5/16/2025
Fonda Speedway
JOHNSON AND GRAY TAKE “RIVER RAGE” WINS AT FONDA
By: Ron Szczerba
Fonda, NY – A special mid-week racing program at the “Track of Champions” called the “River Rage” took place on Wednesday evening with two first time winners sitting in victory lane after the last checkered flag flew in their respective divisions. After winning the big block Modified feature for his 33rd career win in that division at Fonda last Saturday evening, Ronnie Johnson put his name in the history books for winning a 358-Modified event with his win on Wednesday evening.
“There is quite a bit of difference, the 358’s you go around here almost wide open without lifting,” Johnson told Mimi Lazzaro after the win. “In a big block you can’t do that. I like racing the 358’s, we usually do okay with them, and it was fun tonight.”
Other winners on “River Rage Night” at Fonda were Steven Gray (first career win in the Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman), Jay Ingersoll (DOHC) and Ken Hollenback (SOHC) in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders, and Jason Samrov (Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks).
A draw for starting positions placed Johnson on the pole for the start of the 30-lap event and he wasted no time getting the lead at the drop of the green flag over third place starter Bobby Hackel IV. An early caution just after lap one was completed slowed the field with Johnson retaking the lead on the restart.
Hackel dropped back to fourth after a bad restart with Chris Curtis and Marc Johnson the new second and third place cars. The top four of Ronnie Johnson, Curtis, Marc Johnson, and Hackel pulled away from the rest of the field by lap five with Lance Willix fifth after starting tenth.
When Ronnie Johnson got into lap traffic on lap 13, Curtis closed in to pressure the leader with the top five at the halfway point consisting of Marc Johnson, Hackel, and Willix behind Curtis. Ronnie Johnson had trouble getting through lap traffic, but a caution flag on lap 18 cleared the lap cars away.
“It was a little bit marbly, and the track was not very wide,” Johnson said after the win. “I didn’t want to jeopardize going to the top. It made me protect what I had and if someone drove around me so be it I guess.”
Marc Johnson was the driver who lost positions on this restart as he fell back to fifth with Hackel regaining his second position on lap 19 after getting by Curtis for the position. Ronnie Johnson led the remaining laps for his first career 358-Modified win at Fonda over Hackel, Curtis, Lance Willix, and Marc Johnson.
“I have to thank all my guys,” Johnson said after the win. “They put up with me and my temper tantrums and some of my stuff, but we work hard. Gary Mickle has been with me for 25 plus years, Chris Persons, Frank Witz he’s been a sponsor of my dad’s since the early to mid-90’s, Kevlar Racing Engines, and all of my fans.”
“It seems like we haven’t won many races the last couple of years so hopefully we can keep this going but it’s definitely not from a lack of effort,” Johnson continued to say. “Maybe we are on to something here. We’re gonna keep trying and come after it again this Saturday.”
Butchie Irwin and Brett Mortensen started the 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman main event on the front row, with Mortensen taking the early lead in the event with fourth place starter Steven Gray taking the second position at the drop of the green flag. Mortensen and Gray pulled away from the rest of the field and at the halfway point the top five behind Mortensen and Gray were Tanner Warner, Dave Constantino, and Tyler Peet.
When the leader caught lap traffic on lap 16, Gray ducked to the inside of Mortensen in turns one and two and took over the lead. Mortensen remained in the second position until he had an encounter with a lap car and spun to the infield coming out of turn four bringing out the caution. One more yellow slowed the event with one lap remaining but Gray was able to hold on for his first career win in the division in the O’Connor Towing #25.
Warner ended up second followed by 12th place starter Dylan Madsen, Constantino, and tenth place starter Chad Edwards.
“I’ve been wanting this one for a real long time, it’s been escaping us, but we finally got it done tonight,” Gray said in victory lane. “I had a real good car tonight and everything worked out in my favor. I was catching him (Mortensen) early then I messed up in turns three and four and he got away from me. I got him back in lap traffic and I was able to stick the bottom better than he was and I got by him.”
