12/20/2025
Fonda Speedway
2025 FONDA SPEEDWAY SEASON REVIEW
By: Ron Szczerba
Fonda, NY – The 2025 racing season was the 74th in the history of the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway with racing in five regular weekly divisions including the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel 602 Sportsman, the Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders. Special thanks to all division sponsors for their support of the Fonda Speedway.
Add in four appearances by the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series and it was a season full of action despite suffering seven rainouts.
AMSTERDAM TRUCK CENTER MODIFIEDS
There were nine different feature winners in the 20 events held in the division with Stewart Friesen leading the way with five wins before his season ending accident in Canada. Next in line with three feature wins apiece were Ronnie Johnson (two big block wins and one 358 win) and Rocky Warner (one big block win and two 358 wins). Alex Yankowski, Cody Clark, and Matt Sheppard all had two wins apiece with single event wins going to Jack Lehner, Danny Varin, and Michael Trautschold.
Yankowski was crowned the 2025 Amsterdam Truck Center Modified Track Champion, his second consecutive title after also winning it back in 2024. Drivers with first career wins at Fonda in the division in 2025 included Yankowski, Johnson (358), and Warner (358).
SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL 602 SPORTSMAN
A total of 17 events were held at Fonda in the division with eight different drivers scoring victories led by Tyler Peet with five. Chad Edwards was next in line with four wins followed by Stephen Gray and Josh Coonradt both with two wins apiece. Single event wins went to Dylan Madsen, Chip Constantino, Tyler Bobar, and Mark Mortensen.
Edwards was crowned the 2025 Swagger Factory Apparel 602 Sportsman Track Champion for the fourth time in his career after winning it back in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Drivers with first career wins in the division in 2025 included Gray, Coonradt, and Bobar.
LEATHERSTOCKING CREDIT UNION PRO STOCKS
Eight different drivers scored feature wins in the division in a 15 event season in 2025 led by Ivan Joslin with four wins. Beau Ballard was next in line with three while two drivers scored two wins apiece, Kenny Gates and Luke Horning. Single event winners included Shane Playford, Nick Stone, Andy Graves, and Jason Morrison.
Ballard was crowned the Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stock Track Champion, his first in the division at Fonda. Graves was the only first time winner in the division in 2025.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN
Thirteen events were held in the division with six different drivers scoring wins led by Corky Warner with four. Mason Gray had three feature wins followed by Randy Cosselman and Camron Hotaling both with two wins apiece while Rocco Constantino and Jim Malia each scored one win apiece.
Warner was crowned the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman Track Champion, his first title in the division at Fonda. First career winners in the division for 2025 included Cosselman, Hotaling, and Malia.
FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDERS
Seventeen events were held with winners declared in both the SOHC and DOHC classes. A total of nine different winners added their names to the all time win list in the division with Jay Ingersoll leading the way with 13 wins in 2025. Ken Hollenback was next in line with seven wins followed by Wayne Russell Jr. with five, Stephen Burka with three, and Jason Peck with two. Bruce Liddle, Kerrie Hollenback, Tim Warner, and Justin Guyle all had one win apiece.
Ingersoll was crowned the DOHC Track Champion for the second time win his career at Fonda after also winning it back in 2024 while Russell Jr. was crowned the SOHC Track Champion for the first time in his career. First time winners in the division included Peck, Warner, Burka, and Guyle.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Jason Samrov scored all four wins in the Street Stock events which were all sponsored by Online Performance Parts/Stone Motorsports.
• Danny Varin was the winner of the one ESS Sprint event held at Fonda, the Earl Halaquist Memorial. For Varin it was his ninth career ESS win at Fonda and dating back to 2017, it was Varin’s ninth win in the last ten ESS events held at Fonda.
• Cody Clark doubled up at Fonda back on 6/14 with a win in both the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds and the Rush Late Model features.
• Harry Shaffer was the winner of the Holmes & Kugler Towing Slow Down Move Over Dash for the 602 Sportsman cars.
• Jack Lehner was the winner of the Bill Ag Memorial Match Races held in Memory of the late Bill Anagnostopoulos.
• Ivan Joslin was the winner of the BOBCO Memorial Dash held in honor of the late Bob James.
• Luke Horning was the winner of the prestigious Hondo Classic held in Memory of the late Hondo Carpenter.
• Ronnie Johnson was the winner of the Rick Rudolph Modified Dash.
• Lance Hill was the winner of the Doug’s Pool & Spa’s Limited Sportsman Dash.
THE MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES
Winners at Fonda in 2025 in the different divisions in this series (number of wins in parenthesis)
Antiques – Doug Mathewson (2), Mike Wheeler and Jimmy Fugel (one win apiece).
Late Models – Will Reed (3) and John Roese (1).
Mystiques – Joe Rando (2), Harry Baldwin and Scot Straight (one win apiece).
Modifieds – Jack Miller (3) and Andy Graves (1).
Sportsman – Jipp Ortiz (3) and Brian Gray (1).
MILESTONE FONDA WINS
• Stewart Friesen tied Dave Lape for third on the All-Time Win List in the Modified division on 7/5 with his 99th career win.
• Ronnie Johnson tied AJ Romano for 11th on the Modified All-Time Win List on 8/9 with his 34th career win.
• Chad Edwards tied Rocky Warner for second on the 602 Sportsman All-Time Win List on 8/9 with his 26th career victory. Mark Mortensen leads the way in the division with 28 wins after the biggest win of his career back on 9/13 in the STSS 602 Sportsman event during the Fonda 200 weekend.
• Kenny Gates scored career win #100 in the Pro Stock division back on 6/21 which is first on the All-Time Win List in the division.
• Corky Warner is now tied for fourth on the Rookie/ Limited Sportsman win list with Brett Mortensen and Zach Dufel with five career wins apiece after a four win season in 2025.
• Jay Ingersoll moved into third on the Four Cylinder All-Time Win List with 22 career wins after a 13 win season in 2025.
The “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway will present the earliest ever opening day in history on Thursday January 1, 2026 with the running of the “Chill Factor”, a 50-lap, $500 to win Enduro event. Pit gates will open at 10:00 a.m. with grandstands opening at 11:00 a.m. and racing at 1:00 p.m.
The “Chill Factor” Enduro carries an extreme weather date of Saturday, Jan. 3 if needed.
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 (X): @thefondaspdwy or Instagram: @fondaspeedway.
Submitted By: Brett Deyo