TROMBLEY USES AN INCREDIBLE PASS TO WIN AT FONDA
Fonda Speedway opened up its regular season last Saturday afternoon under bright sunny skies and very warm temperatures. The track was smooth and the pit area full of race cars as the chase to the 2005 championships began in all divisions except for the IMCA class. The IMCA division will race for the first time next Saturday in a regular show which will start at 6:00 p.m.
At the 2004 Fonda Speedway awards banquet last November, Modified driver Jeff Trombley won a special award for the “Most Exciting Feature” of the 2004 season at the Track of Champions. If Fonda were to give out an award for the “Most Incredible Pass” of the season at the 2005 banquet, Trombley would surely qualify for the award as he made a pass for the lead on a lap two restart that all fans in attendance will never forget.
The pass was made on last week’s winner Bobby Varin and it gave Trombley the 31st win of his career at Fonda. At the drivers meeting Saturday afternoon speedway management announced a purse increase for all divisions in 2005 so the win for Trombley was worth $2,200.
“When you have a race like this early in the season you kind of know what to expect with all of the good cars starting up front,” Trombley said in victory lane. “I was surprised that all of the cars in front of me gave up on the top groove as quickly as they did to run down on the bottom.”
Varin and Jack Johnson were the benefactors of the heads up start as they won their respective heat races and started the feature on the front row with Varin the early leader of the event. Trombley was on the move immediately at the drop of the green flag from his fourth place starting spot, getting by both Jack Johnson and Matt DeLorenzo for the second spot just before an early caution came out for Tony Pepicelli who spun in turn four as lap one was completed. He was able to continue on in the event.
On the restart, Varin and Trombley were side by side coming down the front straightaway with Varin’s car drifting higher and higher leaving less room for Trombley to get around him in turn one. Trombley never lifted off of the throttle and somehow squeezed between Varin and the concrete wall in turn one to take the lead, one that he would never relinquish for the remainder of the event.
“Varin knew where I wanted to go on the restart and raced me clean right up the track to the wall,” Trombley said. “At that point it was either wreck or get by for the lead coming out of the turn. I think that I rubbed on Bobby and the wall at the same time.”
From that point on the groove on the track just kept moving closer towards the wall with only Jack Johnson and Dave Lape taking a stab at the lower groove to improve their positions at the early point in the race. After a hard crash that destroyed his race car last Saturday at Fonda, Matt DeLorenzo and crew got the same car repaired and back together to race again this week. DeLorenzo was running third on lap seven while Trombley was using the extreme outside groove to get around lap traffic on the backstretch.
Another yellow closed up the field on lap eleven when Josh Pieniazek crashed into the turn one wall. On the restart, DeLorenzo stepped on the gas only to have the magneto give out stalling the car out and jamming up the cars behind him. DeLorenzo was done for the day while everyone else continued on in the feature event. At the halfway point Trombley held a straightaway lead and was in lap traffic again as Bobby Vedder held him up a little bit before Trombley made his way by. But Trombley had such a lead by that point that it didn’t matter.
One final yellow came out on lap twenty-one when Ronnie Johnson spun out in turn four in his self owned Big Block Modified. Two laps after the restart, Trombley held a straightaway lead and with two laps remaining in the event the only race on the track was between Dave Camara and Lape who were battling for the fifth spot as Trombley cruised on to the win in the Team Goewey Kia sponsored #21J. Varin ended up second followed by Willy Decker, Jack Johnson, and Camara.
David Towns had a great year at Fonda in the Sportsman division in 2004 winning a total of six feature events and if yesterday was any indication of what is to come in 2005 he may be well on his way to the same victory total and the coveted Sportsman championship that eluded him last year. Towns shared the front row with Jeremiah Munson at the start of the feature event and took the lead at the drop of the green. When Mark Kislowski spun in turn four before one lap was complete the yellow flag was out and an original restart was called for.
On this restart, Munson was the leader but that was short lived as Towns took over the point on lap two on the outside in turn one. Only one more yellow flag slowed the field during the 20-lap event and that was on lap four when Keith Nichols was smoking badly down the backstretch. He pitted and was done for the day.
Towns was on cruise control from that point on with the only close call for him coming on lap twelve with the lap car of Luke Monroe. Towns tapped the rear bumper of Monroe on the frontstretch and eventually got by going into turn one. Going down the backstretch, Monroe got into the rear of Towns causing him to get out of shape. Towns was able to save the car from spinning and continued on.
Munson and Mark Mortensen were having a whale of a battle for the second spot over the last few laps of the event as Mortensen got the spot on lap fourteen after ducking to the inside of both Munson and a lap car. One lap later Munson retook the position as Towns went on to the 7th win of his career at Fonda followed by Munson, Mortensen, Justin House, and John McAuliffe who ended up fifth after starting the event in the sixteenth position.
The 20-lap Pro Stock feature was a good one with Roy Fifield taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. Last years track champion Kenny Gates was the new leader before lap one was completed as he got by Fifield on the inside in turn four. Butchie Irwin started the event in the 7th position but by lap four he had gotten by Chip Smith, Fifield, and Hondo Carpenter for the second spot.
