TROMBLEY PADS POINT LEAD
There are certain things Fonda Speedway fans just don't expect to see in July. One is snow. The other is Jeff Trombley in victory lane.
It didn't snow at the Track of Champions Saturday night, but Trombley held off hard-charging Bobby Varin to come away with first victory of the season in the 30-lap modified feature.
The win marked just the second time Trombley has won a race in July at Fonda since the 1993 season. But if he keeps running as well as he was Saturday night, he's going to add his name to the elite list of modified point champions at the Track of Champions
Trombley had showed off the muscle in his new Teo Pro car on Wednesday night, when he put on a late-race dash to finish fourth in the 100-lapper Super DIRT series race. On Saturday night, he made short work of the field.
Getting help from two early restarts, Trombley came through traffic like a motorcyclist slices through rush hour gridlock, and had the lead after just eight laps.
The first two laps were messy. First, Rich Pennock got into the wall in the first turn on the first lap, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Rob Enright climbed the wall in the first turn and precariously rode it until the car flopped back down on the track on all four wheels.
The caution period following Enright's incident also claimed a victim. Matt DeLorenzo and Brian Borst, jockeying for the same position on the track under yellow, banged together and wound up against the inside barrier at the top of the front straightaway, with DeLorenzo going off on a hook and Borst going to the rear of the field, giving up a top-10 position.
By that time, Trombley was already sitting sixth on the grid and once the green came out, he only needed four laps to pull up into second, behind leader Alton Palmer.
Palmer was no match for Trombley's muscle, as Trombley put the FAF Racing/Bez Electric-sponsored Teo Pro car into the lead on lap eight.
Varin, who hadn't been able to keep pace with Trombley's charge early in the race, used a restart on lap 10 to move up to second, but Trombley again had the most power, leaving Varin behind.
Floyd Billington brought out the final yellow on lap 25 when he spun out in the first turn. Varin tried his best to get the jump on Trombley, but Trombley again pulled away, and sat in victory lane for the 24th time in his career.
Jack Johnson was third, but was never a factor in the race for the victory. Craig Criscone, one of the most improved drivers at the speedway this season, came across the finish line fourth, with Mike Romano fifth in one of the Jake Spraker-owned team cars. Romano had to find a ride after damaging his own car in Wednesday night's Advance Auto Parts Series race.
Completing the top 10 were A.J. Romano, Ronnie Hot Shoe Holmes, Tony Pepicelli (who charged from a 21st starting position), Bob Vedder and Dave Lape.
Jay Resch must not believe in doing things the easy way. He recorded his first career victory in the 20-lap pro-stock feature, but had Kenny Gates breathing down his neck at the finish.
Early in the feature, Resch kept hunting for the fast line around the track, and finally got some help from Hondo Carpenter. When Carpenter started to gain ground on the outside, Resch went right to the top with him, and quickly moved to the front.
On lap 12, Resch went around both Carpenter and Mark Lighthall on the outside to get the lead.
From there, is looked like Resch was going to get an easy win, but on the final lap, Mark Sullivan suddenly came to a stop on the backstretch, bringing out a caution.
On the restart, seven cars tangled in the first turn, with Jim Normyle slamming into the outside wall, forcing Resch to make one last restart.
As Resch went into the second turn for the final time, he drifted high, allowing Kenny Gates to pull even. But Resch kept his foot in the throttle, and held off Gates for his first career win.
Gates was second, with Rob Noviczski third, Scott Govertsen fourth and Carpenter fifth.
Bobby Hackel has had one of the fastest cars in the sportsman division all year, and now, he's got a win to go with it.
Hackel took control of the 20-lap race in the closing laps, and posted his first win of the year.
Billy Osta had one of his best runs early in the race, setting the pace for a number of laps before another of the division's young lions, Jeremiah Munson, put his small block into the lead.
But Munson wasn't a match for Hackel's power or experience. Once the Hurricane built up some momentum, he sailed past Munson for the lead, and sat in victory lane for the second time in his career.
Tim Clemons, who had a new small block under the hood of his Jake Spraker car, looked strong and finished second, while John McAuliffe took another step toward his first track title with a third-place finish.
Youth beat experience in the 15-lap IMCA modified feature, as Joey Williams held off George Catanzano for his second win of the season.
Williams started on the outside pole and led all 15 laps, but Catanzano, looking for his fifth win, was on a mission. After starting ninth, Catanzano rocketed past Kevin Buff for third on lap nine, and then stole the No. 2 spot away from Jim Rajczi going through the second turn on lap 13.
Pete Knapp and Bill Ward tangled in the front straightaway on lap 14, bringing out the caution and giving Catanzano the shot he needed, but Williams held off Catanzano for the victory.
