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DELORENZO BACK IN VICTORY LANE AT FONDA
HOARD DOUBLES UP IN BUDGET SPORTSMAN
By: Ron Szczerba
FONDA , NY – The last time a racing program was rained out at Fonda back in the middle of the month of May, defending Modified Track Champion Matt DeLorenzo came back the following week and won the feature event.
Last week the racing program was rained out at Fonda and this week well you guessed it DeLorenzo was back in victory lane with the BBL Companies sponsored #3D for the third time this season and the 15th time in his career at the Track of Champions.
After lapping cars up to the 12th position in the finishing order DeLorenzo had this to say in victory lane.
“We must have been going pretty good because I saw a lot of good cars back there that we were fortunate enough to put a lap down,” he said. “I really have to thank my father Tom and my brother Mike because we really don’t have a lot of help on this car along with my sponsors and my fans.”
Other winners in a well run racing program that was completed before 10:00 p.m. included John McAuliffe (Sportsman), Frank Hoard III won both the curfew delayed Budget Sportsman feature from May 10 and the regular scheduled feature, Roy Fifield (Pro Stock), George Catanzano (IMCA), and Cassidy Wilson (Street Stock).
In the final five feature events of the evening there was only one caution flag in a total of 125 laps of competition in five different divisions!
Tony Pepicelli used a pole position start to his advantage as he took the lead in the 30-lap Modified feature at the drop of the green flag with Paul Cirincione in tow. DeLorenzo started the event in the 10th position and by lap three he was in the top five after getting by Danny Varin for the spot.
One lap later DeLorenzo was in the fourth position after getting by John Marsh Sr. while the father and son duo of Danny and Bobby Varin were racing side by side for the seventh spot. Bobby got the best of his son and took the spot on lap five while Ryan Odasz and DeLorenzo were side by side for the third position which DeLorenzo was able to capture two laps later.
DeLorenzo and Odasz both got by Cirincione for the third and fourth positions on lap eight while DeLorenzo was closing in quickly on the leader. On the inside of turn four on lap 10, DeLorenzo got by Pepicelli for the lead while Odasz also got by Pepicelli for the second position on lap 12.
By lap 13 DeLorenzo stretched out his lead to a full straightaway while Bobby Varin was up to the fourth position after starting 12th. On lap 15 Bobby Varin was the new third place car after getting by Pepicelli with Pepicelli slowing on the backstretch and retiring from the event on lap 16 ending his great run.
Ronnie Johnson and Pat Ward who started the event in the 11th and 17th positions respectively made moves into the top six during the final laps of the event but it was Matty D. taking the win over Bobby Varin, Odasz, Ronnie Johnson and Cirincione who held off Ward for the fifth spot.
“This car drives like a Cadillac,” DeLorenzo said in victory lane. “The key is to get out front early and save your tires and I hope that we can keep getting here to victory lane.”
Ricky Quick led early in the Sportsman feature before he slowed on the backstretch with John McAuliffe coming all the way from his sixth place starting position to take the lead before lap one was completed. Chad Edwards and John Scarborough started the event in the fourth row and came to the front together, swapping the fourth position many times on lap nine before Scarborough took the spot for good one lap later.
Coming down the frontstretch on lap 16, McAuliffe had an anxious moment as the lap car of Chuck Allen got out of shape right in front of him but McAuliffe was able to cautiously get by Allen and hold on to the lead.
With three laps to go in the event, Scarborough made a move around both Drew Fallis and Jeremy Wilder for the second position but behind him Luke Munroe must have been watching how it was done as on the final lap in the final turn Munroe got by both Fallis and Scarborough for the second spot.
McAuliffe won the event, his first win of the season and the first in nearly a year after his last win which came on June 9, 2007. It was also the 31st win of his career at Fonda. Munroe, Scarborough , Fallis, and Wilder completed the top five.