Nick Stone was using the extreme outside groove to get to the front after starting the event in the 16th position. Stone moved past both Fifield and Carpenter for the third spot on lap six as Gates was out to a straightaway lead. Fifield and Carpenter were having a great battle for the fourth spot at that point as Gates was being held up by the lap car of Cale Kneer allowing Irwin to close in.
A yellow flag slowed the field on lap thirteen when Rod Slater spun in turn two setting up a three car battle for the win between Gates, Irwin, and Stone. With Gates hugging the inside groove around the speedway Irwin chose the outside groove and made the lane work for him, getting by Gates for the lead in turn four with five laps remaining. Gates and Stone ran side by side for the final three laps of the event as Irwin stretched out his advantage and went on to his 13th career win at Fonda. Gates ended up beating Stone for second by 0.001 sec. at the finish line followed by Fifield and Carpenter.
The 12-lap Street Stock “A” feature saw a great side by side battle between John Babcock and John Bradt for most of the event. Bradt was the leader at the drop of the green flag with five lead changes taking place among those two drivers throughout the event keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Three yellow flags slowed the field and kept cars bunched up for most of the feature event allowing Luke Klob to stay close to the top two cars. Babcock took over the lead for the final time on lap six and went on to his 19th career win at Fonda followed by Klob, Bradt, Luke Horning, and Neil Cosselman.
2004 Street Stock Champion Bob VanAernam was the early leader of the Street Stock “B” feature from his front row starting spot with Dave Horning Jr. in the second spot on lap two after starting fourth. Horning made a bid for the lead on lap three but VanAernam was able to hold on to the position as Phil Pearson and Rocky Warner both made their way by Horning for the second and third spots by lap six. Warner eventually took over the second spot with VanAernam out to a half straightaway lead on lap eight. Two laps later VanAernam and Warner were running side by side for the lead which Warner took over with only two laps to go. Warner went on to his 7th career win followed by VanAernam, Horning, Pearson, and Dwight Oldorf.
Next Saturday Fonda Speedway switches to a 6:00 p.m. starting time with a regular show in all divisions sponsored by Nortrac Motorsports & Polaris. The IMCA division also begins their season on Saturday in their quest towards the 2005 Track Championship.
MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 38 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Bobby Varin, Jeff Trombley, Ronnie Johnson, Tim Clemons, Dan Douville
HEAT 2 – Jack Johnson, Willy Decker, Dave Camara, Dave Lape, Bobby Vedder
HEAT 3 – Matt DeLorenzo, Ryan Odasz, Tony Pepicelli, Jim Davis, Alton Palmer
MODIFIED CONSOLATIONS – 6 qualify
CONSI 1 – Mike Fusco, Todd Morey, Ray Zemken, Ancel Collins, Dustin Purdy, Joey Duncan
CONSI 2 – Mario Clair, Todd Ryan, Jamie Christian, Kenny Hanson, Josh Pieniazek, Billy Osta
MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-LAPS – JEFF TROMBLEY, Bobby Varin, Willy Decker, Jack Johnson, Dave Camara, Dave Lape, Tony Pepicelli, Ryan Odasz, Jim Davis, Ronnie Johnson, Tim Clemons, Alton Palmer, Mario Clair, Jamie Christian, Ray Zemken, Kenny Hanson, Todd Ryan, Billy Osta, Todd Morey, Ancel Collins, Dustin Purdy, Joey Duncan, Bobby Vedder, John Marsh Jr., Dan Douville, Matt DeLorenzo, Josh Pieniazek, Mike Fusco
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 22 total cars – 4 qualify
HEAT 1 – Jeremiah Munson, John Scarborough, Tony Farone, Tom LaPlante
HEAT 2 – David Towns, Mark Kislowski, Erik Nelson, Elmo Reckner
HEAT 3 – Justin House, Mark Mortensen, Robert Perry, Chris Garrity
SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – DAVID TOWNS, Jeremiah Munson, Mark Mortensen, Justin House, John McAuliffe, Tony Farone, John Scarborough, Drew Fallis, Elmo Reckner, Robert Perry, Jessica Zemken, Josh Hohenforst, Chris Garrity, Erik Nelson, Ricky Quick, Pete Sisler, Mark Kislowski, John Constantino, Tom LaPlante, Luke Monroe, Vinny Sanganetti, Keith Nichols
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 15 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Roy Fifield, Kenny Gates, Chip Smith, Butchie Irwin, Hondo Carpenter
HEAT 2 – Jim Duncan, Rob VanAernam, Chucky Dumblewski, Roger Keeny, Cale Kneer
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – BUTCHIE IRWIN, Kenny Gates, Nick Stone, Roy Fifield, Hondo Carpenter, Luke Klob, Chip Smith, Steve Burega, Cale Kneer, Rod Slater, Rob VanAernam, Lori Cary, Rich Langenbach, Chucky Dumblewski, Dave Cook
by Fonda Speedway