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DELORENZO TAKES NINTH WIN OF THE SEASON AT FONDA
By: Ron Szczerba
FONDA , NY – Last Sunday instead of racing at the Fonda Speedway, 2007 Overall Modified Track Champion Matt DeLorenzo decided to take a vacation with his family to the Nextel Cup race in New Hampshire . On Saturday evening DeLorenzo was back from his vacation and he was just as dominant as he was all season long as took his ninth feature win of the season which was worth $3,000.
“I have to thank Mother Nature for that one,” DeLorenzo said in victory lane. “I was hoping for a little rain today as it made the track just like it was on a regular Saturday night all summer long. The track took rubber early in the heat races but the rain definitely helped.”
Other winners on Saturday at Fonda were Alex Bell (Budget Sportsman), Kenny Gates (Pro Stock), George Catanzano (IMCA), Rocky Warner (Street Stock), and Jeff Crouse (4-cylinder). Rain started to fall during the Pro Stock feature resulting in a long rain delay.
Starting lineups for all divisions except for the Street Stocks were determined by a redraw after the heat race and consolation events. The Street Stocks were started heads up by finishing positions in their heat race and consolation events.
Bobby Varin started on the pole position in the 50-lap 358-Modified event and took the lead at the drop of the green flag. An early yellow on lap two for Brett Graham took away the straightaway lead that Varin had and on the restart Mike Fusco was the new leader after getting a great restart off of turn two.
DeLorenzo started the event in the seventh position and by lap three he was already up to the third spot. On lap five, Fusco slowed coming out of turn four while leading and was done for the evening handing the lead back to Varin. After starting ninth and 13th respectively, Jack and Ronnie Johnson moved into the fifth and sixth positions on lap nine as DeLorenzo was now pressuring Varin for the lead.
Lap traffic came into play on lap 14 as Varin was caught behind a lap car in turn four allowing DeLorenzo to make a power move around the outside of two lap cars and Varin to take the lead. From that point on DeLorenzo stretched out his lead lap after lap and by the halfway point in the event he was already a straightaway ahead of Varin and the third place car of Stewart Friesen.
Caution flags on laps 28, 37, 42, and 44 slowed the field with the only driver being able to take advantage of all of the restarts being Jack Johnson. On a lap 42 restart, Johnson took over the third position from Friesen and three laps later Johnson was the new second place car after getting by Varin for the spot on another restart.
Nobody had anything for DeLorenzo however as he won by a straightaway margin over Jack Johnson, Friesen, Varin, and A.J. Romano.
“Bobby (Varin) and Mike (Fusco) were quick early on but when Bobby was caught behind the lap cars I was able to get the lead,” DeLorenzo said. “Once I got the lead I really didn’t know where to run so I just stayed up on top of the speedway. I have a great family, crew, and sponsors who all helped me get here tonight.”
The 20-lap Jumpin’ Jack’s Pro Speed/Harry Shaffer Open Championship for the Budget Sportsman began with Howard Gage the early leader. On lap two, last weeks feature winner Frank Hoard III and Frank Hoard Jr. were racing side by side for the second position with Hoard III getting the spot.
After a caution on lap three for Jeff Washburn who rode the back stretch wall but was not injured, Hoard III was the new leader on the restart with Alex Bell now second after getting by both Scott Duell and Hoard Jr. Gage’s day came to an end on lap nine as his car started smoking with a small fire igniting under the car. The fire went out on its own and Gage was not injured.
On the outside of the backstretch on lap 11, Bell was the new leader with Hoard Jr. and Scott Duell swapping the third spot back and forth until the checkered flag flew. Bell took his first career feature win at Fonda in only the second ever Budget Sportsman event held at the Track of Champions and was followed by Hoard III, Duell, Hoard Jr., and Fred Proctor.
“I just went up to the high side, put the right rear up on the cushion, and kept going,” Bell said in victory lane after the $1,000 to win event.
The 30-lap $1,000 to win Pro Stock feature began with Kenny Gates in the lead from his pole position start. Shortly after Frank Twing Jr. spun in turn two, rain started to fall resulting in a long rain delay before racing action could continue. When the green flag flew again it was Gates back in the lead with Roy Fifield getting by Nick Stone for the second position after starting sixth.
