JIMMY PHELPS WINS SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES MODIFIED EVENT AT FONDA
Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: JAY FISH / RACERSGUIDE.COM
Fonda, NY – September 25, 2016-When the Super DIRTcar Series comes to town it brings with it a different type of atmosphere to the tracks that they visit which seems to attract fans to those locations. Whether it be the huge haulers that bring the race cars to the track, or the all-star drivers that follow the series, or both, fans flock to the track to see these events.
That was the case at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway on Saturday evening as the grandstands were full of fans and the pit area was full of race cars on a perfect fall day for racing. When the checkered flag flew to complete the 100-lap Super DIRTcar Series modified feature event, Jimmy Phelps added his name to the all-time win list at Fonda as he took home his first career win at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds track.
Other winner at Fonda on Saturday were Mark Mortensen (602 sportsman), Rob Yetman (DIRTcar pro stocks), Josh Coonradt (street stock), Ken Hollenback (cruisers), Davie Franek (Kramer Williamson Memorial Sprints), and Don Greco (vintage).
The caution plagued modified feature began with Mike Mahaney and Jimmy Phelps on the front row with Phelps the early race leader at the drop of DIRTcar starter Dave Farney’s green flag. Phelps led the event through three caution flags which flew during the first 18 laps with Mahaney taking the lead just before the yellow flag flew on lap 18. Because Mahaney didn’t complete a lap while in the lead the field was relegated to the lineup from the lap prior placing Phelps back in the number one position.
On each of the restarts Phelps pulled away as he had a great car on short runs but Mahaney had a better car on the long runs and took the lead on lap 27 on the inside of the front stretch. That lead only lasted a couple of laps as Phelps retook the point on lap 29 on the outside of turns one and two. On lap 43 Mahaney again took the lead away from Phelps but the caution came out without any laps completed with him in the lead just as it had done earlier in the event with Phelps again put back into the number one spot.
A multi car wreck on lap 63 in turn one was the final caution of the event and allowed some racing to actually happen over the final laps of the event. Sixth place starter Jeremy Wilder was the new third place car on the restart with Tim Fuller fourth after starting 14th. Fuller got by Wilder for the third position as Mahaney again closed in on the leading car of Phelps with the top three together racing for the lead on lap 82.
The leaders were in lap traffic on lap 83, with Stewart Friesen who started 10th but was hanging around the top five for most of the event, now in the fourth position. With 10 laps to go, Phelps was able to make his way by the lap car of Max McLaughlin while Mahaney and Fuller got stuck behind McLaughlin allowing Phelps to pull away to the win over Fuller and ninth place starter Brett Hearn who both got by Mahaney late for position and Friesen who completed the top five.
“This is awesome,” Phelps told Mike Mallet in victory lane. “It’s kind of hard to believe really, I’ve only been here a handful of times and had a good car but had to figure out how to drive it.”
“We were good towards the end but really bad in the beginning of the race,” Fuller said of his second place finish. “I was just saving my tires and got a couple of lucky breaks to get the second place finish tonight.”
“We were good tonight, a lot different than it has been as we have struggled on the series this year,” Hearn said. “A few more laps and we may have even been able to get farther to the front but hopefully we are on track now for some of the end of season races.”
By the luck of the draw for the 602 sportsman feature event, 2011 track champion Mark Mortensen started on the pole position for the 20-lap feature event with Tim Hartman Jr. outside of him on the front row. Hartman was the leader of lap one by a nose at the finish line to complete the lap but Mortensen ducked under Hartman in turns one and two to take the lead on lap two.
By lap nine Mortensen was a straightaway ahead of Hartman with Brian Calabrese, JaMike Sowle, and 13th place starter Cody Clark completing the top five with the only caution in the event coming out on lap 11. Mortensen maintained the lead on the restart with Calabrese and Clark the new second and third place cars but the race stayed under green from that point on allowing Mortensen to pull away to the win in the Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In/Socha Plaza sponsored #1M over Calabrese, Clark, Hartman, and Sowle.
The win for Mortensen was his second consecutive win of the season and the 17th of his career in the division tying him with Rocky Warner for the top spot on the all-time win list.
“Typically I don’t draw very well but tonight I got lucky and drew the pole and took advantage of it,” Mortensen said in victory lane. “I’ll take it and I have to thank all of my sponsors, crew, and family for their support as there are a lot of people who make this possible for me.”
The pro stock feature was a 50-lap DIRTcar Pro Stock Series event with Ivan Joslin leading lap one after starting on the outside pole. Fourth place starter Rob Yetman was the new race leader on lap two and by lap 15 he was a straightaway ahead and in lap traffic. A yellow flag on lap 17 closed up the field and on the restart 2016 track champion Kenny Gates was the new second place car with fifth place starter Shane Henderson the new third place car on a lap 21 restart after a caution.
One more caution slowed the field on lap 29 with eighth place starter Robbie Speed the new third place car on the restart. On lap 36 Speed got by Gates for the second position and with 10 laps to go Speed was pressuring Yetman for the lead. Despite lap traffic for the leaders over the final five laps of the event, Speed was not able to do anything with Yetman as he went on to the win in the Lazzaro’s Auto Body #7.
For Yetman, who co-champion back in the pro stock division at Fonda in 2007 with Kenny Gates, it was his eighth career win at the “Track of Champions.”
