JOHNSON GOES BACK TO BACK AT FONDA
Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY MEDIA Photos By:MATT NOLES / RACERSGUIDE.COM
Fonda, NY –May 8, 2016- On Mother’s Day and Ray Dalmata tribute night at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway Ronnie Johnson went back to back with modified feature victories in the last two weeks in the Jake & Nancy Spraker owned #1RJ Teo car.
Other winners on Johnstown NAPA Night were John McAuliffe (sportsman), Rob Lanfear (rookie sportsman), Kenny Gates who also scored a back to back win in the pro stock division, and Josh Coonradt who made it three straight wins on the season in the street stock class.
Dalmata, who drove a #643 vintage car that is a replica of the one he raced during his career to pace the modified field before the green flag fell, is probably best known as being the track champion in 1979 without winning a feature event showing what a consistent driver Dalmata was. Dalmata had a total of 17 feature wins at the Fonda Speedway in a total of seven winning seasons with all of the wins coming in the 80’s. Dalmata’s first win at Fonda was on 9/20/1980 and his last on 7/29/1989.
Another highlight in Dalmata’s racing career was in 1984 when he qualified on the front row for the 200-lap event in Syracuse during Super DIRT Week alongside fellow Fonda Speedway competitor Jack Johnson. Johnson won the event at Syracuse that year while Dalmata finished 23rd. Dalmata also competed at Super DIRT Week in Syracuse in 1983 and 1984 finishing 19th and 26th respectively.
Other accolades in the career of Dalmata include being inducted into the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame in 1994 and the New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) Hall of Fame in 2001.
According to the book FONDA! Dalmata openly admitted that the river was his biggest fear at the Fonda Speedway. At the time the book was written Dalmata said: “I always worried about it and I always respected the second turn. Getting in the water upside down was not the way I had in mind of going out.”
Undoubtedly contributing to Dalmata’s unease was the fact that the first car he had driven once ended up in the Mohawk River with its driver Todd King very lucky to escape.
One night, power sliding off the second turn, Dalmata’s #643 lurched as Harry Peek spiraled over the front end and appeared to be flipping into the watery depths. Dalmata freaked. He immediately spun his car sideways against the fence, unhooked his belts, and began climbing out in a rush to assist his friend Peek.
Suddenly Ray heard the unwelcome roar of an approaching big block. He knew instantly that he had reacted too quickly, as not everyone who was following had seen what had happened. He slid back into the cockpit, grabbed the roll bars, and held on for dear life. Along came an unsuspecting Jim Senzio, t-boning the #643 mightily and breaking Dalmata’s arm.
Ray chuckled about the rest of the story in the book FONDA! saying: “The next thing I knew Harry was peeking in my window, asking me if I was okay! I’ll never forget that.”
Like so many before him, Ray was carted off to St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam, NY for a full arm cast. The cast was short-lived, however as Ray’s hacksaw was at work and three days later he amputated just enough of the cast so that he was able to race the next week.
Ray summarized the rest of the story in the book FONDA! saying: “We got seventh or eighth,” he claimed. “It was amazing. No one touched me. They raced me clean for five or six weeks. Then, when I took the cast off completely, it was bang, bang again. I felt like going to the next drivers’ meeting wearing a new cast and saying ‘Hey, lookie here!”
Alton Palmer who won qualifying heat race number one to gain a pole position start for the 35-lap event went to the lead at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag with outside pole sitter Craig Hanson in tow. While Palmer was in lap traffic by lap seven of the event, sixth place starter Ronnie Johnson was on the move as he was already up to the fourth position at that point in the event.
Jeremy Wilder, who started the event in the 13th position, did a 360 degree spin in turn two on lap eight but kept the car moving and continued on despite losing some positions in the process. Johnson gained the third position on lap nine after getting by Mark Kislowski for the spot just before the first caution of the event came out for a car that was stopped in turn four.
On the Delaware restart, Johnson took the second position away from Hanson with ninth place starter Jeff Trombley also getting by Hanson for the third spot. On the outside of turn two coming down the backstretch Johnson got to the outside of Palmer and by the time the two reached turn three Johnson was the new race leader.
