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JOHNSON GETS SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON AT FONDA
By: Ron Szczerba
FONDA , NY If you listen to any of the NASCAR broadcasts on the television or the radio you will often hear a driver say that the car was good off the truck when asked how his racecar is by one of the broadcasting crew.
The same could be said last night for Ronnie Johnson who celebrated his second win of the season at the Track of Champions after getting the lead from Tony Pepicelli on a lap 11 restart and surviving a late race charge by Bobby Varin to secure the victory.
We were good in warm-ups right after we unloaded the car and I said that we may have something for them tonight, Johnson said. I wanted to make some changes to the car but my guys all told me not to touch it so we only made a couple of small changes and that was it.
The win for Johnson came in the B-Dry Systems of New York #2 Teo car with an Enders power plant and was his 10th career Modified feature win at Fonda. It was also a good night for Johnson to win as one of the other sponsors on his car Palmers Service Center was sponsoring the racing activities for the evening.
Tony Pepicelli and Dave Lape who was in the black retro style #22 brought the field down to the green flag with Pepicelli taking the early advantage after a one lap side by side battle with Lape while A.J. Romano sat in the third position.
Johnson started the event in the 12th position and by lap four was already up to the fifth spot. Over the next five laps in the race, Johnson methodically got past Ray Zemken, Romano, and finally Lape to take over the second spot.
Just as Pepicelli and Johnson were side by side for the lead the first caution of the event was out for defending Modified Track Champion Matt DeLorenzo and Donnie Corellis who were both in the turn four wall. Both were done for the night at that point but neither driver was injured.
Pepicelli chose the outside groove for the side by side restart but Johnson out dragged him coming out of turn four to take the lead while Varin was now in the top five after starting 11th.
While Johnson was stretching out his advantage to a full straightaway there were side by side battles going on behind him as Lape and Romano were battling for third while Varin and Jack Johnson racing hard for fifth.
Romano and Varin were able to advance in the field and at the halfway point in the event the top five consisted of Johnson, Pepicelli, Romano, Lape, and Varin. On lap 17 Varin got past both Lape and Romano for the third position while Pat Ward was up to the fifth spot after having to win the consolation event in order to qualify for the feature.
The final yellow of the event came out on lap 18 for Dan Burl who ended up in the wall in between turns one and two. Burl suffered heavy damage to his car but was not injured in the wreck. Varin got by Pepicelli for the second position on the restart while Ward got by both Romano and Pepicelli for the third spot as Johnson was now in lap traffic with 10 laps to go.
Varin tried every trick in the book to get by the leader in the closing stages in the event as he stayed right with Johnson in lap traffic but it was Johnson who got the win over Varin, Ward, Dave Camara who started all the way back in the 10th spot, and Pepicelli.
I had a feeling that it was Bobby (Varin) behind me and with him back there you know that you are going to have to work hard for the win, Johnson said. I need to thank all of my sponsors and crew because they are all great. We have a real good race team here.
It took two tries to get the Sportsman feature underway with Jeremy Wilder going from fourth to the lead at the drop of the second green flag but as lap one was completed it was Tony Farone who was leading the event. Going down the backstretch on lap five Farone slowed bringing out the caution and handing the lead over to Wilder. Farone was done for the evening at that point.
On the restart, Mark Mortensen got out of shape and spun in turn four after a car in front of him checked up collecting the cars of Howard Gage and Vinny Sanganetti to bring out another caution. Only Sanganetti was able to continue but there were no injuries in the wreck.
Defending Sportsman Track Champion David Towns was up to the fourth position on lap six after starting 12th as Wilder was having to deal with last weeks winner John McAuliffe who was now challenging him for the lead.
Towns was racing hard trying to get to the front and on lap seven he made contact with the frontstretch wall with the right rear of his car but was able to keep going while McAuliffe and Luke Munroe were now side by side for the second position. Munroe was able to get the spot on lap nine with the yellow out again on lap 12 to slow the field.
McAuliffe and Towns spent two laps side by side for the third position with Towns able to get the spot with one final yellow flag waving with three laps to go in the 20-lap event. On the restart Munroe pressured Wilder but when Munroe got loose and out of shape on the backstretch with two laps to go it allowed Wilder to pull away for the win.