“Finally,” McAuliffe said in victory lane. “This is a fairly new car and we have been chasing it. One of Bobby Varin’s guys gave me the setup that I used tonight that they used one time at Orange County and I am very happy to get this win.”
The curfew delayed Budget Sportsman feature from May 10 began with Bill Wilder taking the lead from his front row starting position on the pole. Frank Hoard III started on the outside of the front row and on lap three got by Wilder for the lead on the inside of turn four.
After starting seventh on the grid, Mike Ketchum got by Wilder for the second position on lap four and the chase was on as he tried to close the gap between himself and Hoard. A yellow flag on lap 10 closed up the field but on the restart Hoard was able to maintain the lead while Scott Duell and Aaron Jacobs were racing side by side for the fourth spot.
Jacobs ended up getting the spot from Duell while Fred Proctor also got by Duell for the fourth spot. At the checkered flag, Hoard was the winner followed by Ketchum, Wilder, Jacobs, and Proctor.
In the regularly scheduled Budget Sportsman feature Hoard took the lead at the drop of Denny Tilison’s green flag with Wilder in tow. Ketchum started this event in the fourth position and by lap five was already in the second spot after getting by Wilder.
Hoard held a straightaway lead on lap eight with Ketchum and Anthony Marro completing the top three but on lap 16 when the caution flag came out it closed up the field and gave Ketchum and Marro one last chance at the leader.
Hoard was able to pull away on the restart while further back in the top five Jacobs got by two cars to get the fourth position after starting 14th. Hoard went on for his second win of the evening and the third of his career at Fonda followed by Ketchum, Marro, Proctor, and Jacobs who lost the fourth spot to Proctor at the finish line.
“This season has been great so far,” Hoard said in victory lane as he celebrated the double victory. “This is a new car for us this year and it has been on rails with three wins at Albany Saratoga and two here at Fonda.”
The Pro Stock feature began with Kenny Martin Jr. in the lead with Roy Fifield coming up from his eighth place starting position into the second spot before lap one was completed. On lap three, Fifield was the new leader with Nick Stone and Kenny Gates now third and fourth behind Martin.
Stone and Gates were side by side for the third position at the halfway point in the 20-lap event while Fifield was out to a straightaway lead. Gates got the third position away from Stone on lap 11 and two laps later worked his way past Martin for second. With Fifield having a straightaway advantage over Gates it was going to be a tough task for Gates to catch the leader but the defending Co-Track Champion wasn’t about to give up.
According to timing and scoring Gates was running ½ second faster than the leader and quickly closed the gap on Fifield. At the drop of the checkered flag Fifield was the winner as Gates fell short by a car length at the finish line. Gates, Martin, Stone, and Ivan Joslin completed the top five.
“It is finally nice to get more than one win in a season,” Fifield said. “Without sponsors I wouldn’t be in victory lane and I have to thank Camara Slate for all of their help. They let me keep my car at their shop and help me work on it as well. We are a little behind in points after a DNF earlier this season so we need more of these (wins) in order to catch up.”
The IMCA feature began with Kevin Buff in the lead with Bob Banks Jr. in second. Two time Fonda Speedway IMCA Track Champion George Catanzano (2003 & 2005) invaded the Track of Champions, started the event in the eighth position, and on lap two he was already up to the third spot.
Danny Ody went from sixth to fourth on lap three after getting by both Jeremy Cramer and Aaron Jacobs for the spot but that was short lived as Cramer got by both Jacobs and Ody for the fourth position by lap five. Catanzano was the new second place car on lap eight after getting by Banks and by lap nine he was pressuring Buff for the lead.
Catanzano made a slide job pass to take the lead from Buff at the halfway point of the 20-lap event and left Buff and Cramer to battle side by side behind him for the second spot. Catanzano went on for his first win of the season and the 41st of his career at Fonda followed by Cramer, Buff, Banks, and Beau Ballard.
“We came here with a totally different setup tonight and I have to thank Steve who sets up my car and hit it right on the money,” Catanzano said. “Here at Fonda you have to get the setup right because there are no slouches here.”
