LAPE WINS ON FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT AT FONDA
The 2003 edition of the River Rage weekend at the Fonda Speedway started one day early this year after rain forced the cancellation of three feature events back in September. All of the qualifying was completed on Saturday September 27 only to have rain come in and cancel the modified and sportsman features.
A pro stock feature was also postponed back on September 13 with all three features being run on Friday night October 17, opening day of River Rage 2003 weekend. The evening was called Fan Appreciation Night with only features being run during the three hour racing program.
Coming into the event, Dave Lape was leading the 2003 Big Block/Small Block Challenge Series points over Jeff Trombley by six. Trombley did all that he could going for the title, leading most of the event before losing a right rear wheel on lap forty-two of the fifty lap feature event. Lape was running a distant second at that time, took over the lead, and went on to his fifth win of the season at the Track of Champions.
“I wouldn’t have gotten by Jeff,” Lape said in victory lane. “I knew that I didn’t have the fastest car by far but you just hang in there and good things can happen to you.” Good things have definitely happened to Lape this year with five wins at Fonda and one win each at Albany Saratoga and Devils Bowl.
Ryan Odasz started the event on the outside pole and took the lead as the green flag was thrown to start the event. Trombley started in the fifth position but took over the second spot as lap one was completed. Jack Johnson was the third place car at the lap three point with Lape getting by both Ronnie Johnson and Ray Zemken for the seventh spot after starting fifteenth.
Johnson slowed on lap six bringing out the caution as he had clay in his right rear wheel causing a bad vibration in the Witz Roofing modified. Johnson pitted and restarted at the rear of the field. On the restart, Trombley was the new leader and immediately stretched out his advantage over Odasz.
Lape and Ronnie Johnson made a sandwich out of Brian Borst for the fifth and sixth positions with Lape also getting back by Ronnie for the fifth position on lap nine. Lap cars came into play on lap eleven with the leader blasting down the middle of two of them to get by. The lap cars also caused a wreck in turn four on lap fifteen when Bobby Vedder and Tim Fuller came together and crashed in turn four. Fuller pitted and continued at the rear of the field but Vedder was done for the evening.
Lape got by Willie Decker for the third spot one lap later as Jack Johnson was already back up to the sixth position with another yellow coming out on lap nineteen. Jack Johnson and Fuller were coming to the front quickly after their early misfortune with both getting by Decker for the fourth and fifth positions.
Lap traffic closed up the field on lap twenty-seven as Trombley, Odasz, and Lape were nose to tail for the lead. Misfortune struck Odasz on lap thirty-one when his motor went up in smoke while racing with Lape for the second position in turn two. Trombley pulled away on the restart and looked to be going on to the win when he came to a stop in turn two. Next thing you knew his right rear tire was rolling down the backstretch with Lape now inheriting the lead.
Lape went on for the win despite pressure from Fuller with Jack Johnson, Decker, and Borst completing the top five. Lape picked up $3,000 for the win and will also pick up an additional $3,000 for being the Big Block Challenge Series Point Champion in the Andy’s Speed Shop #22. Decker was the first 358-modified across the finish line getting a $500 bonus for his efforts.
“Andy Romano and I talked about getting together right around this time last year,” Lape said. “Everything turned around, we all thought positive and it has been great. I have to thank Andy and all of my sponsors for the great year that we have had.”
Steve Akers finished the event in the sixth position and was crowned as the Small Block Challenge Series Point Champion. He will pick up an additional $1,000 for being the Small Block Series Champion at the awards banquet next month.
Lebanon Valley regular Ryan Larkin took the lead when the green flag flew to start the sportsman feature event. His lead was short lived as Joey Budka took over the point on lap four. Drew Fallis blew by both a lap car and the leader on lap eight taking over the top spot. But lap traffic wasn’t done causing havoc in the event just yet.
In lap traffic on lap ten, Budka got by Fallis for the lead with Bobby Hackel now second. The caution flag flew on lap eleven for Larkin who crashed hard into the wall in turn four. Larkin was not injured.
On the restart, Hackel took over the lead with John McAuliffe now fifth after starting thirteenth. McAuliffe took over the point on a lap twenty-one restart and never looked back as he went on to an easy win, his second of the season at the Track of Champions. Tim Hartman, Derrick McGrew, Jim Burton, and Jeremiah Munson completed the top five.
Jay Resch was the early leader of the twenty lap pro stock feature with an early yellow coming out on lap three. The caution was for Joey Duncan who had just gotten by Jerry Pepper for the fourth spot. Pepper came back up on Duncan and tapped him in the rear forcing Duncan to spin in turn four. Duncan restarted at the rear off the field as did Pepper who was penalized for rough riding.
Kenny Gates started fifth but was up to second as the race was restarted. Five laps later Gates got by Resch for the lead on the inside of turns one and two. Gates went on to an easy win, his fourth of the season followed by Duncan who got all of the way back up to second, Resch, Joe Mottoshiski, and Nick Stone.
Jimmy Duncan was the winner of the twenty lap four cylinder feature.
MODIFIED FEATURE – 50 laps – DAVE LAPE, Tim Fuller, Jack Johnson, Willie Decker, Brian Borst, Steve Akers, Ray Zemken, Vinnie Vitale, Ronnie Johnson, Jerry Pennock Jr., Jeff Isabel, Todd Morey, Joe Geniti, Floyd Billington, Wayne Figler, Jeff Trombley, John Kollar, Ryan Odasz, Ted Lamb, Chic Chandler, Josh Pieniazek, Mike Dillenbeck, John Marsh, Bobby Vedder
SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 50 laps – JOHN MCAULIFFE, Tim Hartman, Derrick McGrew, Jim Burton, Jeremiah Munson, Mike Ketchum, Frank Harper, Neil Erickson, Joe Bennett, Mark Mortensen, Rich Salisbury, John Constantino, Randy Meka, Tom LaPlante, Cass Bennett, Drew Fallis, Pat O’Hanlon, Jason Memrick, Joey Budka, Ricky Quick, Bobby Hackel, Joe Mabb Jr., Robert Perry, Jack Swinton, Ryan Larkin, Mark Majewski, John Herman, Bob Rees
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20 laps – KENNY GATES, Joey Duncan, Jay Resch, Joe Mottoshiski, Nick Stone, Jim Normoyle, Steve Burega, Erik Nelson, Chuck McSpirit, Dan Rickard, Erik Yager, Jerry Pepper, Rocky Warner, Eric Ellis, Butchie Irwin
IMCA DASH – 10 laps – GEORGE CATANZANO, Danny Ballard, Steve Vrooman, Dale Caswell, Steve Bidwell, JoJo Donato, Rob VanAernam, Walter Cook, Kurt Olsen, Kevin Priest, Darcy Volans, George Proctor, Car #Z1D, Jeff Davis