Jared Zimbardi took the lead at the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap, $3,073 Kramer Williamson Memorial event after starting on the pole with an early yellow flag out on lap four. Danny Varin started the event in the sixth position and took the lead on the outside of the back stretch on lap six.
Varin held a straightaway lead on lap eight and was in lap traffic two laps later with the yellow out again on lap nine after Varin spun in between turns one and two after contact with a lap car. Varin was able to right the car and restart at the rear of the field.
Justin Barger inherited the lead after Varin’s spin but on the restart seventh place starter and local favorite Cory Sparks took over the lead with a pass on the inside of turn four. Sparks held the lead but with five laps to go the second place car of Davie Franek closed in as they were in lap traffic with Franek taking the lead on the outside of turn four on lap 21.
Franek went on to the win followed by Sparks, 19th place starter Mark Smith, Zimbardi, and Danny Varin who got all the way back up to fifth after his spin earlier in the event.
“Once I found my rhythm I was okay,” Franek said in victory lane. “We broke a rocker arm during the race and lost a cylinder because of it but that actually made the car better. The pass in turn four was a make or break pass for us and we were able to get it done.”
Josh Coonradt started on the outside pole, took the lead at the drop of the green flag, and led every lap in the street stock feature event to take home his 13th win of 2016 at Fonda which was the 17th of his career in just two seasons at the “Track of Champions”. Johnny Young, 16th place starter Rob VanAernam, 10th place starter Paul Mulrain, and ninth place starter Al Relyea completed the top five in the 20-lap event.
Ken Hollenback led all 15-laps in the cruiser feature on his way to his 37th career win in the division at Fonda over PJ Bleau, Pat McSpirit, James Yessee, and Daniel Haslun completing the top five.
SUPER DIRTCAR MODIFIED SERIES MOHAWK VALLEY 100 FEATURE – 100-LAPS – JIMMY PHELPS, Tim Fuller, Brett Hearn, Mike Mahaney, Stewart Friesen, Pat Ward, Billy Decker, Jeremy Wilder, Danny Johnson, Ronnie Johnson, Craig Hanson, Frank Cozze, Keith Flach, Brandon Walters, Larry Wight, Pep Corradi, Matt Sheppard, Jessey Mueller, Rich Scagliotta, Max McLaughlin, Darwin Greene, Elmo Reckner, Bobby Varin, Peter Britten, Justin Boehler, Gary Edwards Jr., Danny Varin, Jeff Rockefeller, Jimmy Davis, Brian Gleason, DNS Anthony Alger
602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20-LAPS – MARK MORTENSEN, Brian Calabrese, Cody Clark, Tim Hartman Jr., JaMike Sowle, Aaron Burton, Harry Shaffer, Chris Lynch, Mike Block, Mike Jackson, Travis Billington, Floyd Billington, David Manchester
DIRTCAR PRO STOCK SERIES FEATURE – 50-LAPS – ROB YETMAN, Robbie Speed, Kenny Gates, Shane Henderson, Nick Stone, Jocelyn Roy, Pete Broderson, Gus Hollner, Josh Coonradt, Dean Charbonneau, Jason Casey, Luke Horning, Chuck Dumblewski, Roch Aubin, Marc Lalonde, Justin Knight, Frank Twing, Stephane Lebrun, Devon Camenga, Dennis Joslin, Steve Chaput, Mike White, Jocelyn Chicoine, AJ Walters, Jim Normoyle, Kenny Martin Jr., Ivan Joslin, Tim McCarthy, Jason Samrov, Jay Casey, Bruno Cyr
KRAMER WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL SPRINT FEATURE – 25-LAPS – DAVIE FRANEK, Cory Sparks, Mark Smith, Jared Zimbardi, Danny Varin, Josh Pieniazek, Matt Tanner, Paulie Colagiovanni, Jeff Cook, Josh Weller, Jeff Trombley, Kory Gurney, Chris Jones, Dave Axton, Steve Glover, Chad Miller, Josh Flint, Kyle Smith, Bobby Varin, Jonathan Preston, Mark Sasso, Justin Barger, Chuck Hebing, Dave Just, Joe Trenca
STREET STOCK FEATURE – 20-LAPS – JOSH COONRADT, Johnny Young, Rob VanAernam, Paul Mulrain, Al Relyea, Chase Aussicker, Joey Wilson, Bob Palmer, David Shippee, Steve Cosselman, Brian Cosselman, John Bradt, Larry Perez, Jim Groncki, Robert Handy, Mark Dwyer, Zach Sorrentino, Mike Arnold, Lou Gancarz, Ellis Shaffer, Jody Thew, Christopher Murphy, Ashley Celebucki, Harold Chadderon, Scott Lawrence, Dave Horning Sr.
CRUISER FEATURE – 15-LAPS – KEN HOLLENBACK, PJ Bleau, Pat McSpirit, James Yessee, Daniel Haslun, TJ Marlitt, Arnie Naparty, Dale VanAllen, DNS Kerry Hollenback
VINTAGE MODIFIED FEATURE – DON GRECO, Rob Sanford, Wayne Gaige, John Constantino, Buck Gasner, Link Pettit, Adam Warner, Charlie Schofred, Dan Karl, DNS Nate Furman
