5/11/2025
Fonda Speedway
JOHNSON AND YANKOWSKI TAKE WINS ON DAVE LAPE NIGHT AT FONDA
By: Ron Szczerba
Fonda, NY – After four straight days and around five inches of rain falling four straight days last week at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway, a great job by the track crew allowed racing to take place at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds facility on Saturday evening and what a night it was honoring Fonda Speedway legend Dave Lape. The evenings racing program was presented by long time sponsors of the Dave Lape #22 M.W. Roosevelt & Son Inc./Roosevelt’s Towing.
A total of 112 cars filled the pit area for a five division racing program and when the checkered flags flew in each of the five divisions in competition the victors were Ronnie Johnson and Alex Yankowski (Amsterdam Truck Center Twin 22 Modified features in Memory of Dave Lape), Chad Edward (Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman), Beau Ballard (Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks), Randy Cosselman (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Jay Ingersoll DOHC and Bruce Liddle SOHC (Fonda Fair Four Cylinders).
During opening ceremonies, the 2024 “Running Against the Wind Award” was handed out by Jackie and Jessica Lape honoring defending 2024 Fonda Speedway Track Champion Alex Yankowski.
“Each year we give away an award in honor of my father’s legacy,” Jessica Lape said. “It goes to a driver who has dedication, determination, a driver who will not give up and has a good mindset coming into a race at the Fonda Speedway. My dad was a man of few words but when he spoke it was meaningful, tactful, and many times he mentioned a young driver who came to the Fonda Speedway. The last driver that he mentioned was Alex Yankowski.”
“My dad recognized that Alex had the skill and ability to have an impactful career in the future, and we wanted to honor him this year because racing every week he comes here with the determination that he was going to give it his all and he did just that,” Jessica continued to say. “My dad had a nickname of “Mr. Consistency” and each week all through the year in 2024, although you didn’t win, you still ended up with the Track Championship. Tonight, we honor Alex Yankowski as a nice young gentleman with class as well.”
“Dave Lape was a racer that kept going no matter what,” Yankowski said after accepting his award. “Racing is a tough sport, it kicks you down and hits you, but you just keep digging and digging. They don’t make them like they made Dave anymore, it is really cool to see his family involved with the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame, we need more of that in the sport. Dave Lape was a heck of a racer, dedicated his life to racing, and was a real good family man as well so it is hard to beat that.”
The first of two Dave Lape Memorial 22-lap events began with Pep Corradi taking the lead after the green flag was thrown by Fonda Speedway starter Joe Kriss. Ronnie Johnson started behind Corradi in the third position, got by second place starter Danny Varin at the drop of the green, and immediately began pressuring Corradi for the lead.
On lap four, Johnson made a move to the inside of Corradi in turn two to take over the race lead with Varin also getting by Corradi three laps later for the second position. At the halfway point in the event, Johnson held a comfortable advantage over Varin in second with Corradi, 11th place starter Jack Lehner, and fifth place starter Craig Hanson completing the top five.
Lehner moved into the third position on lap 12 with lap traffic coming into play one lap later, allowing Varin to close in quickly on the leader. With two laps to go, Varin was right on Johnson’s rear bumper but couldn’t find a way by Johnson who held on for the win in the Mickle’s Automotive #2RJ, the 33rd of his career at Fonda, and his first since 6/3/2023! Varin, Lehner, Corradi, and Bobby Hackel IV completed the top five. In victory lane after the event, Johnson also stated that he had a mechanical issue slowing him down at the end of the event.
“I was just hoping that I could hang on,” Johnson said during victory lane ceremonies which were held after the second feature event. “I had a steering box give way during the last few laps and ended up with oil all over me after it finally gave way in the second event. I tried to hang onto it but just couldn’t and had to drop out of the second race.”
“My life went on as a kid sitting up in the grandstands,” Johnson continued to say. “Dave Lape was a competitor, we didn’t root for Dave Lape. But as I started racing and got to know Dave and learned what kind of a man he was, I became friends with him. He was a hero to so many, including myself, and it is an honor to be here tonight. It has been a whole lifetime of this and I’m proud to be here.”
