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By: Ron Szczerba

FONDA , NY – After finishing third the past three weeks at Fonda, Bobby Varin was back in victory lane Saturday evening at the Track of Champions in the Jake and Nancy Spraker owned #1J. For Varin it was his third win of the season and the 31st of his career at Fonda.

“Dave (Camara) was battling with lap cars and I got into him a little bit when I was trying to get by him for the lead,” Varin said. “It was unintentional, just good close racing.”

A very scary incident occurred in the first sportsman heat race when defending track champion John Scarborough barrel rolled his car in turn one. The car came to rest on its roof against the outside wall in between turns one and two and shortly afterwards burst into flames with the red flag coming out.

Scarborough crawled out of the car and his driving suit was on fire but he rolled on the track to put out the flames. He then stood up and walked to the ambulance while the car continued to burn. According to reports Scarborough was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for burns to both of his wrists and his neck and released. He was back to the speedway before the end of the racing program.

Other winners on Lucia Specialized Hauling Night at the Fonda Speedway were David Towns (sportsman), Rob Yetman with his first career win at Fonda in the pro stock division, Jeremy Cramer (IMCA), Duke McSpirit and Rocky Warner (street stock). For McSpirit it was his first career street stock win at Fonda. Kerri Hollenbeck was the winner of the 4-cylinder feature event.

Mike Fusco jumped out to the early lead in the modified feature from his outside pole starting position while further back in the field Ronnie Johnson and Dave Camara made a sandwich out of Craig Hanson to advance their positions. Donnie Corellis started the event in the fourth position and on lap two got by Butchie Irwin for the second position.

While Fusco was out to a straightaway lead, Camara got by Irwin for the third position on lap three while Johnson and Varin were running side by side to advance into the top five. Coming out of turn four side by side on lap seven, Varin and Johnson made contact but both were able to right their cars and continue on.

On lap nine, Corellis caught the leader and was challenging for the lead when he went too high coming out of turn four and hit the wall with the right side of his car. He was able to continue on but lost the second position to Camara in the process with Camara now pressuring Fusco for the lead.

On the inside of turn four on lap 11, Camara went by Fusco for the lead. As the lead was changing hands, Varin got by both Johnson and Corellis for the third position with a sweeping move on the outside of turn three on lap 13. Four laps later Varin got by Fusco for the second position.

At that point in the event Camara held a straightaway lead but it didn’t take long for Varin to cut into that as he was right on his rear bumper when lap 20 was completed. At the line to complete lap 21, Camara and Varin were side by side but going into turn one Camara was slowed by a lap car allowing Varin to get by for the lead.

From that point on Varin pulled away from Camara with the best race on the track over the final laps being a race for the fourth position between Johnson and the winner of the last three feature events at Fonda Matt DeLorenzo. Johnson and DeLorenzo raced side by side for the position over the final laps of the event as Varin went on to the win in the caution free event followed by Camara, Fusco, Johnson, and DeLorenzo.

“We were actually going to run a different car tonight,” Varin said. “But the rain changed the track conditions so we decided to stay with the car that we knew and have run all season.”

The caution plagued sportsman feature began with Pete Sisler as the early leader followed by Vinnie Sanganetti. Dave Constantino started the event in the fourth position and at the end of lap one he was already in the second position. On lap three on the inside of turn four, Constantino was the new leader after he got by Sisler for the point.

Towns started the event in the 12th position and on a lap three restart he got by both Jeremy Wilder and Sisler for the second position with another caution coming out on lap five to slow the field.

On the restart, Towns was the new leader but Constantino wasn’t giving up as he ducked under Towns to try to regain the lead going into turn four on lap seven. Constantino went into the turn too hard and ended up spinning out to bring out the caution.

When the fifth yellow flag of the event came out on lap six, management had seen enough resulting in a single file restart with Towns, Wilder, and Robert Perry in the top three. Towns held the lead through two more caution periods to take his fifth win of the season and the 21st of his career at Fonda over Wilder, Perry, Luke Monroe, and McGrew.

“Considering the way the night started this was a great win for us,” Towns said. “The last two weeks have been going good for us, this is a true team sport, and I have to thank my crew and sponsors for their help. My experience paid off tonight but when Jeremy (Wilder) gets more experience behind him he will be passing and pulling away from me. Tonight really sucks for John ( Scarborough ). He lost everything in one night but I am glad that he is okay.”

