JOHNSON WINS AT FONDA IN HIS NEW RIDE
Three weeks ago Ronnie Johnson took over the seat of the #24 Adirondack Motorsports Teo car, finishing seventh in the Modified feature in his first time out in the car. Last night it looked like Johnson had been in the car for years as he dominated the Modified feature event for his second career win at the Track of Champions with only lap cars coming in the way of a possible victory.
Ronnie Johnson won his first career Modified feature at Fonda on August 8, 1998. It was a race for the win between Johnson and Lou Lazzaro that night with Johnson coming out on top for a very special win. Last night at Fonda, Johnson started on the pole and led every lap of the event with lap cars making the last few laps very interesting for the leaders.
“This feels good,” Ronnie said in victory lane. “The front row starting position helped but the toughest thing to do is to start on the pole because you never know who is behind you.”
The evening’s activities were sponsored by DeCrescente & Saratoga Spring Water. It was also NYSSCA night at the speedway with $50 awards handed out in each feature event to the top finishing NYSSCA member.
Johnson was a rocket at the start of the Modified feature but it was Jeff Trombley who was rocketing to the front early in the event. Trombley started tenth but passed Dave Lape and Jerry Pennock, Jr. for the seventh position at the completion of lap one. When the first yellow flag of the event came out on lap three, Trombley was fourth.
On the restart, Trombley got by Alton Palmer and Ron Proctor for the second position as Johnson continued to lead. Palmer and Mike Romano also got by Proctor for the third and fourth positions and then raced side by side for many laps before Mike got by Palmer for good on lap fifteen for third. Lap traffic came into play numerous times throughout the feature and almost cost Johnson the race.
After blowing the motor during his heat race, A.J. Romano came out in a backup car (his #16 Bicknell car) and qualified through the consolation event. A.J. was up to the fifth position in the feature with ten laps to go as things started to get very interesting for the leaders. When the lap car of Chic Chandler blocked Johnson’s lane in turn three, Trombley took over the lead briefly as lap twenty-four was completed.
Johnson got the lead back on the next lap on the outside in turn two but the interference by the lap cars wasn’t over yet. When Randy Snyder tried to get by another lap car he blocked Trombley’s lane allowing Mike Romano to get alongside. Trombley and Mike Romano battled right to the end for the second position as Johnson went on for the win.
Trombley held on for second followed by Mike Romano, Palmer, and A.J. Romano.
Ironically Jeff Trombley had a hand in Johnson’s victory as it was one of his old motors that beat him. “We blew a motor a couple of weeks ago in the Adirondack Motorsports car so we ended up buying one of Jeff’s motors,” Ronnie said after the victory. “Jeff has also been very helpful with the setup of the car. He is just a great guy.”
John LeClair was the Sportsman feature leader at the drop of the green flag but when the lap counter clicked off lap one Ray Zemken was the leader after passing LeClair on the inside of turn four. After Zemken led the first two laps, LeClair took over the lead with a pass on the outside of turn two.
Tim Clemons who has been on a roll since debuting a new Bicknell car started the feature in the fourteenth position but by lap three he was already up to fifth. Clemons continued his march to the front getting by both Jeff Holt and Kenny Martin for the third position on lap four.
A scary crash in turn four on lap seven brought out the red flag. It all started when Martin got sideways in between turns three and four as other cars piled in. One car shot between the walls and landed over near the cow palace but fortunately none of the drivers involved were injured.
On the restart, Clemons was the new leader as he got by both Zemken and LeClair. From that point on the race was pretty much for second as Clemons stretched out his lead to a comfortable margin. Jim Davis started the event thirteenth and made his way up to third with five laps to go but that was as far as he would get as Clemons went on to his first win of the season at Fonda. LeClair, Davis, Zemken, and Ryan Odasz completed the top five.
Pole position starter Jim Normoyle led the Pro Stock feature at the start with side by side action happening behind him throughout the field. Bobby Gile got by both Jerry Pepper and Mark Sullivan for the second position on lap four as the yellow flag was shown.
Scott Govertsen and Butchie Irwin were making their way to the front sitting in the third and fourth positions respectively by lap eight. Gile pressured Normoyle for the lead on lap nine and got the lead on the next lap on the inside of turn four. Normoyle wasn’t about to give up the lead easily and came back on the outside as these two drivers ran side by side for the number one position.
