FONDA SPEEDWAY IS BACK IN ACTION ON SATURDAY, JUNE 18 AFTER SUFFERING ITS SECOND RAIN OUT OF THE SEASON
Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY Photos By: RACERSGUIDE.COM PHOTO STAFF
Fonda, NY –June 17, 2016- After suffering their second rain out of the 2016-racing season at the Fonda Speedway on Saturday, June 11, Demitraszek Enterprises is ready to open the gates again on Saturday, June 18 for another action packed racing program at the “Track of Champions”.
Leftover from last week will be the Pete Corey tribute along with New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) Safety Awards Night. In addition, on June 18 it will also be Ed Pieniazek Tribute Night with all divisions in action on double point’s night for the sportsman division with a starting time of 7:30 p.m. sponsored by Amsterdam Printing & Litho.
Drivers in each of the feature events in all divisions who are members of NYSSCA are eligible for the awards, which include $75, a NYSSCA Yearbook, and a NYSSCA hat to the first NYSSCA member across the finish line in each of the feature events in all divisions. In addition, the second NYSSCA member across the finish line in each of the feature events in all divisions will receive $25, a NYSSCA Yearbook, and a NYSSCA hat.
There will also be one “Wildcard” award handed out to one lucky driver who is chosen overall and that driver will receive $50, a NYSSCA Yearbook, and a NYSSCA hat. Therefore, if you are not yet a member of NYSSCA you can see track representative Bonnie Mortensen at Fonda before the racing program begins so that you are eligible to receive the awards on Saturday evening. The NYSSCA membership fee is $25.
An update on the Fonda Speedway museum from Dave and Jackie Lape states that Pete Corey Jr. will be back this week for his father’s tribute bringing a #3 coupe racecar with him, which will be on display in the museum. There will also be an Ed Pieniazek display in the museum and members of his family will also be on hand to talk racing and share memories as well. The museum is open every Saturday from 3:00 p.m. right up until race time.
Please refer to www.fondaspeedway.com for a short story on the tribute to Pete Corey which was written last week.
As it turns out the double tribute night this Saturday at Fonda almost looks as it was meant to be as according to the book FONDA! Eddie Pieniazek was the “Pete Corey of the pits.” Pieniazek was a nine time winner at the “Track of Champions” in four winning seasons with the first win coming on 4/27/1968 and his last on 6/14/1975.
Pieniazek won the first ever stock car race that he ever drove in 1950, and as stated above won a total of nine feature events at Fonda during his career. But according to the book FONDA! where all the information was compiled for this press release (as always thank you to all of the contributors of the book) Pieniazek was almost better known for things other than driving a race car.
He was an innovative builder, a clever and tireless mechanic, and a crew chief fast on his feet and brave enough to do whatever was necessary and more. Looking back it seemed natural that he and Pete Corey would team up and make quite a team at that. Corey was the driver who would play tunes in the race car on the radio in his leg while Pieniazek was the mechanic who would chill out by cutting up a brand new snowmobile to install a Volkswagen motor in it which was very fast.
The duo first got together on Bob Mott’s yellow #3, one day towing over to White’s Beach for testing. When the motor started to bog down they roped Pieniazek to the left front fender, removed the hood and air filter, and sent Corey back out on to the track. Pieniazek diagnosed the problem by watching fuel dump into the carburetor at high speed!
An even more spontaneous moment was when Corey pulled into the pit area at Langhorne in Whitbeck’s #22 after a rock had punctured a hole in the oil pan. Without hesitation Pieniazek was underneath the car with a torch prepared to weld up the hole. Within seconds, an explosion occurred from the gas fumes in the crankcase. But that didn’t stop Pieniazek as he returned to work the next week looking like a “mummy” according to his boss A.C. Caprara. “But he went right to work,” Caprara said.
Pieniazek put enormous energy and devotion into his supportive mechanical role whether it be for Corey, Shoemaker, Taylor, or anyone else driving the cars that he worked on. He is particularly remembered for his all night marathons, rebuilding cars that were wrecked at Rochester or Stafford Springs on Friday nights in time for war at Fonda on Saturday. And he was a wizard at it.
During the 60’s, Pieniazek joined Corey at Crescent Body Works and began to follow his bliss for driving more seriously. As Corey started to fade from the racing scene, Pieniazek kept the yellow #3 image alive with coupes and pinto’s winning on the pavement at Albany Saratoga and the clay at Fonda. Pieniazek drove well into the 80’s and passed away in July of 1993.
For more information about NYSSCA you can go to their website www.nyssca.com and for more information about the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway you can go to their website www.fondaspeedway.com
