TROMBLEY STARTS OUT WHERE HE LEFT OFF

Jeff Trombley has had success on opening nights at Fonda Speedway before. In the 1999 and 2000 seasons he began the season with a victory. Add 2002 to that list. Trombley won his first ever Modified track championship at Fonda Speedway last season and last night in the first Modified feature of the season, Trombley dominated the event winning the 30-lap feature in convincing fashion. “We didn’t want to cut anybody any slack tonight,” he said in victory lane. The Roger Savoie owned #5 ran good tonight.”

The Modified feature began with Trombley taking the early lead in the event. A heads up start meant that Trombley would start on the pole after winning the first heat race.

Trombley set a fast pace as he caught up to lap cars by lap 7. As Trombley put the back markers down a lap, second place runner Mike Romano and invader Tim Fuller whose home track of Fulton wasn’t opened yet, were putting on a tremendous battle for 2nd.

Back in the pack with 16 track titles between them at Fonda, Jack Johnson and Dave Lape were battling by side by side for the 8th position for a couple of laps before Lape took over the spot. Meanwhile, Mike Romano and Fuller battled for second, making a sandwich out of Craig Hanson as Fuller took the position.

Trombley was lapping many cars per lap with 10 laps to go holding a straightaway lead over Fuller and the only way anyone was going to catch him was if a yellow flag came out. That never happened as Trombley led the rest of the way in the caution free event.

Fuller, Mike Romano, Pat Ward who was also an invader as his home track of Can-Am was not yet opened for the season, A.J. Romano, Bobby Varin, Johnson who got by Lape on the final lap, Alton Palmer, and Ronnie Holmes completed the top 10.

Thirty-three Modified’s were on hand with the heat races being won by Trombley, Floyd Billington, Mike Romano, and A.J. Romano with the two consolation events going to Palmer and Kenny Hanson.

New dad Tony Farone whose wife Candice gave birth to a baby boy recently was the leader of the Sportsman feature at the drop of the green flag followed by Kevin Crave. Mike Ballestero was 2nd on lap 2 after getting by Crave and setting his sights on the leader.

Jim Davis and Bobby Hackel also got by Crave as Farone and Ballestero were nose to tail for the lead. Farone was in lap traffic at the halfway point in the event as Davis slid up high and touched the wall in turn two. He continued without losing any positions.

The yellow was out on lap 13 as Hackel hit the wall in turn one while running third. Just before the yellow came out, Ballestero passed Farone for the lead in turn three. On the restart, Farone got alongside Ballestero but Mike held the position.

With two laps to go, Ballestero held a ½ straightaway lead until the yellow came out for Farone and Ryan Odasz who crashed in close quarters in turn two. Ballestero led the final two laps for the win and was followed by Jim Davis, John McAuliffe, Jim Burton, Tim Clemons, Steve Bidwell, Ray Zemken, Jeremiah Munson, Steve Akers, and Robert Perry.

Sportsman heats were won by Drew Fallis, Mike Ballestero, Farone, and Burton while Jessica Zemken and Elmo Reckner won the consolation events for the 35 cars in the pit area.

2001 Fonda Speedway Pro Stock champion Rob Noviczski started right where he left off last season taking the early lead in the 20-lap Pro Stock feature. Jay Resch took over the 3rd position on lap 4 as he got by Chris Morris.

Scott Govertson was 2nd at the time with Resch challenging him for that position, getting alongside only to have Govertson hold the spot. Resch eventually got by Govertson on lap 6 with the caution out one lap later when Steve Vrooman lost his driveshaft on the front stretch.

On the restart, Resch got alongside of Noviczski and in turn two on the outside took over the top spot. Noviczski lost a couple of more positions to Kenny Gates and Jim Normoyle as Resch stretched out his lead to a full straightaway at the ½ way point.

Normoyle got by Gates for 3rd and Noviczski for 2nd on lap 12 as Noviczski was stuck behind a lap car. Resch went on for the win by a convincing margin over Normoyle, Gates, Morris, Noviczski, Hondo Carpenter, Govertson, Mark Lighthall, Nick Stone, and Butchie Irwin.