An invert of six set the lineup for the second Dave Lape Memorial 22-lap event with Alex Yankowski on the pole after going from 17th to 6th in the first event. Yankowski took the early lead, and nobody really got close as he led every lap for his first career win in his #84Y. Behind Yankowski after the drop of the green, Danny Varin started the event in the fifth position and got by Bobby Hackel IV for the second position on lap four.
Two caution flags slowed the event, but nobody had anything for Yankowski who went on to his first career win at Fonda over Varin, Hackel, Jack Lehner, and ninth place starter Anthony Perrego. With the win, Yankowski became the 145th different driver to win a Modified feature at the Fonda Speedway in the Wilcox Construction #84Y.
“It is such a cool night,” Yankowski said in victory lane. “Dave Lape was a legend, especially here at Fonda. There were not many like him that were able to get around here that good. This has been a long time coming for ourselves. Corey Wilcox never stopped believing, we just kept digging and got a couple of wins last year at Utica Rome and now to win at Fonda right out of the box is pretty darn cool. Kevin Bates is the crew chief, the brains of the operation, Jeff Murray, I’m really lucky to have such a good group of guys with me.”
Ricky Quick started the 25-lap Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman feature on the pole and took the lead at the drop of the green flag with outside pole starter Brett Mortensen in second. Mortensen swept around the outside of Quick in turn two for the race lead on lap three with fourth place starter Chad Edwards the new second place car on lap five after getting by Quick for the spot.
Edwards quickly moved in on Mortensen with the yellow out on lap seven closing up the field. Mortensen chose the outside for the restart, but it was Edwards who took the lead away on the restart and immediately pulled away. At the halfway point, Edwards was the race leader over Mortensen, Kyle Dingman, ninth place starter Steven Gray, and Mark Mortensen.
Dingman and Mark Mortensen both got by Brett Mortensen for the second and third positions by the lap 17 point of the event while Edwards was out to a straightaway advantage. Mark Mortensen made his way past Dingman for the second position with five laps to go and ended up second while Edwards went on to his 23rd career win at Fonda in the division in the Kollar Motorsports 10%. Mark Mortensen, Dingman, Gray, and eighth place starter Tyler Peet completed the top five.
“This is awesome, well worth the wait,” Edwards said in victory lane. “We’ve been waiting for the weather to cooperate with us. Have to thank the track crew and Brett (Deyo), it is like the old Fonda again two lanes, high and low, and super smooth. We put this new car together over the winter, this is our second time out with it, and it is really fast.”
“I need to thank the famous John Kollar,” Edwards continued to say. “Without him we wouldn’t be doing this. We built this car as a tribute to John this year, these colors are the colors he flew here at Fonda for many years. I am happy to represent him well and hopefully we can keep on winning.”
After a one lap side by side battle with Kenny Gates on lap one, Beau Ballard took the early lead in the Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stock main event. Fifth place starter AJ Walters used a restart on lap eight to get by Ballard for the lead with Gates falling back to third at that point. At the halfway point in the 20-lap event, Walters was the leader followed by Ballard, Gates, Luke Horning, and Ivan Joslin.
Ballard got a run on the inside of turns three and four to retake the lead from Walters with Horning also getting by Walters for the second position. Gates stayed close to Horning, took the second spot away with two laps remaining, and closed in on Ballard for the lead but it was Ballard who went on to his sixth career win at Fonda in the Michaels Auto & Trailer Sales #15 over Gates, Horning, Walters, and Joslin.
“I had a good enough run on AJ and at that point said to myself if I don’t capitalize on this now I don’t think I’ll have another chance to get back by him,” Ballard told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “We are all in disbelief that we are even here today after all of this rain so hats off to the track crew and everybody involved.”
“This is the second time we won on Dave Lape Memorial Night, and it is just as special as the first,” Ballard continued to say. “My dad was the #22 forever and it is a number that holds strong in our family.”
