Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series To Be Part Of ’25 Fonda Speedway Car Show

Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – With the 2025 season kicking off this weekend for the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway with their annual car show at Viaport Rotterdam, it also kicks off the 2025 season for the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) who will have a display at the car show called “Vintage Alley”.

The display will be located by the Viaport Aquarium and will feature some of the cars and stars of the MVVDMS.

“We have a great show planned for the MVVDMS down Vintage Alley,” MVVDMS promoter Laurie Fallis said recently. “We will have 18 beautiful race cars that will be representing the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series along with representing each of the five divisions that compete in the series including the Antiques, Mystiques, Sportsman, Late Models and Modified divisions. These cars are sure to bring back the memories of the many different eras of our racing past with pride.”

Fallis is introducing drivers who will have their cars at the car show one by one on the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) Facebook page so be sure to go on there and look up all of those drivers. The MVVDMS Series will compete in a total of 15 events during the 2025 season at eight different tracks. You can see the series schedule by going to their Facebook page as well.

Also, down the MVVDMS Vintage Alley at the car show will be a booth called the “Kenny Shoemaker Memorabilia Booth” honoring one of the All-Time great drivers that competed at the Fonda Speedway. Kenny’s daughter Melissa Shoemaker-Pigliavento will be on hand all weekend at the car show telling stories about her dad and greeting his many fans.

Melissa will also have her dad’s apparel for sale at the car show honoring the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame driver who was nicknamed “The Shoe.” Kenny’s record at the “Track of Champions” speaks for itself including two Track Championships in 1958 and 1965 to go along with 54 career wins in 14 winning seasons, the first win coming on 10/8/1955 and the last on 8/9/1975. The 54 career wins places Shoemaker sixth on the All-Time Fonda Speedway Modified win list.

According to the book Fonda, Shoemaker retired from driving in 1978 and passed away on March 22, 2001.

The Fonda Speedway will host Kenny Shoemaker/Frank Trinkaus Night on Saturday, June 21.

According to the book Fonda, Trinkaus drove his own #62 before hiring his first driver, Richfield Springs’ Joe Ciganenko during the 1953 season. Trinkaus was the co-promoter of the Sidney, NY Speedway at that time and the Fonda Speedway bought bleachers from Trinkaus for the remainder of the frontstretch.

Trinkaus went on to become a Hall of Fame Fonda car owner, with a Fonda record eight different drivers behind the wheel of his yellow and blue #62. The eight drivers who drove for Trinkaus at Fonda were George Gallup, Steve Danish, Pete Corey, Ken Shoemaker, Jeep Herbert, Irv Taylor, Don Wayman, and Lee Millington.

MVVDMS series sponsor, Driven Designs & Embroidery will also be set up down “Vintage Alley” next to Eric and Sherry Gifford #20 “Hacksaw” Kenny Hanson’s Sportsman car. Bill Rankin will also be displaying his very talented artwork of the racing world and much more.

New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) memberships and Northeast Stock Car Old Timers (NESCOT) memberships for the 2025 season will also be on sale at the MVVDMS booth on Vintage Alley. Bonnie Mortensen will also have NYSSCA memberships on sale at a table located near her son’s race cars the #1M of Mark Mortensen and the #1B of Brett Mortensen down the aisle near the food court going towards where the old K-Mart store was located.

The 1972 Oil Outlaw Predator Series “Fueled by Haters” Go-Kart Series will also begin there 2025 season on Friday through Sunday March 21-23 at the Fonda Speedway car show at Viaport Rotterdam. The series will have a booth set up where schedules will be handed out and one of their competitors, Go-Kart’s will be on display as well. Series promoter Cole Nelson will be on hand all weekend to answer any questions that people may have about the series which competes for it’s second season in 2025!

A twelve race season is on tap for the 1972 Oil Outlaw Predator Series “Fueled by Haters” in 2025 with two new tracks on the schedule in a total of six different speedways.