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DELORENZO WINS $4,000 THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES EVENT AT FONDA

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Last week Matt DeLorenzo and his crew chief, his brother Mike DeLorenzo, learned what a little change can do to your racecar. This week they used that lesson to dial the BBL Companies #3D Bicknell car back to early season form when he won three feature events at the “Track of Champions� Fonda Speedway.

“Mike did a lot of studying over the winter to try to figure out the springs and shocks,� DeLorenzo told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “We learned that you can make a little bit of an adjustment and throw yourself off like we did last week when we tried to tighten the car up and it was way too tight, and I couldn’t drive it. But it was definitely on tonight.�

Other winners at Fonda on Ferris Mowers Night featuring the F.X. Caprara Car Companies Thunder on the Thruway Series were Cody Clark (Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman), Nick Stone (Algonkin Motel Pro Stock), Connor Prokop (Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman), Todd Morey (SOHC Fonda Four Cylinder), and Kerrie Hollenback (DOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder).

The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) was also in action at Fonda on Saturday evening with Jimmy Fugel (MVVDMS Antiques), Harry Baldwin (MVVDMS Mystiques), Will Reed (MVVDMS Late Models), Joe Rando (MVVDMS Sportsman), and Jack Miller (MVVDMS Modifieds) the winners of their feature events.

Earlier in the day at the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame & Museum the 2022 class was inducted which included drivers AJ Romano, Tim Clemons, and Steve Welch along with car owner Jeff McWalker. The 6th Annual Dedication to the Fonda Speedway Museum Award was also given to Alton & Carole Palmer and the Eagles Club 3846 of Canajoharie, NY.

The Eagles Club made a $500 donation to the Fonda Speedway Kid’s Club which was accepted by Ashley Abeling the Kid’s Club organizer. It was also announced at the ceremony that Alton & Carole Palmer have permanently donated the last car that Jack Johnson ever drove, the iconic #12A, to the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame & Museum.

Special thanks for some bonuses that were paid out on Saturday evening at Fonda including in no particular order RCK Motorsports who paid out $50 to each of the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock heat race winners, the Man with the Red Chair who paid out $100 to feature finishing positions 2-11 in the Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature, and Upstate Auto who donated $50 to both the single overhead and dual overhead cam feature winners in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder feature.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim King was on hand with Chris Moore to handle the announcing duties on Saturday while Dan Haslun was on the mic for the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS). Pastor Greg Nitz said the prayer during opening ceremonies while Joe Kriss performed the National Anthem. Ther winner of the 50/50 was Harry from Canajoharie who took home $3,096 thanks to the hard work of the 50/50 girls Rose, Julie, and Heather!

A draw for starting positions in the 30-lap Thunder on the Thruway Series Sunoco Modified feature event put heat race winner Mike Mahaney and Pep Corradi on the front row for the start of the feature with Mahaney taking the early lead. Seventh place starter Matt DeLorenzo was already up to the fourth position on lap three while Mahaney was out to a straightaway advantage over Corradi two laps later on lap five.

DeLorenzo took the second position away from Corradi on lap seven with Mahaney now in lap traffic allowing DeLorenzo to close in quickly on the leader. DeLorenzo took over the lead two laps later with a quick move on the inside of both a lap car and Mahaney and stretched out his lead to almost a half-track with ten laps to go despite heavy lap traffic throughout the rest of the event.

“My car was really good off of turn two, getting a lot of bite on the outside, DeLorenzo said afterwards. “The lap cars were brutal, I didn’t know how close he (Mahaney) was after I got by him and then I was lapping some pretty good cars, so I was praying for no cautions.�

The top five at the halfway point in the event consisted of DeLorenzo, Mahaney, Corradi, Ronnie Johnson, and David Schilling. Ronnie Johnson was the new third place car on lap 16 after getting by Corradi for the position with 15th place starter Rocky Warner, who was in a #16 tribute car to 2022 Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame inductee AJ Romano, taking the fourth position away from Schilling on lap 24.