On a lap seven restart in the caution plagued event, Stone took the second position back with Chip Smith now third after also getting by Fifield. Smith got by Stone for the second position on lap 23 but nobody was going to catch Gates on this day as he went on to his fifth win of the season and the 38th of his career in the Pro Stock division at Fonda.
“I really thought that the rain would screw us up because we were set up for a dry, slick race track which is the way that I like it,” Gates said in victory lane. “Under the rain delay we changed the car around and when the race was restarted we were going for all that it was worth. I can’t feel much better than I do right now with a big money win like this because it gives you incentive going into the off season and into next year.”
The 25-lap IMCA National feature event was a special one as it was an event held In Memory of Steve Bidwell and Skip Pabis. A special trophy was also made up and will include a plaque with the event winners name on it from this year forward. The trophy will be on display at the Fonda Speedway Museum which is located in the McDonald’s Restaurant located on Riverside Drive in Fultonville, just across the river from the Track of Champions.
George Catanzano was the early leader in the IMCA feature at the drop of the green flag in the $400 to win event from his pole position start with the father and son team of Danny and Beau Ballard racing for the second position on lap four with Beau holding on to the spot after starting on the outside of the front row.
While the Ballard’s were racing for the second position, Catanzano was out to a straightaway lead by lap five while further back in the field Aaron Jacobs and 2007 Track Champion Jeremy Cramer were battling side by side for the fifth spot. Jacobs and Cramer swapped the position twice before Jacobs took over the spot for good on lap 12 while Cramer fell back in the field.
Jacobs, Danny Ballard, and Danny Ody had a three car battle going for the third position with 10 laps to go in the event with Jacobs taking the spot with only five laps to go. Catanzano ended up winning the event by a half track with Beau Ballard, Jacobs, Danny Ballard, and Bob Banks Jr. completing the top five.
After victory lane ceremonies were completed, Catanzano ran across the track and presented the winning trophy to a child in the crowd.
“I remember racing with Steve (Bidwell) in the first IMCA event ever held here on McDonald’s weekend years ago,” Catanzano said. “I will never forget racing with Steve.”
Beau Ballard finished the event in the second position and took home a $72 bonus from the Pabis family for being the second place car on lap seven.
“This was my best run all year,” Ballard said. “The car was perfect and it gives us some momentum going into next year, hopefully with a new car. It really feels good to be up here in victory lane in this memorial event.”
The 20-lap $500 to win Street Stock feature began with Dave Horning Sr. and Cassidy Wilson on the front row with Horning taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. Wilson and 2007 Track Champion Rocky Warner were running side by side for second on lap four with Wilson able to hold him off this time.
On lap seven, Warner was the new second place car after getting by Wilson and on lap 11 Warner was the new leader as he got by Horning for the point on the outside in turn four. On a lap 11 restart, Warner and Horning were running side by side for the lead and when they came up on a lap car going into turn three they split the lap car as the battle for the spot continued.
Lap after lap Horning would duck under Warner for the lead in turn two but each time going down the back stretch Warner would gain the momentum needed to maintain the top spot. Warner went on to win his ninth feature of the season and the 24th of his career at Fonda over Horning, Rob VanAernam, Luke Horning, and Lou Ganzer.
During intermission the 2007 Most Popular Drivers in all divisions were presented their award by the Leader Herald Newspaper. The winners of the contest which was voted on by the fans were Jack Johnson (Modified), John Scarborough (Sportsman), Kenny Gates (Pro Stock), Danny Ballard (IMCA), and Dave Horning Jr. (Street Stock).
MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 46 total cars – 4 qualify – 2 redraw
HEAT 1 – Bobby Varin, Mitch Gibbs, Robert King, Todd Morey
HEAT 2 – A.J. Romano, Paul Cirincione, Jim Davis, Josh Hohenforst
HEAT 3 – Matt DeLorenzo, Ray Zemken, Ronnie Johnson, Mark Kislowski
HEAT 4 – Mike Fusco, Stewart Friesen, Alan Barker, Ancel Collins
HEAT 5 – Jack Johnson, Erik Nelson, Mike Ricci, Robert Perry
MODIFIED CONSOLATIONS – 4 qualify
CONSI 1 – Tony Pepicelli, Craig Hanson, Elmo Reckner, Brett Graham
CONSI 2 – Dave Constantino, Marc Johnson, Brian Weaver, Rick Davis
MODIFIED FEATURE – 50-LAPS – MATT DELORENZO, Jack Johnson, Stewart Friesen, Bobby Varin, A.J. Romano, Ronnie Johnson, Mike Ricci, Jim Davis, Mitch Gibbs, Josh Hohenforst, Elmo Reckner, Tony Pepicelli, Marc Johnson, Robert King, Brian Weaver, Ancel Collins, Robert Perry, Brett Graham, Dave Constantino, Todd Morey, Craig Hanson, Erik Nelson, Rich Davis, Ray Zemken, Paul Cirincione, Alan Barker, Mark Kislowski, Mike Fusco
BUDGET SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 14 total cars – all qualify
HEAT 1 – John Turco, Frank Hoard III, Scott Duell, Howard Gage, Angela Hoard, Bill Gray, Kevin Fassett
HEAT 2 – Alex Bell, Frank Hoard Jr., Fred Proctor, Keith Shoemaker, Duke McSpirit, Jeff Washburn, Todd Clark
JUMPIN’ JACK’S PRO SPEED/HARRY SHAFFER BUDGET SPORTSMAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP – 20-LAPS – ALEX BELL, Frank Hoard III, Scott Duell, Frank Hoard Jr., Fred Proctor, John Turco, Keith Shoemaker, Bill Gray, Todd Clark, Angela Hoard, Kevin Fassett, Duke McSpirit, Howard Gage, Jeff Washburn
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 21 total cars – 5 qualify – 5 redraw
HEAT 1 – Chip Smith, Roy Fifield, Rocky Warner, Shane Henderson, Jim Normoyle
HEAT 2 – Kenny Gates, Nick Stone, Frank Twing, Ed Thompson, Rod Slater
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 30-LAPS – KENNY GATES, Chip Smith, Nick Stone, Frank Twing, Jim Normoyle, Roy Fifield, Ed Thompson, Jason Brownell, Rocky Warner, Tony Stone, Mark Effner, Don Warner, Frank Twing Jr., Rod Slater, John Santolin, Bill Dona, Shane Henderson, Luke Horning, George Miles
IMCA QUALIFYING – 18 total cars - 5 qualify – 5 redraw
HEAT 1 – Kevin Buff, Jim Cramer, Bob Banks Jr., Danny Ody, John Rohacevich
HEAT 2 – Jeremy Cramer, Aaron Jacobs, George Catanzano, Beau Ballard, Danny Ballard
IMCA NATIONALS – 25-LAPS – GEORGE CATANZANO, Beau Ballard, Aaron Jacobs, Danny Ballard, Bob Banks Jr., Danny Ody, Dale Caswell, Kevin Buff, Jim Cramer, Jeremy Cramer, John Rohacevich, Brad Weaver, JoJo Donato, Kevin Cook, Jeff Jones
STREET STOCK QUALIFYING – 40 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Dave Horning Sr., Chuck McSpirit, Rob VanAernam, D.J. Brundage, Paul Mulrain
HEAT 2 – Cassidy Wilson, Dan Pollock, David Stickles, Sam Surnear, Ray Hall Jr.
HEAT 3 – Rocky Warner, Cody Bleau, Brandon Emigh, Eric Sbrega, Bob Gibson
HEAT 4 – Neil Cosselman, Reuben Kennedy, Lou Ganzer, Nick Lussier, Joe Smith
STREET STOCK CONSOLATIONS – 4 qualify
CONSI 1 – Bob Palmer, Ed Hatch, Randy Myers, Jason Casey
CONSI 2 – Luke Horning, Dave Hauser, David Emigh, Chris Reckner
STREET STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – ROCKY WARNER, Dave Horning Sr., Rob VanAernam, Luke Horning, Lou Ganzer, Cassidy Wilson, Dan Pollock, Eric Sbrega, Bob Gibson, Cody Bleau, Chris Reckner, Sam Surnear, Chuck McSpirit, Jason Casey, Bob Palmer, David Stickles, Dave Hauser, Shannon McDermot, Joe Smith, Dave Sullivan, Ray Hall Jr., Neil Cosselman, David Emigh, D.J. Brundage, Randy Myers, Reuben Kennedy, Ed Hatch, Paul Mulrain
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