News Director 
Story By: BRETT DEYO / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – Tradition. A massive payout. And one of the Northeast’s most challenging dirt tracks.
It all comes together Thursday-Sat. Sept. 16-18 at Fonda Speedway with the running of the Fonda 200 presented by Southside Beverage. $53,000 awaits the winner of the 200-lap Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco Modified event, with $1,000 reserved to take the green flag.
More than $140,000 in prize money will be distributed for the STSS Modified event alone during the three-day racing festival.
Many of the sport’s most prolific names have triumphed in the Fonda 200.
The first ‘200’ was contested in 1955 with Junior Johnson taking the victory as part of the NASCAR Grand National Series. Three other Fonda 200 events ran as NASCAR events with David Pearson winning in 1966 and ‘the King’ himself Richard Petty taking back-to-back wins in 1967 and 1968.
Steve Danish (’63), Bill Wimble (’64), Lou Lazzaro (’69) and Harry Peek (’70) each took early ‘200’ wins before the event took a 13-year hiatus.
In ’83, Charlie Rudolph picked up his first of two ‘200’ wins with the second coming in ’85. Jimmy Horton won the event twice, once in ’84 and again a decade later in ’94. The iconic Jumpin’ Jack Johnson earned wins in ’86 and ’88, book-ending a Kenny Brightbill triumph in ’87.
Mike Romano earned the 1989 score, one year before Doug Hoffman registered his first of three ‘200’ wins. Hoffman took the checkered in ’90, ’91 and ’01.
Bob McCreadie won back-to-back ‘200s’ in ’92 and ’93. Brett Hearn was a four-time ‘200’ winner, taking the ’95, ’97, ’98 and ’02 events.
Steve Paine took the ’99 edition. Kenny Tremont took his sole ‘200’ win in 2001.
After a 17-year hiatus, BD Motorsports Media LLC brought the 200 back to Fonda in 2019 paying $53,000 to the winner. Stewart Friesen added his name to the list of event winners.
After COVID-19 forced the event’s cancelation in 2020, the Fonda 200 is back in ’21.
Eighteen drivers have registered ‘200’ victories since the race’s inception. Will the ’21 edition produce winner No. 19?
The action kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 16 with the Sunoco Modified ‘Underdog 33’ paying $2,000 to the winner for 33 laps. The ‘Underdog’ is open to any Modified driver without a feature win at any venue in 2021. All other divisions will take part in open practice on Thursday.
On Friday, Sept. 17, STSS Modifieds will take part in 15-lap qualifying events. Also on the Friday program are CRSA Sprint Cars, Algonkin Motel Pro Stocks ($1,000 to win), Street Stocks ($500 to win) and Fonda Fair Four Cylinders.
After the completion of racing on Friday, the band Chasing Neon will perform in the Entertainment Building on the fairgrounds.
Saturday (Sept. 18) serves as the highlight of the weekend with the running of the Fonda 200. Leading up to the 200 will be STSS Modified B-Mains and the STSS Crate 602 Sportsman running a Precision Hydraulic & Oil North Region event.
Sunday (Sept. 19) is reserved as a rain date.
A complete Fonda 200 information center has been established on the Fonda Speedway website.
Fonda 200 History of Winners
1955: Junior Johnson (NASCAR Grand National)
1963: Steve Danish
1964: Bill Wimble
1966: David Pearson (NASCAR Grand National)
1967: Richard Petty (NASCAR Grand National)
1968: Richard Petty (NASCAR Grand National)
1969: Lou Lazzaro
1970: Harry Peek
1983: Charlie Rudolph
1984: Jimmy Horton
1985: Charlie Rudolph
1986: Jack Johnson
1987: Kenny Brightbill
1988: Jack Johnson
1989: Mike Romano
1990: Doug Hoffman
1991: Doug Hoffman
1992: Bob McCreadie
1993: Bob McCreadie
1994: Jimmy Horton
1995: Brett Hearn
1997: Brett Hearn
1998: Brett Hearn
1999: Steve Paine
2000: Kenny Tremont
2001: Doug Hoffman
2002: Brett Hearn
2019: Stewart Friesen