The Fonda Fair Four Cylinder feature was an interesting one with Kerrie Hollenback taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. Jay Ingersoll started the event in the fourth position and had the race lead by the time the first lap was completed over Hollenback. A lap eight restart saw Ken Hollenback take over the lead as it seemed like Ingersoll just couldn’t get going on the restarts.
Ingersoll came right back on the next lap to take the lead away and went on to the overall win in the DOHC class over SOHC winner Ken Hollenback who finished second overall. Bruce Liddle, Wayne Russel Jr., and Stephen Burka completed the top five. For Ingersoll it was the 11th win of his career and second win of 2025 in the division while for Ken Hollenback it was his 105th victory.
“It was fun,” Ingersoll said after the win. “The restarts I did not like but it was fun. “My car doesn’t want to take off but once it starts rolling it’s okay. I tried to keep up the pace a little bit on the restarts, but it bit me in the butt, so it is what it is, and we’ll figure it out.”
“The track is phenomenal,” Hollenback said after his win. “I’m healthier so hopefully we’ll be here more this year.”
This coming Saturday, May 17 the Fonda Speedway is back in action on “Retro Night” presented by Holmes & Kugler Towing with all divisions in action and a $10 Grandstand Admission!
Since 1953, the Track of Champions Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. The speedway operates 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: @thefondaspdwy or Instagram: @fondaspeedway.
5/14/2025 RIVER RAGE
358 Modified
A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[1]; 2. 97H-Bobby Hackel IV[3]; 3. 35-Chris Curtis[5]; 4. 31-Lance Willix[10]; 5. 3J-Marc Johnson[2]; 6. 77H-Walt Hammond[7]; 7. 21C-Brian Calabrese[6]; 8. 97W-Tanner Warner[4]; 9. B24-Brendan Gibbons[13]; 10. 44P-Brian Pessolano[17]; 11. 42-Tucker O'Connor[11]; 12. 11VT-Joey Scarborough[12]; 13. 71-Eric Mack[15]; 14. 14Z-Troy Zilles[9]; 15. 76-Chip Constantino[16]; 16. 88H-Walter Hammond Jr[14]; 17. 4-Anthony Perrego[8]; 18. 18-Tony Farone[19]; 19. 61-Dale Gray[18]
19 Entrees
Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 25-Stephen Gray[4]; 2. 78-Tanner Warner[5]; 3. 89-Dylan Madsen[12]; 4. 7-Dave Constantino[3]; 5. 10%-Chad Edwards[10]; 6. 1H-Harry Shaffer[6]; 7. 12T-Tyler Peet[7]; 8. 12AJ-AJ Greco[14]; 9. 74-Matt Perry[15]; 10. 2K-Mike Kalkbrenner[17]; 11. 44-Rocco Constantino[16]; 12. 618-Bobby Rhinehardt[9]; 13. 314-Clayton Dumond[8]; 14. 1B-Brett Mortensen[2]; 15. 27-Michael Ballestero[11]; 16. 5C-Randy Cosselman[13]; 17. 1M-Mark Mortensen[19]; 18. 26-Mason Gray[18]; 19. 117-Butchie Irwin[1]
GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Dylan Madsen +9
13 entries
Fonda Fair Four Cylinders
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 97JD-Jay Ingersoll[4]; 2. 12S-Ken Hollenbeck[5]; 3. 47S-Bruce Liddle[2]; 4. 54S-Wayne Russell Jr[8]; 5. 8S-Stephen Burka[6]; 6. 33D-Kerrie Hollenbeck[1]; 7. 26D-Len St Andrews[7]; 8. 29JD-John Ray[3]; 9. 11D-Ariana Schultz[10]; 10. 14RD-Jordan Ryder[11]; 11. 212S-TJ Marlitt[12]; 12. 777S-Shawn Hemstreet[13]; 13. (DNS) 77S-Zach McSpirit
5 entries
Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 24V-Jason Samrov[1]; 2. 71-Rob VanAernam[2]; 3. 39-Matt Wells[3]; 4. 08-Lou Gancarz[4]; 5. 91-Matt Mosher[5]