A wild Street Stock feature began with a crash just as lap one was completed when Pete Jeske came out of turn four sideways and hit the frontstretch wall with the right rear of his car. Mike Jeske, Eric Sbrega, Ellis Schaffer, Luke Horning and Rob VanAernam were all collected in the wreck with VanAernam actually running up and over a tire that had come off of Horning’s car. All cars were able to pit and continue on at the rear of the field.
Chris Reckner took the lead at the drop of the second green flag to start the event while Dan Pollock was second after starting fourth. On the outside at the finish line to complete lap two, Pollock was the new leader with Dave Horning Sr. now third after starting 11th.
By lap three, Horning was the new second place car and it didn’t take him long to get the lead after that as on lap four he was the new leader after getting by Pollock on the inside of turn two. Cassidy Wilson was in the third position at this point after starting eighth and by lap six he was second after getting by Pollock.
Pollock’s great run came to an end on lap 10 when he came to a stop in turn four bringing out the caution. Just before the caution came out Wilson was able to take the lead from Horning and on the restart they raced side by side for the lead followed by Sbrega, Chuck McSpirit, and Van Aernam.
Wilson was able to hang on for his first win of the season and the third of his career at Fonda followed by Horning, McSpirit, VanAernam, and Sbrega.
“I didn’t know how it was going to work out after that last caution but it all worked out well,” Wilson said. “There wasn’t much grip on the bottom but I was comfortable on top so I stayed there and gave it all I had.”
According to the Fonda Future’s Kid’s Club officials the coloring contest that was held on Saturday evening was very hard to judge because the pictures were all very well done. After the judging was completed the winners in the different age categories were as follows:
Age 3 & 4 – Morgan Cooper 1st and runner-up Maddy Mott
Age 5 & 6 – Tiffany Buchanan 1st with the runner-ups being Cody Carroll, Travis Nelson, and Bobby Mott
Ages 7, 8, & 9 – tie for first between Brock Nelson and Loawasha Buchanan with runner-ups Rogiana Steele, Hannah Roos, and Scott Rulison
Ages 10, 11, & 12 – tie for first between Heather Libertone and Connie Miller with runner-ups Taylor Joslin, Nicole Buchalski, and McKayla Carhart
Next week at Fonda a regular show is on the racing card in all divisions on Student Night with a starting time of 6:00 p.m.
Also on the racing card next Saturday will be the 10th Annual Bev Caputo Dash for Cash sponsored by the Champion and Caputo families. The dash is for non-winners in the Pro Stock division and winner of the five lap dash will receive $100 and a handmade afghan made by Diane Champion. The second place finisher will receive $50, third place $25, while all others will receive $10.
In conjunction with the dash there will be a raffle to support Breast Cancer Research where a total of over $4000 has been raised through the Dash for Cash in previous years. The honorary starter for the event will be 10 year old Carter Gibbons who is the son of Sportsman driver Shawn Gibbons. Carter had never seen his father race until two weeks ago after being away for the past 11 years.
Former winners of the Bev Caputo Dash for Cash in the last nine years include Bubba Tanner (1999), Nick Stone (2000), Jeff Patrick (2001), Jerry Pepper (2002), Erik Nelson (2003), Luke Klob (2004), Wayne Patrick (2005), Ivan Joslin (2006), and Rob Yetman (2007).
MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 24 total cars – 5 qualify – 4 handicapped
HEAT 1 – Tony Pepicelli, Dave Camara, Ronnie Johnson, Elmo Reckner, John Marsh Jr.