With DeLorenzo out to a comfortable advantage over Mahaney and Johnson, the focus turned to Warner, Schilling, and Alex Yankowski who were battling side by side in lap traffic for the fourth position. When Joe Kriss waved the checkered flag at the end of thirty laps DeLorenzo crossed the finish line first for his fourth victory of the season and the 41st time of his career at Fonda followed by Mahaney, Johnson, Warner, and Yankowski.

“Hats off to my brother Mike who has these cars dialed in with Brian (Gleason) winning last week for his first career win,� DeLorenzo said. “We ran at Albany Saratoga last night and here at Fonda tonight with the same car, we worked on it all day today to get it ready for tonight and I am really looking forward to the “Firecracker 50� tomorrow.�

A draw for starting positions determined the starting lineup for the 25-lap Thunder on the Thruway Series Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman feature with Jason Reome leading at the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting spot followed by fourth place starter Cody Clark in second.

Third place starter Payton Talbot and 12th place starter Chad Edwards both moved past Cory White for the third and fourth positions by lap eight with Reome now in lap traffic. The top three of Reome, Clark, and Talbot were racing hard for the lead on lap ten just before the caution was out for Clayton DuMond who was facing the wrong way on the backstretch.

Clark took over the lead on the restart coming out of turn two with Edwards and Talbot also getting by Reome for the second and third positions. At the halfway point the top five consisted of Clark, Edwards, Talbot, Chip Constantino, and Reome with Clark now out to a straightaway lead.

After starting back in the 15th position, Mark Mortensen moved in to the top five with five laps to go with Clark going three wide at times to stay ahead of Edwards and Talbot who without the benefit of anymore cautions were never able to close in to challenge for the lead. Clark went on to his third win of the season and the 16th of his career in Upstate Motorsports #4 DKM car followed by Edwards, Talbot, Constantino, and Mark Mortensen.

“The track was definitely tricky tonight,� Clark said after the win. “Early on the car was real good, we threw some different stuff at it just trying to develop and get even better but all in all the car was good. I just couldn’t get through lap traffic the way that I wanted to, I couldn’t roll the corner like I wanted to that’s what made it tough.�

Ivan Joslin started the 20-lap Thunder on the Thruway Series Algonkin Motel Pro Stock feature on the outside of the front row and took the lead at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag. Luke Horning started the event in the fifth position and got by AJ Walters for the third position on lap two and one lap later Horning was the new second place car after getting by Gary Silkey,

Sixth place starter Chuck Dumblewski got around the outside of both Jason Morrison and Horning for the second position on lap seven with the caution coming out shortly afterwards for Randy Cosselman who spun in turn four. On the restart, Dumblewski took away the lead from Joslin who dropped out of the event on lap 11 while in the top five.

Kenny Gates brought out the final caution of the event on lap 13 when he came to a stop in turn three while Dumblewski continued to lead on the restart. Tenth place starter Nick Stone was in the second position for this restart with Dumblewski choosing the outside for the restart. When the green flag flew Dumblewski was about as high as you could go on the track while Stone was looking for any way that he could to get by for the lead.

That’s exactly what happened with two laps to go when Stone got by Dumblewski on the inside of turn four and went on to his ninth win of the season and the 68th of his career over Dumblewski, eighth place starter Beau Ballard, Horning, and Morrison.

“A second-place finish would have been great there, that was an awesome race,� Stone said in victory lane. “The slicker the track gets it is an equalizer so nobody really has much over anybody and it is up to whoever can be the smoothest or find a little bit of bite to get off the corners. I think after showing the nose to Chuck that he wasn’t hitting his marks like he was before the caution because there was no catching him before that.�

Michael Kalkbrenner started the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature on the outside of the front row and was the race leader at the drop of the green flag. Fifth place starter Connor Prokop moved through the field to the second position with only a few laps remaining and on lap 12 took over the lead on the inside of turn two.

