News Director 
Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – On Saturday June 1, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway will host something called “Mystique Rush” with a full night of racing action in all divisions along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds Series.
On this night, the Fonda Speedway Kids Club will also have a Bicycle Giveaway and Make-A-Wish of Northeast NY will have a display setup handing out information about their wonderful organization and collecting donations as well.
On the racing card for Saturday, June 1 at Fonda will be the make-up Sunoco Racing Modified feature from May 25 along with the regularly scheduled Sunoco Racing Modified feature, the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman ($1,000 to win thanks to Eric Orozco Racing), the Montgomery County Office for Aging, Inc. Limited Sportsman, the Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks, the Trackside Body Works Street Stocks, and the Four Cylinder Cruisers.
Racing action will start at 7:00 p.m. with the Northville Central School performing the National Anthem during pre-race ceremonies.
The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series will have four classes of cars in competition including Vintage Antique, Vintage Modified, Vintage Sportsman, and Vintage Late Models. It will also be New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) Safety Awards Night for the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series, which is run by Laurie Fallis who does a great job promoting the organization.
The NYSSCA Safety Award will consist of $75, a NYSSCA hat, and a NYSSCA Yearbook for the first Vintage race car across the finish line in the feature event who is a member of the NYSSCA organization and $25, a NYSSCA hat, and a NYSSCA Yearbook to the second Vintage racecar across the finish line in the feature event who is a member of the NYSSCA organization. There will also be a $50 Wildcard Award handed out to a NYSSCA member in the Vintage racecar series.
Vintage Series drivers will be able to sign up to join the NYSSCA organization this Saturday at the draw table and NYSSCA stickers must be present on the racecar to be eligible for the awards after the race. NYSSCA is an organization that helps all drivers, owners, crewmembers, safety crew members, staff at the track, along with family members and fans in the grandstands.
What does NYSSCA do for you? For $25, if you as a member are ever injured at the track and are unable to work, you will receive a benefit fund check of $125 a week for up to 26 weeks. So please be a part of an organization that gives back when a racing family member is in a time of need because you never know what could happen at the racetrack.
The Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum has made the claim of bringing the past back to life on a weekly basis over the past few years. This Saturday afternoon, their slogan becomes a reality as they welcome the stars and cars of the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series to the museum. Starting at 4:00 p.m., the hotrods of Stanley Wetmore, Scott Gauthier, George Palmer, Tony Kamburelis, Tex Gordon, Alan McDonald, Carl Cram, John Constantino, Malcum Warner, Frank Blanchard and Ed Docskalik will be on hand at the museum according to an early week release with the possibility of more cars joining them last minute.
As a part of the Make-A-Wish of Northeast, NY display, wish kids Mac Palandro, Xzavier Cool, and Dawson Koehler will be on hand. Dawson received his “Wish” from the organization a few years ago when a tree house was built at his home by Tom Thorne, Tom Thorne Jr., David Rogers, and Ken Ruff. Dawson had a bone marrow transplant which saved his life with his sister Courtney Koehler donating the bone marrow after it was determined that she was a 100% match to her brother.
Swagger Factory Apparel 602 Crate Sportsman driver and 2011 Fonda Speedway 602 Sportsman Track Champion Mark Mortensen, who is a relative of Dawson’s through Mark’s stepfather Ron Szczerba, will have his racecar on hand at the Make-A-Wish display from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. as Mark proudly carries the Make-A-Wish of Northeast, NY sticker on his Mortensen Motorsports #1M racecar.
