MIKE ROMANO KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY ON ANDY'S SPEED SHOP NIGHT
by Kelley Keefe
It was a night of sweet victory for Mike Romano at Fonda Speedway on Saturday night. After being sidelined the early part of the season with health problems and admittedly still not 100 percent, he certainly gave it his all to pull off his first win of the season on a night sponsored by the family business.
Romano, out for the first time is his new Bicknell likes extra distance races and found just that in the 50 lap Big Block/ Small Block Shootout. This was the third in a five race series in collaberation with the CVRA. The first two events were won by Tim McCreadie at Fonda and Brett Hearn at Albany Saratoga Speedway.
Mike Fusco and Josh Pieniazek started on the front row. Jack Johnson was back in the familiar 12a and won his heat race with Danny Johnson taking the seat in the Jake Spraker owned 1J.
At the green flag is was Fusco, off like a rocket and with only six laps in the books, was lapping cars at the rear of the field. John Marsh was running a strong second but being pressured by Mike Romano for the runner up spot. By lap twenty, lapped cars had brought Fusco's pace down and Bobby Varin and Romano to his rear bumper. At halfway it was a four car battle for the lead with Jeff Trombley joining in the fray from the fourth position. Mike Romano took the lead coming off of turn 3 as Fusco developed handling problems as his tires went away. On the next lap it was Varin who passed him and Trombley got him on the following lap.
Mike Romano never looked back and kept the lead til the end with challenges from Varin and Trombley who finished second and third respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Jack Johnson, A.J. Romano, Danny Johnson, Tony Pepicelli, Dave Lape, John Marsh and Matt DeLorenzo.
Matt DeLorenzo was the highest finishing small block, taking home the $500 bonus. DeLorenzo is the points leader in the 358 Modified division.
Jeremiah Munson started in the tenth position in the twenty lap sportsman feature on his last race night as a batchelor. He will marry fiancee Erica next Saturday, but don't worry, he won't miss a race night.
Pete Sisler and Elmo Reckner started on the front row, but Reckner took the lead at the drop of the green flag. By lap three, Bobby Hackel, who started the feature in eleventh position had caught Jim Burton, who was running second. On lap eight, Drew Fallis got sideways and the car of Mike Ketchum drove over the wheel of Joe Williams, sending Ketchum into the air in a harrowing flip. Ketchum was checked over by the safety crew and was okay, but the same couldn't be same for his racer. The hard charging John McAuliffe and David Towns started deep in the field, but were becoming factors in the race by halfway, now running 4th and 5th.
Under pressure from Hackel and Munson, Reckner drove hard into turn one and over the wheel of Ricky Quick. This sent Reckner rolling over the turn one wall. Elmo was okay, but his racecar sustained major damage. Unfortunate turn of events for a team that has had some great finishes of late.
This turned the lead over to Munson, with Hackel, McAuliffe, Towns, and Mark Mortensen in tow. McAuliffe got by Hackel for the second position, but time ran out before he was able to catch the leader. Munson took home the win. Rounding out the top 10 were McAuliffe, Hackel, Towns, Mortensen, Drew Fallis, Joe Williams, John Johnson, Mark Kislowski and Keith Nichols.
Steve Welch started mid pack in the pro stock feature, but steadily gained positions running the outside groove to make his way to the front.
Chip Smith started the feature in the pole position with Jason Brownell on the outside. Kevin Ward, making his return to the track after a week off, hit the frontstretch wall on lap 2, removing him from competition this week.
Rob Noviczski took the lead from Brownell on the restart with Joe Duncan, Mark Lighthall and Steve Welch right behind. Butch Irwin steadily gained on the lead cars after starting in the 11th position. By lap 8 he was up to fourth and challenging Lighthall for 3rd. Welch was closing the gap on Noviczski, making the pass on the outside with five laps to go. With two to go, the best battle was on for 2nd position as Irwin and Noviczski vied for the runner up spot. They raced together for the final two laps, with Irwin emerging the victor and Kenny Gates following his lead and getting 3rd. Fourth was Noviczski and Lighthall came home 5th. The remainder of the top ten were Nick Stone, Hondo Carpenter, Joe Duncan, Rick Colesanti and Steve Burega.
Post race inspection found Welch to have an illegal distributor, stripping him of the win and points.
Jeff Jones may have started in ninth position, but it only took him seven laps to find his way to the front for the second week in a row.
Skip Pabis and Chris Reckner started in the front row of the IMCA feature, but it was Jeff Davis who had the lead at the end of lap 2. Jeff Jones, Dan Ballard, Steve Bidwell and George Catanzano moved steadily through the field in a pack working their way to the front. On lap five, Kurt Olsen took the lead from Davis, but now Ballard and Bidwell were right behind. Bidwell broke in turn two and brought out the caution, but Jones had already taken the lead. Ballard took to the outside and passed Olsen for 2nd and Catanzano passed Danny Ody for fourth. Ballard pressured Jones who kept his composure and the top spot. At the line it was Jones and Ballard for the second week in a row followed by Catanzano, Olsen, Ody, Davis, Rob Van Aernam, Skip Pabis, JoJo Donato and Tom Funk.
By dropping out of the race, Steve Bidwell hands the points lead over to Ballard; Catanzano is second and Bidwell winds up third.