Prokop went on to his second win of the season and the second of his career at Fonda in the Eagle Towing & Recovery sponsored #12P over seventh place starter Zach Dufel, Kalkbrenner, Lance Hill, and Walter Cook.

“After wrecking last week this is special,� Prokop said in victory lane. After extensive tech after the win Prokop said, “I wasn’t real worried because I knew that our car is legal.�

Kerrie Hollenback went on to his seventh win of the season and the 29th time in his career at Fonda in the DOHC Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division while Todd Morey took the win in the SOHC class for his first career win in the division at Fonda. Morey’s excitement showed just how much it meant for him to be in victory lane at the “Track of Champions� Fonda Speedway.

“I was six months old in diapers with my dad when he brought me here,� a very excited Morey said in victory lane. “I’ve been here my whole life, went and did the Monster Truck stuff and got some wins, then came back here and announced with Jim King at sixteen years old. I am so happy right now, I WON AT FONDA SPEEDWAY Morey shouted!

The Independence Holiday weekend action continues at the Fonda Speedway today Sunday, July 3 when the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled by Sunoco heads to the “Track of Champions� for the fourth edition of the “Firecracker 50.�

The STSS big-block/small-block Modifieds will take the stage on Sunday for a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win affair in Round No. 6 of the River Valley Builders Modified North Region. Fonda Speedway plays host to its fifth STSS event in the last four years, with the sixth event coming this September for the “Fonda 200.�

Sprakers, N.Y.’s Stewart Friesen remains undefeated in STSS competition at the Fonda Speedway, winning all three previous renditions of the “Firecracker 50,� plus the 2021 “Fonda 200,� which fell under STSS sanctioning.

The STSS Crate 602 Sportsman join the holiday weekend special for Round No. 4 of the Precision Hydraulic & Oil Crate 602 Sportsman North Region paying $2,000 to win.

Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068. Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook www.facebook.com/thefondaspeedwy or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy.

To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on Twitter or Instagram.

The Short Track Super Series is presented by American Racer/Lias Tire, Sunoco Race Fuel, Insinger Performance, FloSports, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Halmar International, River Valley Builders, Hurlock Auto & Speed, Velocita-USA, St. Lawrence Radiology, Design for Vision & Sunglass Central, Belmont’s Garage, Precision Hydraulic & Oil, Prime MAC Tools, F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, Dirt Track Digest, EIBACH, Elite Welder Testing & Training, Flach Performance Products, Henry’s Exhaust, Hig Fab, Penske Racing Shocks, Schultz Racing Fuel Cells, Spyder Filters, Superior Remodeling, Teo-Pro Car, VAHLCO, Wegner Automotive & Wilwood.

SATURDAY, JULY 2 FERRIS MOWERS PRESENTS THE F.X. CAPRARA CAR COMPANIES THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES

THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE – 30-laps - $4,000 to win – MATT DELORENZO, Mike Mahaney, Ronnie Johnson, Rocky Warner, Alex Yankowski, David Schilling, Craig Hanson, Pep Corradi, Bobby Varin, Ryan Odasz, Jessica Friesen, Demetrious Drellos, Dave Constantino, Jack Lehner, Tucker O’Connor, Chris Curtis, JaMike Sowle, Brian Gleason, Scott Huber, Darwin Greene, Kyle Coffey, Neil Stratton, Roger Henion Jr., Rich Christman, Nick Heywood, Randy Green, Ray Zemken, Justin Wright, JR Hurlburt, Frank Cozze, Jim Introne Jr., Aaron Jacobs

4th win of 2022 and the 41st of his career in the division at Fonda for DeLorenzo

LAP LEADERS – 1-8 Mahaney, 9-30 DeLorenzo

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Schilling, Mahaney, Sowle

THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-laps - $1,500 to win – CODY CLARK, Chad Edwards, Payton Talbot, Chip Constantino, Mark Mortensen, Troy Zilles, Jason Reome, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Stephen Gray, Tanner Warner, Joe Toth, Kevin Chaffee, Brendan Gibbons, Troy Palmer, Cory White, Brett Mortensen, Jason Greco, Thomas Sherby, Carter Gibbons, Greg Havlichek, Harry Shaffer, Jeremy Tyrrell, Jeremy Slosek, Griffen Mansmith, Peter Lorenzo, Jim Avery, Steve Davis, Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Tim Dwyer, Clayton DuMond, Kevin Ward

