New York State Stock Car Association Inducts Five Lebanon Valley Legends Into Hall Of Fame

Story By: RON SZCZERBA / NEW YORK STATE STOCK CAR ASSOCIATION – FONDA, NY – June 1 at the Lebanon Valley Speedway Clubhouse, five people were inducted into the NYSSCA Hall of Fame including Dave Leckonby, Guy & Patty Madsen, Denny Soltis, and Garry Waters.
Denny Soltis began his racing career in 1971 at Lebanon Valley and was picked by the New York State drivers and owners as the Valley’s Rookie of the Year that same year. In 1972 he won the Most Improved Driver in the Modified class by NYSSCA after finishing ninth in points. Although Soltis never won a points title at the Valley he finished runner-up on two occasions, in 1977 he was second to Kenny Coon and in 1986 he was second to Kenny Tremont Jr.
Soltis was the winner of 15 feature events in the Modified division at the Valley, his first career win coming on July 12, 1975 with his last win coming on May 27, 2002. He was the winner of two Modified features at the Albany Saratoga Speedway back on July 21, 1978 and a few weeks later that same year on August 4. At the Devils Bowl Speedway in Vermont, he was a two time Track Champion in 1976 and 1983 with a total of eight career victories.
Dave Leckonby started racing on dirt at the Lebanon Valley Speedway driving a Demolition Derby car which he took to victory lane after winning the event. He drove the #007 and Kenny Tremont’s #115 Sportsman car in 1974 in his first season in a stock car. One year later he jumped into Dennis Tremont’s #115 running full time in the Sportsman division. 1976 was his rookie year in a Modified at the Valley driving for Bob Hellwig in the #37 finishing a very respectable ninth place in season points.
Leckonby has a total of 28 feature wins at the Valley, 12th all time, with the first win coming on June 16, 1979 and his final win coming in 2006 in the $5,000 to win Carquest sponsored event. The long list of car numbers that he used with different owners to get to victory lane included ten different numbered race cars and he was the 1978 Albany Saratoga Speedway Modified Track Champion. In 1978 he set third fastest time at the New York State Fairgrounds behind the #112 Batmobile of Gary Balough and the Sammy Beavers #73.
Guy & Patty Madsen have sponsored or owned race cars since the early 80’s, their sons Brian and Michael behind the wheel of Street Stocks to start. The Madsen’s were the majority sponsor of Kenny Tremont Jr’s #115, winning back to back track titles at Lebanon Valley in 1991 and 1992. A couple of other milestones include the 1992 Sportsman Track Championship at Roling Wheels with Brian Madsen behind the wheel and the 2004 Utica Rome Modified Track Championship with Stewart Friesen behind the wheel.
The Hearn/Madsen combination won eight big block titles at Lebanon Valley and one small block title there as well. Five Track Championships at Albany Saratoga and one at Orange County showed that they had success on the road at different tracks including the 2012 Super DIRT Week Modified event and three Super DIRT Series championships. The duo also won five Eastern States 200 events along with eight Eastern States Small Block Modified events.
Garry Waters grew up just a mile and a half from the Lebanon Valley Speedway. He started racing in 1974 driving the #30 car. In 1975, he drove the 3Jr. Waters first win at the Valley came on 8/25/84. In 1994, Waters teamed up with Ed Monger in his #93 car with a Big Block under the hood with Pontiac heads. The Monger/Waters Team stayed together until 2000 when Garry ended his racing career.
When his driving days ended, Garry began turning wrenches and was crew chief for Kenny Tremont, JR Heffner, Donnie Corellis, and currently leads the team behind Marc Johnson’s #9 at Lebanon Valley Speedway. Since 2008, with Garry’s leadership, his drivers have finished in the top five in big block modified points 15 of the 16 seasons. Ten of those seasons, his teams were top three in points.
Garry was also a championship engine builder with his engines in the car of “Alligator” Art Collins for five sportsman championships. Add an asphalt championship at Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire with Steven Fifield.