Randy Cosselman led every lap of the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature from his pole position start for his first career win in the division in the Hoose Construction Inc. #5C. Eleventh place starter Corky Warner was second followed by Lance Hill, Jim Malia, and Camron Hotaling.
“The Sportsman cars are a lot different than the Pro Stocks,” Cosselman said after the win. “My heart and soul was in the Pro Stocks, but they were changing so much I was like if I’m going to spend that much money I might as well buy a Sportsman and see what happens.”
Jay Ingersoll took the lead on lap three of the 12-lap Fonda Fair Four Cylinder feature and led the remaining laps for the victory in the DOHC class while Bruce Riddle started 16th and took the lead away from Ken Hollenback on the final lap of the event for the SOHC win. For Ingersoll, it was his 10th career win at the “Track of Champions” while for Riddle it was the second win of his career.
“Ten wins is about 90 short of Kenny (Gates),” Ingersoll said in victory lane. “But any time you can get a win here it is great.”
“I got lucky tonight,” Riddle told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “Kenny (Hollenback) was running strong in the beginning then he just started losing power. Going into turn three and four I went underneath him hoping I had enough, and I did.”
The Fonda Speedway will be back in action on Wednesday, May 14 for a special midweek racing program called “River Rage”. The 358-Modifieds will be in action along with the Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman, the Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders. Racing will begin at 7:00 p.m.
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.
5/10/2025 DAVE LAPE MEMORIAL TWIN 22’S PRESENTED BY M.W. ROOSEVELT & SON INC./ROOSEVELT’s TOWING
23 Entrees
Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds
A Feature 1 (22 Laps): 1. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson; 2. 93-Danny Varin; 3. 85-Jack Lehner; 4. 21P-Luciano (Pep) Corradi; 5. 97-Bobby Hackel IV; 6. 84Y-Alex Yankowski; 7. 79-Rocky Warner; 8. 20C-Craig Hanson; 9. 4AP-Anthony Perrego; 10. 1Z-Jessica Friesen; 11. 21C-Brian Calabrese; 12. 50-Bill August; 13. 01-Dan Creeden; 14. 71-Eric Mack; 15. 27-Jason Reome; 16. 24P-Brian Pessolano; 17. 6D-Dillon Steuer; 18. 1G-Darwin Greene; 19. 23C-Tommy D'Angelo; 20. 24-Adam McAuliffe; 21. 4-Cody Clark; 22. (DNS) 22-Dan Fassett; 23. (DNS) 76-Jamike Sowle
PALMER’S SERVICE CENTER/JAMIE & DENISE PAGE POWER POSITION – Anthony Perrego $100 Gift Certificate Presented by Stone Motorsports/Online Performance
A Feature 2 (22 Laps): 1. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[1]; 2. 93-Danny Varin[4]; 3. 97-Bobby Hackel IV[2]; 4. 85-Jack Lehner[5]; 5. 4AP-Anthony Perrego[9]; 6. 21P-Luciano (Pep) Corradi[3]; 7. 20C-Craig Hanson[8]; 8. 6D-Dillon Steuer[17]; 9. 1Z-Jessica Friesen[10]; 10. 21C-Brian Calabrese[11]; 11. 71-Eric Mack[14]; 12. 01-Dan Creeden[13]; 13. 50-Bill August[12]; 14. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[6]; 15. 1G-Darwin Greene[18]; 16. 24P-Brian Pessolano[16]; 17. 27-Jason Reome[15]; 18. 23C-Tommy D'Angelo[19]; 19. 79-Rocky Warner[7]; 20. (DNS) 24-Adam McAuliffe; 21. (DNS) 4-Cody Clark; 22. (DNS) 22-Dan Fassett; 23. (DNS) 76-Jamike Sowle
