Fonda’s 2025 Kicks Off Saturday With $4,012-To-Win Mod Main Honoring Jumpin’ Jack

Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – The first of many special racing programs in 2025 takes place this Saturday, April 19 at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway with a race honoring Fonda Speedway legend Jumpin’ Jack Johnson.

This event will be the ninth time that Johnson has been honored with a tribute event to honor his Hall of Fame racing career.

In honor of his car #12A, all of the feature event winners payouts will have a “12” included in them as the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds will race 32-laps for $4,012 to win. Also, in action on April 19 will be the Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman (25-laps $1,212 to win), the Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks (20-laps $812 to win), the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman (15-laps $512 to win), and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders (12-laps $212 to win).

“Jumpin Jack” owned 428 total career victories at 35 different tracks, 152 of which took place at Fonda (149 Modified, two 320-Modified, and one 358-Modified). After a lengthy and courageous battle with ALS, Johnson passed away on April 1, 2021.

Fonda Speedway points begin for all classes this Saturday, April 19.

There have been eight previous events honoring Jumpin’ Jack Johnson at Fonda over the years and here is a look back at the results:

 

2012

Fonda Speedway closed out their 60th season of competition on Sunday evening September 23, as a racing program honoring Jumpin’ Jack Johnson saw 12’s being the number of the day with a $12,000 purse for the 112-lap Modified main event. When all was said and done, Mike Mahaney was the winner of the big paying event.

“$12,000 this is awesome,” Mahaney said after exiting the family owned Woodside Farms sponsored #21 Troyer car in victory lane. “And to honor Jack (Johnson), WOW! RJ (Ronnie Johnson) is a class act; he came over and wished me good luck before the race. I was just trying to be smooth and not give up the bottom line and when Ronnie got into me a couple of times, he was just trying to tell me that I have to go faster. What a way to cap off the season, I can’t imagine a better season than this one, I can’t believe it.”

Ronnie Johnson, Brett Hearn, AJ Romano, and Billy Decker completed the top five in the event.

 

2015

On July 29, a sea of orange embellished Fonda Speedway on Jack Johnson Tribute night with defending track champion Stewart Friesen presenting his own tribute. Friesen changed the paint scheme on the Tadd Parks-owned No. 1 to a design carried by Johnson at the 2008 Super DIRT Week. Then he put the Johnson-tribute car in Victory Lane at the end of the 50-lap, $5,000-to-win Empire State Champion 50 — a tribute to Jumpin’ Jack Johnson.

“Tadd Parks and Eric Mack thought it would be cool on this big orange night to support Jack Johnson and ALS to do a Jack Johnson paint scheme,” Friesen said in Victory Lane. “They worked together with Dutchess Overhead Doors and Pilat to get it lettered up with Jack’s 2008 Syracuse paint scheme. We are going to take it off after this event. One side is going to go in the Fonda Speedway museum and Tadd wants to keep the roof. The track definitely came to us, we were a little bit tight the first couple of laps, so I ran the pan hard up a little bit to free it up, then about lap eight or nine this thing was on rails.”

Danny Johnson, Billy Decker, Keith Flach, and Tim Fuller completed the top five in the event.

 

2016

Matt Sheppard took the lead with ten laps remaining in the 60-lap, $5,000-to-win, event honoring 11-time Fonda Speedway champion Jumpin’ Jack Johnson on August 10. “Once we got out front, I knew we were okay, but I just didn’t know if we would ever get there,” Sheppard said in Victory Lane. “I think I was better on the top and the bottom but catching him [Friesen} and passing him are two different things. I kept working him and working him. Finally on that restart we were able to get that crossover and get the lead.”

Stewart Friesen, Jimmy Horton, Ronnie Johnson, and Vic Coffey completed the top five in the event.

 

2017

The “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway held the fourth annual Jack Johnson Tribute event on Wednesday evening August 2, a 50-lap feature event paying $5,000 to win. When the checkered flag flew it was Mike Mahaney taking the big win in the Buzz Chew #88 Bicknell car after taking the lead on lap 22.

