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JOHNSON TAKES $5000 WIN AT FONDA
By: Ron Szczerba
FONDA, NY – When Mike Fusco ran off and hid at the beginning of the Modified feature at the Fonda Speedway on Saturday evening Ronnie Johnson must have been telling himself to just keep racing hard and never give up.
Johnson ended up chasing down Mike Fusco with only three laps remaining in the 50-lap Modified feature to take the victory in the $5000 to win Big Block/Small Block Challenge event in the Wm. Larned & Son sponsored #2.
For Johnson it was his third win of the season and the 11th of his career at the Track of Champions.
“Fusco ran away in the beginning,” Johnson said. “Lap traffic was tough and I was just waiting for the bottom groove to open up because it looked like the outside was slowing up a little towards the end.”
Other winners on BBL Companies Night at the Track of Champions were Roy Fifield (Pro Stock), George Catanzano (IMCA), Frank Hoard III (Budget Sportsman), Chuck McSpirit (Street Stock), and Heather King (4-cylinders).
Ryan Odasz and Jeff Trombley started the Modified feature on the front row and it didn’t take long for Fusco to make it three wide from the third starting position as they raced for the lead going into turn three on lap one. Odasz was able to wrestle the lead away from the other two challengers as lap one was completed while Trombley and Fusco swapped the second position twice on lap two before Fusco was able to clear Trombley for the spot.
Fusco was getting a great run on the low side coming out of turn two and was able to take the lead from Odasz on lap four as Trombley also got by Odasz for the second position. Johnson started the event in the seventh position and by lap six he was up to the third spot after also getting by Odasz. Once Fusco got the lead he immediately switched his groove to the inside of the speedway as he pulled away from the rest of the field.
While Fusco was in lap traffic by lap 10, Matt DeLorenzo was making his way to the front from the 10th starting slot as he was in the fifth position by lap 12. Coming out of turn four on lap 16, Trombley and the lap car of Bob Savoie made contact with each other but both were able to straighten their cars out and continue on. DeLorenzo got by Odasz for the fourth position one lap later while Fusco was running so high that he was dusting off the outside of turn two and down the backstretch.
Back a little farther in the field 2008 Track Champion Bobby Varin, Odasz, and Dave Camara were racing three wide for position on lap 23 with Camara able to take the sixth position ahead of the other two at that point. The only yellow flag of the event came out on lap 24 when Danny Varin spun in turn two taking away the big lead that Fusco had built up. On the restart Camara made it four wide in turn three to get by three lap cars and keep the leaders in sight.
As Fusco continued to lead the event by a comfortable margin on lap 32, Johnson decided that if he was going to have a shot at the win he had better try something different which he did as he moved down to the low groove on the speedway allowing him to get alongside Trombley for the second position which he took from Trombley on lap 34. As the event went on Fusco started slipping up in the turns as he got out of the groove several times allowing Johnson to close in with 10 laps to go.
Fusco made a great move around the lap cars of Mario Clair and Mitch Gibbs to get a little breathing room on lap 42 only to have Johnson close back in again with only four laps to go. Going into turn two on lap 47, Johnson made his move under Fusco for the lead and from that point on he pulled away to another win.
Fusco finished second in his first run in the Ed Monger owned #93 while DeLorenzo finished strong at the end as he got up to the third position with Pat Ward and Bobby Varin completing the top five.
“My father told me earlier in the day to watch for the bottom groove to come in as he felt that that the outside would go away in a 50-lap event,” Johnson said. “Fusco can run the outside as good as anyone but the lap cars fell my way and I was able to get him for the win.”
“I have to thank Ed Monger for putting this deal together,” Fusco said. “My tires were worn out by the time there was 10 laps to go as it came down to me running a big block vs. Ronnie in a small block and he was able to get the win. It was definitely a good run for us and I hope that it leads to something for next year.”
“Ronnie and Mike both ran a great race,” DeLorenzo said after finishing third. “My car was a little too free so we’ll tighten it up for tomorrow and hopefully finish two spots better.”
The Pro Stock division was running a special 30-lap event for $1000 to win and at the drop of the green flag it was Shane Henderson looking for the top prize as he took the lead from his pole position start. While Nick Stone went from eighth at the start to fourth by the time the first lap was completed, Roy Fifield was also on the move as he went around four cars on the outside of turns three and four to take the lead on lap two after starting the event in the fourth position.
On a restart after a lap four caution, 2008 Track Champion Kenny Gates got by Henderson, Stone, and Lori Langevin for the second position. Two laps later Gates, Cary, Stone, and a new player Chip Smith were racing two by two for the second spot which Gates was finally able to get while Smith followed him through for the third position. Gates and Cary continued their side by side battle for the second position on laps nine and ten with Langevin able to get the spot.
On lap 12 Fifield held a straightaway lead while Smith took over the third position from Gates with Kenny Martin Jr. also able to get by Gates for the fourth spot. Smith got by Langevin for the second position on lap 17 while Fifield had an anxious moment on lap 22 in lap traffic as he got out of the groove and slipped up high in turns three and four. Stone fell back for awhile in the event but on lap 24 he came back to life as he was able to get by Langevin, Gates, and Smith for the second position.
