Stewart Friesen Made A Very Special Announcement For Fonda & Jack Johnson Fans This Week

Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – In victory lane last Sunday evening on Opening Night 2022 at Fonda, the winner of the $12,000 to win Andy’s Speed Shop sponsored Montgomery County Open Stewart Friesen said that a special announcement would be coming out of the Halmar Race Shop this week.

Special just doesn’t cover the announcement which was made on Wednesday of this week by Friesen and the Halmar Racing Team in a video on Facebook.

“So, for our Darlington Throwback we decided to do an auction with the proceeds going to AIM Autism where the highest bidder could pick our scheme for an idea and layout for a throwback truck at Darlington,” Friesen said in the video. “Shawn & Billie Beckhorn, with a $4,000 bid going to AIM Autism were the winners, which we are super appreciative and grateful for.”

“They decided on a Jack Johnson car, one of my favorites when I was a kid growing up. “It is really cool to represent Jack and kind of the Northeast Modified History in racing in the Camping World Truck Series at Darlington next week. So, a big thanks, it looks awesome, and hopefully it’s as fast as it looks.”

Part of the video was an interview from the past with Jack Johnson, asking him what it meant to be a fan favorite and to be idolized by all of his fans.

“It means a lot, it really does,” Johnson said in the interview. “I walk through the pits at Fonda or come in the parking lot, and for the fans to still be there, I think I must have done something right through all those years. It is really an honor, it really is.”

Another part of the video was Ronnie Johnson talking about the throwback paint scheme and how it came to be.

“Stew kind of blindsided me with this, he came over and started talking to me about it. Then he showed it to me, and it took me a minute to realize what was going on,” Ronnie Johnson said. “As I’m sitting here thinking about it, it is such an honor. For my dad to be a dirt track racer and to be able to be recognized by so many people in so many levels of racing, it’s truly an honor.”

“It was an Olsen car, my fathers Syracuse Super Dirt Week car from 1992 actually,” Ronnie continued. “We re-skinned it over the winter and Gary Marr came up with the paint scheme. My dad always had the neon orange colors, hand painted, and hand lettered. It is just a really cool throwback car; I think he made a good choice.”

The Darlington throwback race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be televised on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. on FS1 so be sure to tune in and be part of a historic evening honoring Fonda Speedway legend Jumpin’ Jack Johnson!