The pro stock feature began with Ivan Joslin as the early leader with the second place car of Chucky Dumblewski in the second position. Coming out of turn four on lap two, Dumblewski got out of shape resulting in everyone behind him playing bumper cars but all were able to right their cars and continue on.

When Phil Pearson went into turn one a little bit too hard on lap two he slid up the track and made contact with Roy Fifield with Fifield going hard into the turn one wall. Fifield was not injured but there was severe damage done to the car ending his evening way too early.

On the restart, Yetman and Kenny Martin Jr. were racing hard for the second position with the two coming together on the frontstretch. Both straightened their cars and were able to continue with Yetman getting the second position at that point. On the inside at the finish line to complete lap four, Yetman took over the lead from Joslin with the latter retaking the point on the next lap.

After running side by side for a brief period, Yetman took the lead for good on lap six with Martin now second after also getting by Joslin. Martin was pressuring Yetman over the final laps but when he slipped up coming out of turn four with three laps to go he lost some ground to the leader. That was all that Yetman needed to pull away for the win, the first feature win of his career at Fonda which came one week after winning the Bev Caputo Memorial Dash a week earlier.

Kenny Gates was able to get by Martin for the second spot with one lap to go with Martin, Chip Smith, and last weeks winner Nick Stone completing the top five.

“This place is tough,” Yetman said in victory lane. “There is such great competition here at Fonda. Tonight we came in here with the car set up for a slippery track and with all of the rain the track ended up tacky. It took us two hours to change the setup over on this car and it paid off for us.”

Jim Cramer started the IMCA feature on the pole and took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Bob Banks Jr. in the second position after starting third. On lap eight, Jim’s brother Jeremy took over the second position from Banks and set sail after his brother who held a straightaway advantage.

While Jeremy was closing the gap on his brother by lap 13, Danny Ballard and Danny Ody were running side by side for the fourth position, swapping the spot many times as they stayed side by side for many laps. On lap 17, Ody got by both Ballard and Banks for the third position as Jim Cramer was now in lap traffic.

When the lap car of Dan Clemens made contact with the leader in turn one on lap 17, Jim Cramer ended up spinning after also getting hit by another car ending his bid for his first career win at Fonda. Jeremy Cramer took over the lead at that point and went on to his third win of the season and the seventh of his career at Fonda.

Ody, Banks, Ballard, and George Catanzano completed the top five.

In victory lane, Jeremy Cramer thanked his brother Jim who sets up his car and also had this to say.

“It is just ridiculous that a lap car took my brother out like he did,” Jeremy Cramer said in victory lane. “I was lucky that I didn’t get collected into the back of my brother in that crash. I was just trying to stay behind him and give him the room that he needed as I really wasn’t getting close enough to challenge him for the win.”

The street stock “A” feature began with Duke McSpirit in the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Luke Horning who was in his own car this week and not in the McSpirit team car with John Babcock in third. On lap two, Luke Horning took over the lead with Dave Horning Sr. in the third spot on lap four after starting eighth.

Horning Sr. went between both Luke Horning and McSpirit for the lead on lap five with McSpirit also able to get by Luke Horning for the second spot. When Horning Sr. got out of shape in turn one on lap 10, McSpirit got into the back of him with Horning Sr. spinning out as a result.

McSpirit led the final two laps to get his first career win at Fonda followed by Horning Sr. who got all the way back up to second, Babcock, Rob VanAernam, and Brian Cosselman.

“I bumped Dave (Horning Sr.) in turn one there and it wasn’t on purpose,” McSpirit said as he celebrated his first career victory on checkerboard square. “It was just real close racing. I was glad that the track dried up a little bit as the night went on because we don’t have a lot of power in this motor.”

Eric Sbrega led lap one of the street stock “B” feature before Randy Moore took over the point on lap two. After Sbrega got into the back of Moore and spun him out it resulted in a caution flag and also a black flag for Sbrega. Neil Cosselman was handed the lead at that point with Dave Horning Jr. and Rocky Warner second and third after starting 10th and 11th respectively.

Horning Jr. led lap three with he and Warner crossing over the finish line in a dead heat on lap four. Warner took over the lead on lap five on the outside of the backstretch and went on to the win followed by Horning Jr., Neil Cosselman, Steve Cosselman, and Reuben Kennedy.

For Warner it was the fourth victory of the season and the 19th of his career at Fonda.