Rajczi finished third, followed by Buff and Cory Fachini.
Dave Horning Jr. drove to his seventh win of the season to highlight the three street stock features.
Horning took the checkered flag in the loaded street stock C feature, which included most of the previous winners. Dave Horning Sr. had the early lead, but his son showed old dad a thing or two on lap five, when he charged into the lead going down the backstretch on the fifth lap of the 10-lap feature.
Dick Nichols and John Johnson then battled for second, with Johnson winning that battle when Nichols drifted wide in the second turn on the seventh lap. Horning got the win, with Johnson second and Jeff Davis third.
Wayne Gaige, who had lost a win when he was disqualified for rough riding last week, drove a clean race and finally got his first win of the year in the street stock A feature. Guy Klob grabbed the lead on a restart on lap six, but his engine had been dropping liquid around the speedway for a number of laps, and finally went up in a puff of smoke on lap seven, giving the lead back to Gaige, who pulled away from Joe Donato and Cort Laport to get the win.
John Babcock dominated street stock B, easily getting his second win of the season. Babcock went right to the front and led all 10 laps. John Anderson blew the motor in his car on the last lap, setting up a one-lap dash between Babcock and Shawn Simmons, but Simmons had to settle for second.
During intermission, 1979 track champion Ray Dalmata, Ed Feuz, Jim Gage Sr., Jim Luke and George Welch were inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame in one of their Millenium Induction ceremonies. Feuz, who co-promoted the track with Gage when it opened in 1953, was sincere in thanking NYSSCA for bestowing such an honor on him, and asked the racing fans to ..."go home and thank your grandma and your grandpa for the support they gave me in the 50's and 60's."
Bill Wimble was back at the track for the second time in a week to sigh autographs, a a replica of the Dave McCreadie modified that Wimble drove for so many years even paced the modified field.
MODIFIED: JEFF TROMBLEY, Bobby Varin, Jack Johnson, Craig Criscone, Mike Romano, A.J. Romano, Ronnie Holmes, Tony Pepicelli, Bob Vedder, Dave Lape, Mike Fusco, Harry Shaffer, Alton Palmer, John Marsh, Randy Hotaling, Jerry Pennock Jr., Floyd Billington, Rich Pennock, Ansel Collins, Bobby Albert, John G. Wood, Brian Borst, John Marsh Jr., Matt DeLorenzo, Rod Enright, Craig Hanson, Ron Proctor.
SPORTSMAN: BOBBY HACKEL, Tim Clemons, John McAuliffe, Jeremiah Munson, Mike Ballestero, Bob Perry, Jeff Holt, Jimmy Davis, Drew Fallis, Ryan Odasz, Craig Boehler, Tony Farone, Jimmy Burton, Steve Akers, Frank Greco, Josh Pieniazek, Mike Frasier, Doug Hutchinson, Dennis Pennock, Billy Osta, Jason Otty, Bob Rees, John Constantino, Dennis Kayser, Mike Ketchum, Paul Dunham Jr.
PRO-STOCKS: JAY RESCH, Kenny Gates, Rob Noviczski, Scott Govertsen, Hondo Carpenter, Butch Irwin, Mark Lighthall, Ken Towne, Luke Klob, Dave Bayes, Jim Normyle, Chris Morris, Chuck McSpirit, Frank Guffrie, Nick Stone, Brent Hollenback, Mark Sullivan, Tom Laplante, Kerry Jordan, Frank Earley Jr., Ed Bradt, Phlan Hart, Jeff Jones.
IMCA: JOEY WILLIAMS, George Catanzano, Jim Rajczi, Kevin Buff, Cory Fachini, Steve Hough, Travis Stevens, Willie Reed, Steve Bidwell, George Proctor Jr., Kevin Priest, Jimmy Duncan, Aaron Jacobs, Kurt Olsen, Skip Pabis, Dan Ballard, Dennis Vrooman, Joe Hollenbeck, Keith Ackerknecht, Bill Ward, Pete Knapp, Walter Cook, Lou Gancarz.
STREET STOCK A: WAYNE GAIGE, Joe Donato, Cory Laport, John Kecthum, Steve Skinner, Buck Gasner, Guy Klob, Luke Horning.
STREET STOCK B: JOHN BABCOCK, Shawn Simmons, Rick Anderson, Wayne Crosier, Tim Smith, Chris White, Scott Wells, John Anderson, Mike Hornbeck.
STREET STOCK C: DAVE HORNING JR, John Johnson, Jeff Davis, Dick Nichols, Ken Barth, Dave Horning Sr., Dave Hewitt, Rob Van Aernam, Jimmy Olsen, Bob Van Aernam, Steve Cosselman.