PALMER’S SERVICE CENTER/JAMIE & DENISE PAGE POWER POSITION – Jessica Friesen $100 Gift Certificate Presented by Stone Motorsports/Online Performance
32 entries
Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 10%-Chad Edwards[4]; 2. 1M-Mark Mortensen[5]; 3. 1D-Kyle Dingman[3]; 4. 25-Stephen Gray[9]; 5. 12T-Tyler Peet[8]; 6. 1B-Brett Mortensen[2]; 7. 7-Dave Constantino[21]; 8. 84-Ricky Quick[1]; 9. 89-Dylan Madsen[18]; 10. 164-Brock Miller[7]; 11. 78-Tanner Warner[15]; 12. 9K-Blaine Klinger[10]; 13. 00X-Josh Coonradt[23]; 14. 314-Clayton Dumond[6]; 15. 63-Chip Constantino[19]; 16. 2K-Mike Kalkbrenner[13]; 17. 1H-Harry Shaffer[20]; 18. 15-Greg Havlicek[24]; 19. 7J-Dan Santabarbara[22]; 20. 12B-Tyler Bobar[11]; 21. 28-Dylan Eldred[12]; 22. 14J-Jeremy Tyrrell[14]; 23. 31J-John Dumond[16]; 24. 66-Don Bellen[17]; 25. 8-Josh Kane[25]
PALMER’S SERVICE CENTER JAMIE & DENISE PAGE / POWER POSITION – Brock Miller $100 Gift Certificate Presented by Stone Motorsports/Online Performance
GRECO’S NAPS HARD CHARGER – Dave Constantino +14
19 entries
Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 15-Beau Ballard[1]; 2. 35-Ken Gates[2]; 3. 2H-Luke Horning[8]; 4. 22W-AJ Walters[5]; 5. 49-Ivan Joslin[3]; 6. 96-Andy Graves[10]; 7. 81A-Michael Achzet[13]; 8. 715-Jason Morrison[19]; 9. 76-Kyle Hoard[15]; 10. 15M-Mike Hill[9]; 11. 93-Justin Knight[14]; 12. 7C-Caden Dumblewski[12]; 13. 71-Rob VanAernam[16]; 14. 07-Chucky Dumblewski[11]; 15. 39-Matt Wells[18]; 16. 74N-Jim Normoyle[4]; 17. 6-Shane Playford[6]; 18. 8N-Nick Stone[7]; 19. 909-Kailey Jaycox[17]
22 entries
Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 5C-Randy Cosselman[1]; 2. 797-Corky Warner[11]; 3. 22B-Lance Hill[7]; 4. 13J-Jim Mallia[5]; 5. 98-Camron Hotaling[9]; 6. 24-Kirsten Swartz[15]; 7. 618-Bobby Rhinehardt[12]; 8. 47-Walter Cook[4]; 9. 26-Mason Gray[10]; 10. 4-Zach McSpirit[3]; 11. 11-Josh Persse[20]; 12. 96B-Jimmy Beach[16]; 13. 87J-Joel Knudsen Jr[6]; 14. 7A-Steve Wagoner[14]; 15. 32-Owen Mormile[13]; 16. 44-Rocco Constantino[8]; 17. 48-Clayton Young[18]; 18. 22L-Mark Lighthall[21]; 19. 14W-Timothy Wilmot[17]; 20. (DNS) 27R-Rusty Bowmen; 21. (DNS) 1-Jeff Fonda; 22. (DQ) 1B-Jeff Bobilin[2]
GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER – Corky Warner +9
18 entries
Fonda Fair Four Cylinders
A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 97JD-Jay Ingersoll[3]; 2. 33D-Kerrie Hollenbeck[1]; 3. 26S-Bruce Liddle[16]; 4. 12S-Ken Hollenbeck[2]; 5. 54S-Wayne Russell Jr[12]; 6. 29JD-John Ray[6]; 7. 509S-Stephen Walters[18]; 8. 57S-Jeremiah Paro[14]; 9. 212S-TJ Marlitt[13]; 10. 25S-ANTHONY POWERS[9]; 11. 11D-Ariana Schultz[15]; 12. 9D-Chris Danylieko[10]; 13. 39D-Nick Bunn[11]; 14. 26D-Len St Andrews[8]; 15. 8S-Stephen Burka[17]; 16. 420XS-Tim Warner[5]; 17. (DNS) 223S-Josh Beals; 18. (DQ) 107D-Tim Vandermark[7]
Submitted By: Brett Deyo