“That was some good racing and the track was really smooth tonight all things considered,” Warner said in victory lane. “I broke the rear end in my car at Glen Ridge on Friday night and I have to thank my teammate Dan Pollock and my crew for getting my car fixed for tonight.”

Next Saturday at Fonda a regular show in all divisions is on the racing card starting at 6:00p.m. It will also be Student Appreciation Night at the Track of Champions with ½ price admission for students with a student I.D.

MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 31 total cars – 6 qualify – 4 handicapped

HEAT 1 – Bobby Varin, Harry Shaffer, Ronnie Johnson, Butchie Irwin, Elmo Reckner, Stewart Friesen

HEAT 2 – Mike Fusco, Jim Davis, Matt DeLorenzo, Bobby Vedder, John Marsh, Dave Lape

HEAT 3 – Jack Johnson, Dave Camara, Craig Hanson, Donnie Corellis, Robert King, Brett Graham

MODIFIED CONSOLATION – 6 qualify – Alton Palmer, Tony Pepicelli, Josh Pieniazek, Ray Zemken, Dustin Purdy, Erik Nelson

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – BOBBY VARIN, Dave Camara, Mike Fusco, Ronnie Johnson, Matt DeLorenzo, Donnie Corellis, Butchie Irwin, Dave Lape, Craig Hanson, Jack Johnson, John Marsh, Ray Zemken, Jim Davis, Josh Pieniazek, Tony Pepicelli, Erik Nelson, Elmo Reckner, Robert King, Alton Palmer, Brett Graham, Ed Pieniazek, Harry Shaffer, Dustin Purdy, Stewart Friesen

SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 24 total cars – 4 qualify

HEAT 1 – Luke Monroe, Vinnie Sanganetti, Ricky Quick, Mark Mortensen

HEAT 2 – David Towns , Chad Edwards, Jim Meka, Jason Memrick

HEAT 3 – Jeremy Wilder, Dave Constantino, Danny Varin, Pete Sisler

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – DAVID TOWNS, Jeremy Cramer, Robert Perry, Luke Monroe, Derrick McGrew, Mark Kislowski, Chad Edwards, Dave Constantino, Vinnie Sanganetti, Jim Meka, Danny Varin, Jason Memrick, Anthony Denny, Ricky Quick, Don Bellen, Bill Wilder, Brian Jones, Brandon Easy, Pete Sisler, John McAuliffe, Mark Mortensen, JaMike Sowle

PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 17 total cars – 4 qualify

HEAT 1 – Kenny Martin Jr., Nick Stone, Ivan Joslin, Dean Charbonneau

HEAT 2 – Roy Fifield, Chip Smith, Rob Yetman, Chucky Dumblewski

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – ROB YETMAN, Kenny Gates, Kenny Martin Jr., Chip Smith, Nick Stone, Jason Brownell, Ivan Joslin, Chucky Dumblewski, Dean Charbonneau, Speed Felon, Tony Stone, Phil Pearson, Roy Fifield

IMCA QUALIFYING – 17 total cars – 4 qualify

HEAT 1 – Jim Cramer, Danny Ody, Aaron Jacobs, Jeremy Cramer

HEAT 2 – Danny Ballard, George Catanzano, Bob Banks Jr., JoJo Donato

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING IMCA FEATURE – 20-LAPS – JEREMY CRAMER, Danny Ody, Bob Banks Jr., Danny Ballard, George Catanzano, Kevin Buff, Aaron Jacobs, JoJo Donato, Carol Parker, Jay Fitzgerald, Dan Clemens, Jim Cramer, Jeff Townsend, Bill Casey, Beau Ballard, George Proctor III

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING STREET STOCK “A” FEATURE – 12-LAPS – DUKE MCSPIRIT, Dave Horning Sr., John Babcock, Rob VanAernam, Brian Cosselman, Chuck McSpirit, Justin Knight, Chris Fifield, Luke Horning, Cody Bleau, Joe Smith

LUCIA SPECIALIZED HAULING STREET STOCK “B” FEATURE – 12-LAPS – ROCKY WARNER, Dave Horning Jr., Neil Cosselman, Steve Cosselman, Reuben Kennedy, Cassidy Wilson, Randy Moore, Dan Pollock, George Green, Brian Haas, Eric Sbrega, Lee Horning, Chris Reckner

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