Shortly after Bobby Varin got by Hanson for the fourth position on lap 12, the caution flag was out again for Vinnie Sanganetti who came to a stop in between turns three and four after another car drove over Sanganetti’s front end. Sanganetti was not injured but retired from the event at that point in the event.
On the restart, Pep Corradi came to a stop against the front stretch wall to bring out another caution before any laps were completed. On the second attempt at the restart, Trombley moved around Palmer to take the second position away with another caution on lap 15 for Darwin Greene who broke going down the backstretch and came to a stop before the pit road entrance.
After his 360 degree spin in turn two earlier in the event, Wilder made his way into the top five on the restart with the top five at the hallway point consisting of Johnson, Trombley, Varin, Palmer, and Wilder. Wilder took the fourth position away from Palmer on lap 20 with Johnson in lap traffic three laps later while 12th place starter Josh Hohenforst got by Palmer for a position in the top five.
Just after Johnson split the two lap cars of Greene and Kenny Sparks on the front stretch going inside of Greene and then changing lanes to get by Sparks on the outside, the final caution was out with only one lap to go for Sparks who came to a stop on track. Johnson was not to be denied however as he went on to his second win of the season and the 27th of his career at Fonda moving him up to the 15th spot on the all-time win list at Fonda ahead of Brett Hearn and behind Steve Danish who has 32 total wins at Fonda.
Trombley, Varin, Hohenforst, and Wilder completed the top five in the event with Hohenforst taking the fourth position away from Wilder at the line.
“This Jake & Nancy Spraker owned Teo car is fast,” Johnson said in victory lane. “They have given me everything that I’ve asked for and have brought me back to life. I don’t think that I have ever won two in a row here at Fonda and as my confidence builds we are getting better and better.”
Chris Curtis and Adam McAuliffe started the 25-lap sportsman feature on the front row with Curtis taking the early lead. Fourth place starter John McAuliffe was the new second place car on lap two with the yellow out on lap eight for Ray Zemken who spun in turn three after contact by Billy Gray going into the turn. Zemken continued on at the rear of the field.
On the outside of turns three and four on lap five John McAuliffe took the lead away from Curtis and at the hallway point in the event the top five consisted of John McAuliffe, Adam McAuliffe, Curtis, Tony Farone, and ninth place starter Tim Hartman Jr. Hartman Jr. was the new third place car after getting by both Farone and Curtis while 13th place starter Rocky Warner moved into the top five after also getting by Curtis.
John McAuliffe was in lap traffic with five laps to go, as Warner continued to move to the front, getting by Adam McAuliffe for the second position with only two laps to go. Shortly after taking over the second position something in Warner’s car broke as he came to a stop just before the entrance to the pit area I turn three bringing out the final caution of the event and setting up a two lap dash to the checkered flag.
John McAuliffe led on the restart and the rest of the way as well as he took the checkered flag first over Adam McAuliffe, Hartman Jr., Farone, and 19th place starter Connor Cleveland. For John McAuliffe in the McAuliffe Trucking #23 Teo car it was his sixth career win in the 602 sportsman division after winning a total of 34 times in the “open” sportsman division at Fonda along with three track titles in that class back in 2001, 2004, & 2005.
“I have to thank my crew who has been putting in a lot of extra time on this car as I have been working a lot,” McAuliffe said in victory lane. “I have to also thank Tom Conroy, who is the crew chief for Mark Kislowski, as he has been helping us lately. I have never had a car like this.”
Rob Lanfear led every lap of the 12-lap rookie sportsman feature with only one caution slowing the event. It was Lanfear’s second career win at Fonda after winning last year in what was then called the limited sportsman division. Josh Neal, David Manchester, Mike Block, and Anthony Alger completed the top five in the event.
By virtue of his victory in heat one in a heads up start format Kenny Gates started the 20-lap pro stock feature from the pole position and took the lead at the drop of the green flag. Luke Horning made an early move to the front after starting fourth, taking over the third position at the completion of lap one. Sixth place starter Tom Denton moved past Horning for the third position on lap two with Gates out to a straightaway lead by lap four.
