Here’s the last batch of the Fonda
supporting cast, or at least all
that I have photos of. I know all of
the Fonda racers of the era are not
present here, but you can do
something about that. Send me an
e-mail (rgraham57@twcny.rr.com) and
tell me who has been forgotten, and
if you can, attach images of the
missing. I remember Joe Wunderlich,
Harold Betts (aka Bugs Bunney) and
Paul Dwyer being on the Fonda scene
in the sixties, but I don’t have
photos of these three, and others.
I’m hoping you can help.
Here's a copy of an e-mail I
received from Dave, a Charlotte NC
resident, past New Yorker and Fonda
Speedway fan.
"I just read your 7/15 column in
DTD. I started to read and drifted
off into a eye glazed trance, as my
decades old pre-teen senses
reminding me of very enjoyable days
gone by. By six P.M., I'm face first
in a coke and my Marty's and Red's
steak sandwich and have already laid
claim to our fourth turn, covered
grandstand section, eight rows up,
aisle seats. As the big guy across
from me bellows cigar smoke, I keep
a keen eye on the Fonda bridge,
hoping to catch a glimpse of an
approaching dirt track star. My Dad
arrives, hands me a buck and I'm off
to the photo stand to review Russ
Berg's latest additions. Hey, theres
that little blond that smiles at me
every week. I gotta get up the
courage to talk to her some night.
New pix in hand and on the way back
to my seat, I take a few minutes to
study how Gigi Conover's boys groom
the Fonda clay. I'm in it now. Eye's
sharpened to anything new, ear's
tuned to the track speakers and a
full charge excitement races through
me.
Wow, sorry Otto, Guess I nodded off
there. Hey,...wait a minute. Is that
brown clay on my new sneakers???
Thanks for the trip, Pal".....
Ken Canestrari. Last I knew Ken was
racing on asphalt at Shangri-la
Speedway until it closed a few years
back.
Jerry Cook, NASCAR Modified Champion
3 times, 7 Fonda Feature wins. Jerry
had Kenny Meahl as his driver when
he was sixteen and not old enough to
compete yet. Jerry presently works
for NASCAR.
Jim Luke with "Pop" Wilcox's #32.
Ollie Palmer, the "J" stands for
"Jolly".
Ken Jones.
Hoppy Redner
Willy Chest, from Cana jo harie.
Ken Delong
Maynard Forrette. 9 Fonda feature
wins.
Utica's Bobby Adams. Bob and I
washed a lot of the Morris Speedway
dust out of our throats at the
nearby Morris Hotel.
Scootch Schoonmaker. Scootch was a
Valley racer that came to Fonda
regularly for a couple of years.
The "Catskill Comet" Jerry Townley.
Jerry later hit his stride with
"Pop" Wilcox's #32.
The "Judge" Jack Farquhar.
"Doc" Blanchard.
Don MacTavish. This exceptional
racer was fataly injured at Daytona
International Speedway in the 1969
Permatex "300" (Modified Sportsman
race).
Andy Romano. The mayor of Johnstown.
Ernie Reed.
Skip Roots.
Ron Quackenbush.
Ronnie Narducci.
Mel Austin. Mel was the guy that
plowed into the Victoria Speedway
judges stand, and knocked it a foot
off it's foundation after tangling
with Kenny Shoemaker on the Victoria
front stretch.
Dolgville's Nick Carter.
Last but hopefully not least, yours
truly Otto Graham. Thats Tom Kotary
over my trunk lid.
Click on the photo for a larger
view, and then try to identify all
the drivers you can.
Most of the photos on this page are
courtesy of Jo Towns
A few things you'll want to do
before you head down the Mohawk for
Fonda. You’ll need to replace the
Rochester carb that’s on the engine
with a Holley. The Rochester’s fuel
bowl has to have a baffle installed
to prevent fuel from running away
from the jets in the corners,
causing skipping. That’s a pain job
getting the Rochester right, so just
get a Holley and the fuel starving
problem will be solved. Before long
you'll have trouble with the
Halibrand quick change. It isn’t
made for OHV engines and You’ll
twist off jack shafts. Get a
Frankland, it’s bawkier looking but
it’s tougher.
Now you got that 37 Chevy ready
for its maiden voyage at the “Track
of Champions”. If you’re planning to
take your girlfriend into the pits,
you can forget that, girls are not
allowed in the pits during the
sixties. When you get there and are
settled in your pit take a walk
around and check out the other guys
stuff. You’ll begin to see the work
of craftsmen, nerf bars and bumpers
bolted on, not welded on. Roll bars
bent with some kind of tool that
prevents the tubing from collapsing.
Sheet metal edges are rolled neatly,
paint and lettering professionally
done. Not all the cars will be like
this, but a lot of ones that carry
the checkered flag around the track
after a race will.
Some things about the racetrack
you should know before you head out
there. In the warm up before hot
laps the track will be greasy, like
driving on the first snowfall of the
year. The track surface will turn to
tacky soon and Chet will give you
the green flag for hot laps. After
you get acquainted with the place
you can really let her rip in hot
laps. Pay close attention to turns
three and four. You don’t need to
lift going into three, but by the
time you come even with the drag
strip you’ll need to be backed off,
set-up and ready for four. It won’t
be easy blasting into three the
first few times, with the graveyard
and the railroad ties guarding the
outside of the turn, and the
seemingly sharp left turn coming up
fast. Just get behind Lou Lazzaro
and let him show you the quick way
around, but above all, stay in the
groove, and don't get out into the
loose stuff.
Thats about it for now, get the
car out on the track for warm-ups
and have fun.
Next week: THE INVADERS
Thanks Mimi
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