Gile took over the lead on lap thirteen on a restart but the race was far from over. Irwin made his way past Normoyle for the second position on lap fourteen and with four laps to go took the lead from Gile. Contact was made between Gile and Govertsen on lap eighteen in the frontstretch as both cars battled for the second position with both cars ending up spinning in turn one.
Irwin went on to his fourth win of the season followed by Jerry Pepper, Rob Noviczski, Normoyle, and Hondo Carpenter. Pepper later refused to be tech inspected and was disqualified moving everyone up one position and putting Chris Morris up to the fifth position.
It was Darcy Volans who led at the start of the IMCA feature with Willy Reed next to lead after getting by Volans on lap three. Fred Proctor and Steve Bidwell also got by Volans for the second and third positions as Reed stretched out his lead.
Bidwell and Kevin Buff ran side by side for the third position on lap nine with Buff getting the position after some contact was made between the two cars. Proctor caught the leader on lap eleven and four laps later took over the lead on the inside of turn one.
Buff took over the second position on lap sixteen getting by Reed and immediately put pressure on the leader. Coming out of turn four on the final lap, Proctor got out of shape on the frontstretch with Buff nipping him at the finish line for the win, his first of the 2002 season. Proctor, Danny Ballard, Steve Hough, and Reed completed the top five.
The first six laps of the Street Stock “A” feature event were led by Jeff Davis until John Babcock took over the lead on lap seven after pressuring Davis for the lead for many laps. Babcock went on to his second win of the season followed by Davis, Bob VanAernam, Carol Parker, and Roger Keeny.
Buck Gasner was the leader at the start of the Street Stock “B” feature and held that position until lap three when Kenny Barth took over the top spot. A lap car slowed Barth on the final lap in turn one allowing Shawn Simmons to get alongside. The two cars made contact with Barth heading for the wall and Simmons heading to victory lane for the fifth time this season. Randy Moore, Steve Cosselman, Gasner, and Jeff Crosier completed the top five.
There were only two leaders in the Street Stock “C” feature event with Dave Daniels being the first. Jim Colsen took over the lead on lap three and led the rest of the way taking his first career win followed by Daniels, Jo Jo Donato, Denver Wilson, and Brandon Lehr.
A six-lap Dash for Cash was held in honor of John “Jack” Lockhart for non winners in the Sportsman division. Jeff Jones led all six laps for the $175 win followed by Josh Pieniazek, John LeClair, Billy Osta, and John Constantino.
The Northeast Vintage Modifieds were also on hand with their 15-lap feature going to Jeff Richardson who won by a comfortable margin over Art Parker, Phil Claussen, Edgar Hedges, Jr., and Pete Gardner.
Fonda Speedway will be back in action this Thursday as the Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series will be in town with all of the DIRT Motorsports invaders on hand for the 100-lap feature event. The IMCA division will also be in action with the green flag waving at 7:00 p.m. A press conference will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the VIP tower with Bobby Allison and Ned Jarrett.
MODIFIED QUALIFYING – 34 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Jeff Trombley, Bobby Varin, Alton Palmer, Todd Morey, John Marsh
HEAT 2 – Mike Romano, Ron Proctor, A.J. Romano, Ken Hanson, Bob Sitterly
HEAT 3 – Dave Lape, Randy Snyder, Jerry Pennock, Jr., Mike Fusco, Chic Chandler
HEAT 4 – Ronnie Johnson, Jack Johnson, Craig Criscone, Ronnie Holmes, Tony Pepicelli
MODIFIED CONSOLATION – 6 qualify – A.J. Romano (in a backup car after blowing a motor in heat race #2), Bobby Vedder, Troy VanAllen, Billy Gray, Craig Hanson, Wayne Figler
MODIFIED FEATURE – 30 laps – RONNIE JOHNSON, Jeff Trombley, Mike Romano, Alton Palmer, A.J. Romano, Bobby Varin, Jack Johnson, Ronnie Holmes, Ron Proctor, Tony Pepicelli, Ken Hanson, Craig Criscone, Bob Sitterly, Randy Snyder, John Marsh, Todd Morey, Troy VanAllen, Jim Lavalla, Wayne Figler, Chic Chandler, Mike Fusco, Bob Enright, Bobby Vedder, Craig Hanson, Dave Lape, Billy Gray, John G. Wolfe, Jerry Pennock, Jr.