3rd win of 2022 and the 16th of his career in the division at Fonda for Clark

LAP LEADERS – 1-10 Reome, 11-25 Clark

HEAT RACE WINNERS – DuMond, Clark, Reome

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – Palmer 13 positions 27th to 14th

THUNDER ON THE THRUWAY SERIES ALGONKIN MOTEL PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-laps - $1,000 to win – NICK STONE, Chuck Dumblewski, Beau Ballard, Luke Horning, Jason Morrison, Josh Coonradt, Kenny Gates, AJ Walters, Shane Playford, Randy Cosselman, Caden Dumblewski, Gary Silkey, Billy Hillman, Ken Griffen, Don Collins, Ivan Joslin, Dan Krajewski, John Holmes (DNS)

9th win of 2022 and the 68th of his career in the division at Fonda for Stone

$100 bonus for finishing positions 2-11 from the Man with the Red Chair

LAP LEADERS – 1-7 Joslin, 8-18 Chuck Dumblewski, 19-20 Stone

HEAT RACE WINNERS – $50 bonus to each heat race winner from RCK Motorsports – Stone, Ballard

MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE FOR AGING INC. LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15-laps – CONNOR PROKOP, Zach Dufel, Michael Kalkbrenner, Lance Hill, Walter Cook, Kyle Dingman, Mark Lighthall, Ryan Sweet, Matt Perry, Harold Robitaille, John Anderson, Bob Rowback, AJ Greco, Frank Twing Jr., Wesley Sutliff, Nate Bedell, Gus Kamburelis (DNS)

2nd win of 2022 and the 2nd of his career in the division at Fonda for Prokop

LAP LEADERS – 1-11 Kalkbrenner, 12-15 Prokop

HEAT RACE WINNERS – Cook, Dufel

FONDA FAIR FOUR CYLINDER FEATURE – 12-laps – KERRIE HOLLENBACK (DOHC), Justin Ramsey, Corey Valade, TODD MOREY (SOHC), TJ Marlitt, David Peek-Britten, Christopher Jennings Sr., Josh Ramsey, Wayne Russell Jr, Ken Hollenback, Dale VanAllen, Kyle Lanfear, Lee Horning, Olivia Swinton, John Napoli, Zach McSpirit (DNS)

1st career win in the division for Morey (SOHC)

7th win of 2022 and the 29th of his career in the division for Kerrie Hollenback

$50 to each winner in the division (Morey SOHC & Kerrie Hollenback DOHC) from Upstate Auto

LAP LEADERS – 1-3 Peek-Britten, 4 Ken Hollenback, 5-12 Kerrie Hollenback

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) ANTIQUE FEATURE – JIMMY FUGEL, Don Briggs, Speedy Niedeheimer, Bryan Scofield, Jimmy Hyde, Mike Wheeler, John Wood, Dustin Shepard, Mark Reardon, Charlie Scofield, Harley Sheppard

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) MYSTIQUE FEATURE – HARRY BALDWIN, Carl Cram, Dan Karl, George Palmer, Rich Leveque, George Berbench, Mark Anatriello

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) LATE MODEL FEATURE – WILL REED, John Roese, Ed Docskalik, Curtis Condon

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) SPORTSMAN FEATURE – JOE RANDO, Merv Blackwell, Dan Colvin, Brian Gray, John Constantino, Paul Billings, Malach Mathews, Larry Stokes (DNS)

MOHAWK VALLEY VINTAGE DIRT MODIFIED SERIES (MVVDMS) MODIFIED FEATURE – JACK MILLER, Randy Delaney, Jackie Brown Sr.

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