM chassis at Fonda. He will lean on
his new teammate for valuable setup help.

“I’ve raced
against Dave and have gotten to know him over the years,� Bleau said. “Having
those (DKM) guys around will be a big help.�

Aside from
weekly racing at Fonda, Bleau will race in many of the Modified specials
planned for Glen Ridge in ’19 as well.  

“I’m always
looking for more seat time,� he said. “I like to race as much as I can.�

The engines
fire on the ’19 season at Fonda on Saturday, April 13 with a practice session.
Opening Night is slated for Saturday, April 20 featuring the Sunoco Modifieds,
Crate 602 Sportsman paying $1,000 to win (thanks to Eric Orozco Racing), Pro
Stocks in a ‘Best of 8’ Series $800-to-win event, Limited Sportsman and Street
Stocks.

Since 1953,
the ‘Track of Champions’ Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car
racing. Now 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/thefondaspdwy or follow on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

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