“The track had a lot of grip in it tonight and I was just trying to stay close to the 9S (Matt Sheppard) who was leading early so that if he made a mistake I could capitalize on it,” Mahaney said in victory lane. “Then I was able to make it around Matt and a lap car for the lead.”

Tim Fuller, Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, and Bobby Varin completed the top five in the event.

 

2018

With the grandstand filled to capacity and many fans in the bleacher areas as well it was truly a fitting way to honor legendary Fonda Speedway driver Jumpin’ Jack Johnson with a tribute to him simply called “The Jack.”

Fuller took the lead on lap 87 and survived one final challenge from Stewart Friese on the final lap to take his second win of 2018 at Fonda and the third of his career at the “Track of Champions” in the St. Lawrence Radiology #19.

“The track slicked up and when I got to the top three I knew that I had something,” Fuller said in victory lane. “In longer races like this you have to bide your time and save your tires. I think that Stewart may have heated up his right rear and I was able to get by. I’ve raced with Jack, and we have become very good friends.”

Stewart Friesen, Brett Hearn, Erick Rudolph, and Rocky Warner were the top five finishers in the event.

 

2021

The luck of the draw placed Rocky Warner on the pole position for the start of the 40-lap, $12,000 to win Montgomery County Open at the Fonda Speedway on Saturday night April 24 in the Jake Spraker owned #1J Teo Pro Car, leading all 40-laps on his way to the victory in a tribute race dedicated to Fonda’s all-time winningest driver Jumpin’ Jack Johnson.

“I actually hate starting on the pole I’d rather start fifth or sixth, but I just stayed on the bottom and after trying to decide whether to run a softer tire we ran the same tire that we run here weekly and it worked,” Warner said. “Last week the car just wouldn’t run, Jake came in the shop and said what’s wrong, so we sent the carburetor out and thanks to Pro Power and Willy’s for their help getting it straightened out.”

Ronnie Johnson, Craig Hanson, Matt DeLorenzo, and Anthony Perrego completed the top five in the event.

 

2022

By the luck of the draw Stewart Friesen and Matt DeLorenzo started the Jack Johnson Memorial event on the front row with Friesen taking the early lead. DeLorenzo was the race leader on lap two after getting by Friesen with an impressive move on the outside in turns three and four. On a lap eight restart, Friesen took over the lead in the event and survived two more restarts for the $12,000 victory.

“That was real nerve wracking there,” Friesen said in victory lane about the race and all of the restarts. “After being at Orange County last night, being able to come here to Fonda today and win in honor of a legend, this is special. Big thanks to Halmar and my crew, this is a very special win in the Jack Johnson Memorial event as he was a legend here at Fonda.”

Matt Sheppard, Michael Maresca, Jessica Friesen, and DeLorenzo completed the top five.

 

2023

Fuller took the lead from David Schilling on lap two and led the final 38 laps of the event to take the win in the Montgomery County Open/Jack Johnson Memorial, the fourth of his career at Fonda.

“He kind of took me under his wing,” Tim Fuller said in victory lane after winning $12,000 in the Jack Johnson Memorial event on Saturday evening at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway.

“He taught me a few things, I’ll never forget him, some things that can’t even be announced. He was a class act, there will never be another Jumpin’ Jack Johnson and to be able to win on this night and see that orange car again in victory lane, it’s very special. To win this thing is special. We had some times, he was a bad ass no doubt about it, he was a legend, and those legends only come around once in a lifetime.

Matt Sheppard, Ronnie Johnson, Andy Bachetti, and Mike Mahaney completed the top five in the event.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. this Saturday, April 19, with grandstand gates opening at 3 p.m. Hot laps begin at 5 p.m. and racing gets underway at 6 p.m.

Admission is $22 for Adults and $20 for Seniors (ages 65 and above). Fans wearing orange will receive $2 off admission. Infield admission is $110 and includes four passes.

Pit passes are $40 (Non-Members) and $35 (Members).