Noviczski, Irwin, and Morris won the Pro Stock heat races with no consolation being run for the 26 cars on hand.

In the Street Stock “A” feature event, Ray Hall, Jr. was the leader at the drop of the green flag followed by last years Street Stock points champion Dave Horning, Jr. On lap two, Horning, Jr. took over the lead but Hall, Jr. wasn’t about to give up. On lap 4, Hall, Jr. retook the lead with Horning, Jr. close behind.

That lasted until lap 7 when Horning, Jr’s car started smoking and he retired from the event while running second. Hall, Jr. led the rest of the way for his first career win followed by Kenny Barth, Randy Moore, John Johnson, and Jo Jo Donato.

The Street Stock “B” feature had a couple of cautions in it but it was nothing that slowed down Dave Horning, Sr. who led every lap of the event. The race was marred by a flip on the front stretch by Jeff Crosier whose car caught the beginning of the poured concrete wall and flipped over once. Crosier was not injured.

Ron Tollner and Bob VanAernam were putting on a terrific battle for second for most of the event, running side by side and even rubbing together a few times. Horning, Sr. began lapping cars on lap 7 and led the remaining laps for the win. Tollner won the close race for second over VanAernam who was followed by John Babcock, and Jeff Davis.

Thirty-five Street Stocks were in the pit area for the evening.

The Track of Champions will be back in action next Saturday with a regular show in all divisions starting at 6:00 p.m.

MODIFIED FEATURE – JEFF TROMBLEY, Tim Fuller, Mike Romano, Pat Ward, A.J. Romano, Bobby Varin, Jack Johnson, Dave Lape, Alton Palmer, Ronnie Holmes, Tony Pepicelli, Jerry Pennock Jr, Jason Barney, Craig Criscone, Randy Snyder, Bobby Vedder, Floyd Billington, Kenny Hanson, Craig Hanson, Chris Kokosa, Johnny Marsh, Don Scarborough, Paul Cirincione III, John Marsh, Bob Sitterly, Rich Pennock, Ancel Collins.

SPORTSMAN FEATURE – MIKE BALLESTERO, Jim Davis, John McAuliffe, Jim Burton, Tim Clemons, Steve Bidwell, Ray Zemken, Jeremiah Munson, Steve Akers, Robert Perry, Joe Geniti, Jeff Holt, Josh Pieniazek, Billy Osta, John LeClair, Kenny Martin, Elmo Reckner, Jessica Zemken, John Constantino, Tony Farone, Mike Ketchum, Kevin Crave, Bobby Hackel, Paul Carey.

PRO STOCK FEATURE – JAY RESCH, Jim Normoyle, Kenny Gates, Chris Morris, Rob Noviczski, Hondo Carpenter, Scott Govertson, Mark Lighthall, Nick Stone, Butchie Irwin, Phlan Hart, Bobby Gile, Rob VanAernam, Jay Ingersoll, Jeff Patrick, Brent Hallenbeck, Jason Pieniazek, Dave Bayes, Ray Hall, Steve Vrooman, Steve Cosselman, Tom LaPlante, Dan Rickard.

STREET STOCK “A” – RAY HALL JR, Kenny Barth, Randy Moore, John Johnson, Jo Jo Donato, Don Warner, Carol Parker, Joe Smith, Mike Burdo, Neil Cosselman, Brian Stangle, Mike Walters, Mike Jackson, Ed Bradt, Dennis Wilson, Luke Horning.

STREET STOCK “B” – DAVE HORNING SR, Ron Tollner, Bob VanAernam, John Babcock, Jeff Davis, Wayne Gaige, Sandy Ferrara, Jim Colsen, Buck Gasner, Paul Hughes, Ricky Quick, Don Oldick, Shawn Laport, Mike Budka Jr, Jamie Tesiero, Jeff Crosier.