Gates was in lap traffic by lap nine of the event and at the halfway point Gates led followed by Chuck Dumblewski, Denton, Nick Stone, and Horning. Stone took over the third position on lap 11 after getting by Denton just before the yellow was out for James Normoyle Jr. and A.J. Walters who came together on the front stretch. Normoyle Jr. was done for the night at that point while Walters continued on at the rear of the field.
Stone and eighth place starter Todd Hoffman both got by Dumblewski on the restart for the second and third positions while Gates was stretching out his advantage to a full straightaway with only four laps to go in the event. One final yellow flag came out on lap 16 for Cassidy Wilson who came to a stop on the backstretch.
Hoffman took the second position away from Stone on the restart but wasn’t going to catch Gates on this night as Gates went on to his second consecutive victory and the 60th of his career at Fonda which is on top of the all-time win list in the division. Hoffman, Stone, Jason Casey, and Dumblewski completed the top five in the event.
“I have to thank Andy Ryder who built this car for us,” Gates said in victory lane. “But the real racing starts next week when the handicapping starts.”
Jerry Cohn led at the start of the 12-lap street stock feature event from his pole position start with seventh place starter Josh Coonradt taking over the lead on lap two after going around the outside of four cars to get the lead. Coonradt led the remaining laps for his third consecutive win at Fonda in 2016 and the sixth of his career at the “track of Champions”. Fifth place starter Rob VanAernam, Bill Yager, John Young, and Cohn completed the top five.
Next Saturday, May 14 at Fonda a regular show in all divisions will compete in a racing program beginning at 7:30 p.m. It will be double point’s night for the pro stock division and will also be Ken Shoemaker Tribute Night. For more information about the Fonda Speedway you can go to their website www.fondaspeedway.com
MODIFIED FEATURE – 35-LAPS – RONNIE JOHNSON, Jeff Trombley, Bobby Varin, Josh Hohenforst, Jeremy Wilder, Mark Kislowski, Alton Palmer, Danny Johnson, Craig Hanson, Bodie Bellinger, Jessey Mueller, Brian Gleason, Brandon Walters, Justin Boehler, Darwin Greene, Ed Harris, Shea Montgomery, Chuck Allen, Kenny Sparks, Brian Nelson, Pep Corradi, Vinnie Sanganetti, Scott Huber, Justin Barber, Jeff Rockefeller
SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25-LAPS – JOHN MCAULIFFE, Adam McAuliffe, Tim Hartman Jr., Tony Farone, Connor Cleveland, Chris Curtis, Brian Pessolano, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Dave Constantino, Chad Edwards, JaMike Sowle, Chris Schaffer, Ricky Quick, Nick Scavia, Ray Zemken, Ivan Joslin, Jack Lehner, Floyd Billington, Mark Mortensen, Josh DeMagistris, Justin Smith, Stephen Denton, Rocky Warner, Aaron Burton, Billy Gray, Cody Clark, Harry Shaffer, Aaron Jacobs
ROOKIE SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 12-LAPS – ROB LANFEAR, Josh Neal, David Manchester, Mike Block, Anthony Alger, A.J. Miller, Bobby Gage, Kyle Gray
PRO STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – KENNY GATES, Todd Hoffman, Nick Stone, Jason Casey, Chuck Dumblewski, Luke Horning, Tom Denton, Shane Henderson, Jim Normoyle, Jay Casey, Justin Knight, Randy Cosselman, Deven Camenga, Dennis Joslin, A.J. Walters, Jim Morrison, Jamie Warner, Cassidy Wilson, James Normoyle Jr., Adam Warner, Gus Hollner, Travis Welch
STREET STOCK FEATURE – 12-LAPS – JOSH COONRADT, Rob VanAernam, Bill Yager, John Young, Jerry Cohn, Jason Samrov, Yule Cook, Joey Wilson, Dave Horning Sr.