Wilder then refused post race inspection and was disqualified with Munroe declared the winner over Towns, Mark Kislowski, John Scarborough , and Dave Constantino.
Sheldon Martin was the leader of the Pro Stock feature at the drop of the green flag but when lap one was completed it was Chip Smith who took over the lead after starting fourth with Dean Charbonneau in tow after also getting by Martin.
On lap seven, Nick Stone got by Kenny Martin Jr. for the third position just before Martin Jr. blew his motor coming down the frontstretch. No caution was thrown because Martin Jr. was able to coast into the pit area.
On lap 13 the yellow was out for Sheldon Martin who was in the inside wall in turn two. On the restart Roy Fifield, Stone, and Charbonneau were three wide on the frontstretch for the second position with Fifield able to get the spot running on the inside of the other two cars.
Smith was pulling away at that point but with two laps to go Fifield pulled in on the leader and gave him a strong challenge over the final two laps. Smith held off the challenge from Fifield to take his first win of the season and the fourth of his career at Fonda over Fifield, Stone, Kenny Gates, and Charbonneau.
Fifield has run real well here this year and he has found what it takes to win, Smith said of the challenge from Fifield. I have to dedicate this win to my dad who has been battling cancer and has proved to me that you never give up you just keep on digging.
The IMCA feature event also took two tries to get started just as the Sportsman feature did with Danny Ody leading at the drop of the second green flag followed by Danny Ballard. At the line to complete lap four, Ody and Ballard were side by side for the lead with Ody able to hold off the challenge.
Two yellow flags slowed the event on laps six and nine with defending IMCA Track Champion Jeremy Cramer able to get by Ballard for the second position on lap seven while on lap 10 Beau Ballard got by both his father Danny and Cramer for the second spot.
On lap 13, Ody and Beau Ballard were side by side for the lead with Ody able to hold on to the lead at that point. Beau Ballard seemed to be faster in the turns but each time he challenged Ody, Ody would keep up his momentum on the outside to hold his position coming out of the turns.
When the deck lid came flying off of Cramers car on the backstretch on lap 16 it brought out the caution and on the restart Beau Ballard was able to pull in front of Ody for the lead coming out of turn four. Beau Ballard pulled away from that point on to his third win of the season and the third of his career at Fonda over Ody, Cramer, Danny Ballard, and Kevin Buff.
In post race inspection Danny Ballard was disqualified for a panhard bar infraction moving Jim Cramer up into the top five.
I knew that I had a good car I just had to be patient and keep my nose clean, Ballard said in victory lane. On this Fathers Day weekend I have to thank my grandfather and my father and wish them a Happy Fathers Day.
Eric Sbrega led lap one of the Street Sock feature event while behind him Dave Horning Sr. was going between Dan Pollock and Luke Horning into the second position on lap two. The yellow was out on lap two for Leo Brady who blew his engine coming down the frontstretch and left a line of fluid on the racetrack.
On the restart, Horning Sr. was the new leader with Rob VanAernam getting by Sbrega for the third spot on lap three. On lap eight, Luke Horning and VanAernam were side by side for the second position which Luke Horning was able to hold on to. Chuck McSpirit made it a three way battle for the second spot on lap nine as he was battling hard for the position with Luke Horning and VanAernam.
Horning Sr. went on for his second win of the season and the 18th of his career at Fonda over McSpirit, VanAernam, Luke Horning, and Neil Cosselman.
The 10th Annual Bev Caputo Memorial Dash for Cash for non-winners in the Pro Stock division was given the green flag by 10 year old honorary starter Carter Gibbons with Sheldon Martin leading lap one of the six lap event. On lap two on the outside of turn four Dean Charbonneau took the lead and he led the remaining laps to win the event over Martin, Shane Henderson, John Babcock, and Tony Stone.
We had some problems with the right front of the car in out heat race, Charbonneau said. I wish every feature could be six laps in distance.
Next Saturday at Fonda the second leg of the Go Green NMX Fonda Thunder Series for Modifieds will take place with a 40-lap $4000 to win event along with all other divisions with racing set to begin at 6:00 p.m.