HEAT 2 – A.J. Romano, John Marsh Sr., Danny Varin, Jack Johnson, Alton Palmer
HEAT 3 – Bobby Varin, Paul Cirincione, Ryan Odasz, Matt DeLorenzo, Todd Morey
MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – MATT DELORENZO, Bobby Varin, Ryan Odasz, Ronnie Johnson, Paul Cirincione, Pat Ward, John Marsh Sr., Danny Varin, Dave Camara, Jack Johnson, Craig Hanson, Elmo Reckner, Alton Palmer, John Marsh Jr., Donnie Corellis, Todd Morey, Erik Nelson, Dave Lape, Shaun Pangman, Robert Perry, Tony Pepicelli, John Gibson, A.J. Romano, Dan Burl
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 20 total cars – 6 qualify
HEAT 1 – Drew Fallis, Tony Farone, Ricky Quick, John Scarborough , Chad Edwards, Dave Constantino
HEAT 2 – Jeremy Wilder, John McAuliffe, Jim Meka, Mark Mortensen, Mark Kislowski, D.T. Pickard
SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – JOHN MCAULIFFE, Luke Munroe, John Scarborough , Drew Fallis, Jeremy Wilder, Chad Edwards, David Towns, Dave Constantino, Mark Kislowski, D.T. Pickard, Neil Erickson, Mark Bishop, Howard Gage, Chuck Allen, Vinny Sanganetti, Mark Mortensen, Jim Meka, Ricky Quick, Tony Farone (DNS)
BUDGET SPORTSMAN FEATURE CURFEW DELAYED FROM 5/10 – 20-LAPS – FRANK HOARD III, Mike Ketchum, Bill Wilder, Aaron Jacobs, Fred Proctor, Scott Duell, Korey Wilder, John Constantino, Angela Hoard, Brian Jones, Ken Carson, Jeremy Dygert, Alex Alberti, Chris Hutchinson (DNS), Steve Richardson (DNS), Vinny DiCicco (DNS), Greg Hastie (DNS)
BUDGET SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 17 total cars – 4 qualify
HEAT 1 – Bill Wilder, Anthony Marro, Fred Proctor, Scott Duell
HEAT 2 – Frank Hoard III, Mike Ketchum, Korey Wilder, Brian Jones
BUDGET SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – FRANK HOARD III, Mike Ketchum, Anthony Marro, Fred Proctor, Aaron Jacobs, Scott Duell, Bill Wilder, Brian Jones, Korey Wilder, John Constantino, Angela Hoard, Bill Gray, Ken Carson, Chris Schaffer, Corky Brochman (DNS), Alex Alberti (DNS), Jon Bates (DNS)
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 13 total cars – 4 qualify
HEAT 1 – Nick Stone, Roy Fifield, Kenny Gates, Luke Klob
HEAT 2 – Chip Smith, Kenny Martin Jr., Shane Henderson, Tony Stone
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – ROY FIFIELD, Kenny Gates, Kenny Martin Jr., Nick Stone, Ivan Joslin, John Babcock, Luke Klob, Sheldon Martin, Tony Stone, Shane Henderson, Dean Charbonneau, Jason Brownell, Chip Smith (DNS)
IMCA QUALIFYING – 16 total cars – 4 qualify
HEAT 1 – Jeremy Cramer, George Catanzano, Kevin Buff, Danny Ody
HEAT 2 – Bob Banks Jr., Beau Ballard, Jim Cramer, Aaron Jacobs
IMCA FEATURE – 20-LAPS – GEORGE CATANZANO, Jeremy Cramer, Kevin Buff, Bob Banks Jr., Beau Ballard, Aaron Jacobs, Danny Ballard, Jim Cramer, Jeff Jones, Danny Ody, Dan Hartgraves, Dennis Vrooman, Howard Smith, Carol parker, JoJo Donato, Malcum Warner
STREET STOCK FEATURE – 15-LAPS – CASSIDY WILSON, Dave Horning Sr., Chuck McSpirit, Rob VanAernam, Eric Sbrega, Neil Cosselman, Cody Bleau, Pete Jeske, Chris Reckner, Leo Brady, Kyle Klob, Mike Jeske, Ellis Schaffer, Dan Pollock, Matt Johnson, Luke Horning
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