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING – 28 total cars – 6 qualify
HEAT 1 – Josh Pieniazek, Elmo Reckner, John McAuliffe, Tim Clemons, Mike Ketchum, Joe Perrotti
HEAT 2 – John LeClair, Doug Hutchison, Jeff Holt, Billy Osta, Jim Burton, Ryan Odasz
HEAT 3 – Ray Zemken, Robert Perry, Jim Davis, Bobby Hackel, Kenny Martin, Drew Fallis
SPORTSMAN CONSOLATION – 6 qualify – Bobby Hackel (2nd car), Jeff Jones, Tim Adair, Allen Powell, John Constantino, Shawn Lawyer
SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 laps – TIM CLEMONS, John LeClair, Jim Davis, Ray Zemken, Ryan Odasz, John McAuliffe, Jeff Holt, Josh Pieniazek, Elmo Reckner, Jeremiah Munson, Kenny Martin, Robert Perry, Jeff Jones, Bobby Hackel, John Constantino, Allen Powell, Drew Fallis, Mike Ketchum, Billy Osta, Jim Burton, Michael Ballestero, Tim Adair, Shawn Lawyer
PRO STOCK QUALIFYING – 19 total cars – 6 qualify
HEAT 1 – Jim Normoyle, Bobby Gile, Jerry Pepper, Rob Noviczski, Nick Stone, Scott Govertsen
HEAT 2 – Mark Lighthall, Hondo Carpenter, Jay Resch, Kenny Gates, Jeff Patrick, Mark Sullivan
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20 laps – BUTCHIE IRWIN, Rob Noviczski, Jim Normoyle, Hondo Carpenter, Chris Morris, Jeff Patrick, Kenny Gates, Joe Mottoshiski, Phlan Hart, Nick Stone, Rob VanAernam, Jay Resch, Scott Govertsen, Dan Rickard, Tom LaPlante, Bobby Gile, Mark Sullivan, Mark Lighthall, Jerry Pepper
IMCA QUALIFYING – 17 total cars – 5 qualify
HEAT 1 – Steve Bidwell, Kevin Buff, Pete Knapp, Danny Ballard, Fred Proctor
HEAT 2 – Steve Hough, Darcy Volans, Skip Pabis, Willy Reed, Dennis Vroman
IMCA FEATURE – 20 laps – KEVIN BUFF, Fred Proctor, Danny Ballard, Steve Hough, Willy Reed, Keith Ackerknecht, Dennis Vroman, Darcy Volans, Curt Olsen, Skip Pabis, Joe Hallenbeck, Jason Miller, Bob Wilkie, Steve Bidwell, Pete Knapp
STREET STOCK “A” – 10 laps – JOHN BABCOCK, Jeff Davis, Bob VanAernam, Carol Parker, Roger Keeny, Ellis Shaffer, John Johnson, Neil Cosselman, Paul Hughes
STREET STOCK “B” – 10 laps – SHAWN SIMMONS, Randy Moore, Steve Cosselman, Buck Gasner, Jeff Crosier, Ricky Quick, Justin Labombard, Kenny Barth, Thom Schmidtmann, Rod Slater, Rocky Warner, Norman Lamphear, Jr.
STREET STOCK “C” – 10 laps – JIM COLSON, Dave Daniels, Jo Jo Donato, Denver Wilson, Brandon Lehr, Wayne Gaige, Chris McMurray, Ron Tollner, Pete Sisler, Joe Smith, Jamie Tesiero
JOHN “JACK” LOCKHART MEMORIAL DASH FOR CASH – 6 laps – JEFF JONES, Josh Pieniazek, John LeClair, Billy Osta, John Constantino, Jessica Zemken, Kenny Martin, Elmo Reckner, Robert Perry, Jeremiah Munson
NORTHEAST VINTAGE MODIFIEDS – 15 laps – JEFF RICHARDSON, Art Parker, Phil Claussen, Edgar Hedges, Jr., Pete Gardner, Tim Toombs, Tom Cole, Jr., Phil Barkins, Rob Andrews, Ray Checke, Jim Hillmire, John Mason, Mike Cole, Mike Kehr, Edgar Hedges, Sr., Paul Tichy, Car #64, Buddy Bardwell, Drew Evenyke