Paul Hughes lead off the start of the street stock "a" feature and stretched out his lead until Joe Smith spun in turn three on lap two collecting Pete Sisler and Luke Horning.
After the restart Hughes goes around on his own, colecting the car of Howard Smith. Smith continues, but Hughes goes to the pits with a flat tire. By lap three it was John Babcock who was in control and he never looked back. On the white flag lap Jeff Crosier got by Don Warner for second. Warner returned to racing for the first time this week after suffering heart trouble a couple weeks ago. Dan Clemens and Howard Smith rounded out the top 5.
Street Stock "b" showed no lack of action either. Cassidy Wilson led the feature from the green flag, but the action was back in the pack as Rocky Warner tood to the outside and went three wide to get to second place from his eighth starting spot. John Bradt had already taken the lead from Wilson and Rocky was closing in fast. By lap seven Warner had wrestled the lead away from Bradt and had sprinted off to a sizeable lead, but was sent to the pits because his passenger side door was falling off after making contact with another car. To avoid giving up his lead he scraped the door off on the frontstretch wall, but was sent to the pits anyway for not heeding the starters orders.
On the restart it was Dave Horning, Jr. in the lead, followed by Bradt and Bob VanAernam. Horning, Jr. held the lead to the end and was followed across the line by Bob VanAernam, John Bradt, Dwight Oldorff and Phil Pearson.
Modifed Summary
Heat 1 - Alton Palmer, Bobby Varin, Mike Fusco, Mike Romano, Derrick McGrew
Heat 2 - John Marsh, Jeff Trombley, Josh Pieniazek, Ronnie Johnson, Bob Vedder
Heat 3 - Jack Johnson, Chic Chandler, Jerry Pennock, Jr., Danny Johnson, Tony Pepicelli
Feature - 50 Laps - Mike Romano, Bobby Varin, Jeff Trombley, Jack Johnson, A.J. Romano, Danny Johnson, Tony Pepicelli, Dave Lape, John Marsh, Matt DeLorenzo, Mike Fusco, Alton Palmer, Ronnie Johnson, Chic Chandler, Jerry Pennock, Jr., Ken Hanson, Steve Akers, Bob Vedder, Craig Hanson, Ray Zemken, Billy Osta, Todd Morey, Derrick McGrew, Josh Pieniazek, Jim Davis, Keith Shoemaker, Kevin George, Ron Holmes
Sportsman Summary
Heat 1 - Mark Mortensen, Jim Burton, Tony Farone, Joey Williams, Pete Sisler
Heat 2 - Jeremiah Munson, Elmo Reckner, Bobby Hackel, Mark Kislowski, Keith Flach
Heat 3 - John McAuliffe, David Towns, Mike Ketchum, Drew Fallis, Robert Perry
Feature - 20 Laps: Jeremiah Munson, John McAuliffe, Bobby Hackel, David Towns, Mark Mortensen, Drew Fallis, Joey Williams, John Johnson, Mark Kislowski, Keith Nichols, Mike Ballestero, Eric Nelson, Keith Flach, John Constantino, Randy Meka, Mike Bellinger, Bubba Barber, Elmo Reckner, Jim Burton, Rick Quick, Pete Sisler, Robert Perry, Mike Ketchum, Tim Clemons, Chris Garrity, Tony Farone
Pro Stock Summary
Heat 1 - Mark Lighthall, Nick Stone, Rob Noviczski, Steve Welch, Butchie Irwin
Heat 2 - Kenny Gates, Hondo Carpenter, Kevin Ward, Chip Smith, Rick Colesanti
Feature - 20 Laps: Steve Welch, Butchie Irwin, Kenny Gates, Rob Noviczski, Mark Lighthall, Nick Stone, Hondo Carpenter, Joe Duncan, Rick Colesanti, Steve Burega, Bob Johnson, Rick Langenback, Bill Dona, Chip Smith, Jason Brownell, Kevin Ward
IMCA Modified Summary
Heat 1 - George Catanzano, Kurt Olsen, Chris Reckner, Jeff Davis, Eric Stumpf
Heat 2 - Jeff Jones, Danny Ody, Steve Bidwell, Skip Pabis, Tom Funk
Heat 3 - Danny Ballard, Aaron Jacobs, Rob VanAernam, 19L, Malcolm Warner
Feature - 20 Laps: Jeff Jones, Danny Ballard, George Catanzano, Kurt Olsen, Danny Ody, Jeff Davis, Rob VanAernam, Skip Pabis, Tom Funk, Eric Stumpf, Shawn Simmons, Aaron Jacobs, 19L, Malcolm Warner, Chris Reckner, Steve Bidwell
Street Stock Summary
"A" Feature - 12 Laps: John Babcock, Jeff Crosier, Don Warner, Dan Clemens, Howard Smith, Philip Tenerowicz, Paul Hughes, D. T. Pickard, 48, Joe Smith, Luke Horning, Howie Clark
"B" Feature - 12 Laps: Dave Horning, Jr., Bob VanAernam, John Bradt, Dwight Oldorf, Phil Pearson, Dan Hartgraves, Cassidy Wilson, Rocky Warner, Ivan Joslin, Frank Guiffre, Jr.