The yellow was out shortly afterwards for Langevin who ended up in the backstretch wall. She was not injured but was done for the day at that point. Fifield was able to hold on to the lead and the win, his seventh of the season and the 10th of his career at Fonda over Stone, Smith, Martin Jr., and Gates.
“My car was definitely good on the top of the track after they wet it,” Fifield said. “I was wondering if they were going to do that and they did just before our feature. This is a great class and a great group of drivers here at Fonda and I hope to continue this success next year because I definitely want a Track Championship at the Track of Champions.”
“Roy (Fifield) has been fast all year here at Fonda,” Smith said. “The drivers here at Fonda are the best and I would put them against anyone at any track.”
“I wanted to see that late caution just to see if I had anything for him (Fifield) but I didn’t,” Stone said.
The 25-lap Steve Bidwell/Skip Pabis Memorial IMCA feature began with Beau Ballard as the early leader from his pole position start. 2008 Track Champion Jeremy Cramer started the event in the second spot and took the lead from Ballard on lap two while George Catanzano was up to the second position after starting sixth. The caution came out for Carol Parker at that point after she came to a stop in turn four.
On the restart, Catanzano was the new race leader while Dale Caswell and Kevin Buff were running side by side for third by lap six. By lap 10 Catanzano held a straightaway lead and from that point on he cruised on to an easy victory over Cramer, Buff, Caswell, and Aaron Jacobs. For Catanzano it was his second win of the season and the 42nd of his career at Fonda.
The win was Catanzano’s sixth in a row on McDonald’s weekend and the seventh of his career in the season closing event and to celebrate it he took a Polish victory lap in honor of Bidwell and Pabis.
“To come back to Fonda and be able to do so well is a lot of fun,” Catanzano said. “If I don’t put the car against the wall at some point during the feature my crew chief Steve tells me that I am not running it hard enough so the damage on the back of the car is for him. “
“Whenever George comes to Fonda he is a contender,” Cramer said. “I should have chosen the inside on that one restart where he got the lead but I didn’t and from that point on I was just spinning the tires down the frontstretch. It has been a great year, the car is still in one piece, and we didn’t have to spend a lot of money this year so it was all good. And to tie Bidwell with wins and Track Championships is definitely something special.”
Frank Hoard III started the 20-lap Budget Sportsman feature on the pole position and took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Mike Tholin in tow. On lap three, Bill Wilder took over the second position from Tholin while Jeremy Wilder also got by Tholin for the third spot.
The Wilder’s ran side by side for the second position or many laps before Jeremy was able to get the spot at the halfway point of the event with Hoard now out to a big lead. Hoard was blocked in by lap traffic on lap 13 allowing Jeremy Wilder to close in but once Hoard cleared the lap cars he cruised to the $1000 win.
Jeremy and Bill Wilder swapped the second position many times over the final three laps with yet another Wilder, Korey getting into the mix with two laps to go. Jeremy Wilder finished second followed by Korey Wilder, Bill Wilder, and Derrick McGrew who came all the way from the back of the pack after starting 23rd.
“I was just trying to be consistent with lap traffic and waiting to make smart moves around them,” Hoard said after his battle with lap traffic during the event. “MY car wasn’t good on the outside so I just had to wait for a hole to open on the inside for me to get by them.”
The caution plagued Street Stock feature began with Lou Ganzer as the early leader from his pole position start with the first of seven cautions out at the completion of lap one for Dan Pollock who spun in turn four. On the restart, 2008 Track Champion Chuck McSpirit was the new leader with Rob VanAernam now third behind Ganzer.
Between all of the caution flags a great race ensued between McSpirit, VanAernam, Justin Knight, and Cassidy Wilson but the event never stayed under green long enough to let these drivers mix it up as McSpirit went on to his third win of the season and the fifth of his career at Fonda over Knight, Wilson, VanAernam, and Ken Conroy.
During intermission the 2008 Most Popular Driver Awards were given to the drivers in the different divisions that race on a weekly basis at the Track of Champions. The awards were voted on by the fans and were presented by the Leader Herald of Gloversville, NY with Jim Ellis presenting the drivers their hardware.
In the Modified division Jack Johnson was voted as the Most Popular Driver while David Towns was the recipient of the award in the Sportsman division. Kenny Gates (Pro Stock), Danny Ballard (IMCA), and Cody Bleau (Street Stock) were the other drivers receiving the Most Popular awards.
MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 41 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Matt DeLorenzo, Mitch Gibbs, Jeff Trombley, Danny Varin, Craig Hanson
HEAT 2 – Mark Kislowski, Dave Lape, Ryan Odasz, Mario Clair, Josh Hohenforst
HEAT 3 – Tony Pepicelli, Elmo Reckner, Pat Ward, Jim Davis, Dave Camara
HEAT 4 – Ronnie Johnson, Mike Fusco, Stewart Friesen, A.J. Romano, Bobby Varin
MODIFIED CONSOLATIONS – 4 qualify
CONSI 1 – John McAuliffe, Todd Morey, Floyd Billington, Mike Ketchum
CONSI 2 – Marc Johnson, Bob Savoie, Alan Barker, Rob Langevin
BBL COMPANIES MODIFIED FEATURE – 50-LAPS – RONNIE JOHNSON, Mike Fusco, Matt DeLorenzo, Pat Ward, Bobby Varin, Jeff Trombley, Dave Camara, Elmo Reckner, Jim Davis, Stewart Friesen, Dave Lape, Mark Kislowski, Ryan Odasz, Mario Clair, Mitch Gibbs, Todd Morey, Craig Hanson, Josh Hohenforst, Bob Savoie, Rob Langevin, Mike Ketchum, Jamie Yannone, Danny Varin, Floyd Billington, Frank Hoard Sr., Marc Johnson, Alan Barker, Howard Gage, Tony Pepicelli, A.J. Romano
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 28 total cars – 6 qualify
HEAT 1 – Kenny Martin Jr., Chip Smith, Roy Fifield, Shane Henderson, Chris Cary, Jim Normoyle
HEAT 2 – Pete Broderson, Danny Ody, Bob Schmidt, Chuck Townslee, Luke Horning, Tommy Primo
HEAT 3 – Nick Stone, Kenny Gates, Lori Langevin, Rob Yetman, Ed Thompson, Tony Stone
BBL COMPANIES PRO STOCK FEATURE – 30-LAPS – ROY FIFIELD, Nick Stone, Chip Smith, Kenny Martin Jr., Kenny Gates, Pete Broderson, Frank Twing, Luke Horning, Jim Normoyle, Ed Thompson, Chuck Townslee, Danny Ody, Shane Henderson, Carl Vladyka, Tony Stone, Bill Dona, Cliff Haslun, Tommy Primo, Lori Langevin, Rod Slater, Chris Cary, Rob Yetman, Jeff Washburn, A.J. Digby, Bob Schmidt, Jay Casey (DNS), Jake Losaw (DNS), Franky Twing (DNS)
IMCA QUALIFYING – 16 total cars – 5 qualify – 5 redraw
HEAT 1 – George Catanzano, Dale Caswell, Kevin Buff, Jim Cramer, Bob Banks Jr.
HEAT 2 – Jeremy Cramer, Danny Ballard, JoJo Donato, Aaron Jacobs, Beau Ballard
BBL COMPANIES IMCA FEATURE – 25-LAPS – GEORGE CATANZANO, Jeremy Cramer, Kevin Buff, Dale Caswell, Aaron Jacobs, Danny Ballard, Jim Cramer, Beau Ballard, Howard Smith, JoJo Donato, Bob Banks Jr., Eric Stumpf, George Proctor III, Lyle Smith, Jeremy Shaw, Carol Parker
BUDGET SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 24 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Anthony Marro, Aaron Jacobs, Mark Sullivan Jr., Frank Hoard III, Jay Lais
HEAT 2 – Derrick McGrew, Jimmy Eaton, D.J. Brundage, Bill Wilder, Frank Hoard Jr.
HEAT 3 – Korey Wilder, Jeremy Wilder, Mike Tholin, Kyle Armstrong, Kenny Townes
BBL COMPANIES BUDGET SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – FRANK HOARD III, Jeremy Wilder, Korey Wilder, Bill Wilder, Derrick McGrew, Mike Tholin, D.J. Brundage, Mark Sullivan Jr., Anthony Marro, Aaron Jacobs, Frank Hoard Jr., Kyle Armstrong, Jimmy Eaton, Dan Peckham, Bob Gray, Bodie Bellinger, Jay Lais, Kenny Towne, Dennis Pennock, Ralph, Denison, John Constantino, Corky Brochman, D.J. Mabb
STREET STOCK QUALIFYING – 36 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Cassidy Wilson, Chuck McSpirit, Ken Allen Jr., Bob Palmer, Josh Coonradt
HEAT 2 – Brian Cosselman, Randy Cosselman, Lou Ganzer, Mark Lester, Ed Hatch
HEAT 3 – Luke Horning, Rob VanAernam, Ray Hall Jr., Cliff Haslun, Leo Brady
HEAT 4 – Cody Bleau, Dan Pollock, Ken Conroy, Justin Knight, Dave Horning Sr.
STREET STOCK B-MAIN – Chris Reckner, Jeremy Pitts, Chris Streeter, Paul Bramer, Lenny Fields, David Sullivan
BBL COMPANIES STREET STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – CHUCK MCSPIRIT, Justin Knight, Cassidy Wilson, Rob VanAernam, Ken Conroy, Jeremy Pitts, Mark Lester, Luke Horning, Bob Palmer, Lou Ganzer, Josh Coonradt, Dave Horning Sr., Dan Pollock, Ed Hatch, Cody Bleau, Chris Streeter, Ken Allen Jr., Paul Bramer, Ray Hall Jr., Randy Cosselman, Leo Brady, Cliff Haslun, Lenny Fields, Brian Cosselman
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