MODIFIED QUALIFYING 30 total cars 5 qualify 4 handicapped
HEAT 1 Tony Pepicelli, Erik Nelson, Jack Johnson, John Marsh Sr., Danny Varin
HEAT 2 Dave Lape, Alton Palmer, Ronnie Johnson, Dave Camara, Dustin Delaney
HEAT 3 A.J. Romano, Ray Zemken, Donnie Corellis, Bobby Varin, Ryan Odasz
MODIFIED CONSOLATION 11 qualify Pat Ward, Matt DeLorenzo, Craig Hanson, Elmo Reckner, Alan Barker, Josh Pieniazek, Paul Cirincione, Todd Morey, John Gibson, Darwin Greene, Harry Shaffer
PALMER SERVICE CENTER/CLIFFORD HAY TRUCKING MODIFIED FEATURE 30-LAPS RONNIE JOHNSON, Bobby Varin, Pat Ward, Dave Camara, Tony Pepicelli, A.J. Romano, Ryan Odasz, Dave Lape, Jack Johnson, Alton Palmer, Elmo Reckner, Danny Varin, Craig Hanson, Dustin Delaney, Ray Zemken, Paul Cirincione, John Marsh Sr., Todd Morey, Erik Nelson, Josh Pieniazek, Alan Barker, Darwin Greene, Donnie Corellis, Dan Burl, Matt DeLorenzo, Harry Shaffer
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING 22 total cars 6 qualify 6 handicapped
HEAT 1 Tony Farone, David Towns, Jeremy Wilder, D.T. Pickard, Luke Munroe, Chad Edwards
HEAT 2 John Scarborough , Bill Wilder, Ricky Quick, Dave Constantino, Mark Kislowski, John McAuliffe
PALMER SERVICE CENTER/CLIFFORD HAY TRUCKING SPORTSMAN FEATURE 20-LAPS LUKE MUNROE, David Towns, Mark Kislowski, John Scarborough , Dave Constantino, Neil Erickson, JaMike Sowle, Bill Wilder, D.T. Pickard, Chad Edwards, Chuck Allen, Mark Bishop, Vinny Sanganetti, John McAuliffe, Ricky Quick, Mark Mortensen, Howard Gage, Tony Farone, Drew Fallis, Jim Meka (DNS), Jeremy Wilder
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING 12 total cars 4 qualify
HEAT 1 Roy Fifield, Chip Smith, Dean Charbonneau, Kenny Martin Jr.
HEAT 2 Nick Stone, Shane Henderson, Sheldon Martin, John Babcock
PALMER SERVICE CENTER/CLIFFORD HAY TRUCKING PRO STOCK FEATURE 20-LAPS CHIP SMITH, Roy Fifield, Nick Stone, Kenny Gates, Dean Charbonneau, John Babcock, Shane Henderson, Ivan Joslin, Sheldon Martin, Tony Stone, Nelson Passino, Kenny Martin Jr.
IMCA QUALIFYING 15 total cars 5 qualify
HEAT 1 Jeremy Cramer, Jim Cramer, Carol Parker, Malcum Warner, Dennis Vrooman
HEAT 2 Danny Ody, Danny Ballard, Beau Ballard, Kevin Buff, Dan Hartgraves
PALMER SERVICE CENTER/CLIFFORD HAY TRUCKING IMCA FEATURE 20-LAPS BEAU BALLARD, Danny Ody, Jeremy Cramer, Kevin Buff, Jim Cramer, Aaron Jacobs, Jeff Jones, Carol Parker, Dan Hartgraves, Dennis Vrooman, Malcum Warner, Mike Scensny (DNS), Bob Banks Jr. (DNS), Howard Smith (DNS), Danny Ballard
PALMER SERVICE CENTER/CLIFFORD HAY TRUCKING STREET STOCK FEATURE 15-LAPS DAVE HORNING SR., Chuck McSpirit, Rob VanAernam, Luke Horning, Neil Cosselman, Cassidy Wilson, Cody Bleau, Eric Sbrega, A.J. Walters, Ellis Schaffer, Dan Pollock, Leo Brady, Pete Jeske
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