358-Modifieds’ Back At Fonda Speedway For River Rage Special Wednesday Night
Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – For the first time since 2018, the 358-Modifieds are back at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway on Wednesday, May 14 with the running of the “River Rage” event.
The event will be run under Can-Am Speedway rules utilizing Hoosier Racing tires for this event.
Also on the special midweek racing card will be the Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman (Fonda rules/American Racer Tires), the Online Performance Parts/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks (Albany Saratoga Speedway rules), and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders with SCDRA/Fonda legal SOHC and Fonda legal DOHC winners declared.
Both pit and grandstand gates will open at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday with hot laps at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.
358-MODIFIED HISTORY AT FONDA
The 358-Modifieds have a long history at the “Track of Champions” with eight different championship winning drivers in a total of nine championship seasons. The division competed at Fonda from 1988-1990 and then again in 1993-2018 with champions declared in 1995, (no champions declared 1996-1998), 1999-2006.
Matt DeLorenzo is the only two time Fonda Speedway 358-Modified Track Champion in 2004 and 2006 with single championships won by Tim Dwyer (1995), Jack Cottrell (1999), Mike Romano (2000), Ron Holmes (2001), Craig Criscone (2002), Brian Borst (2003), and Ray Zemken (2005).
The All-Time 358-Modified Win List is led by Brett Hearn with seven wins in a total of 35 358-Modified events run at Fonda with a total of 20 different drivers on that win list. Mike Romano is next in line behind Hearn with five wins followed by Ronnie Holmes with three; Kenny Tremont Jr., Alan Johnson, and Matt DeLorenzo all with two wins.
Dave Camara, Tim Clemons, Kevin Collins, Billy Gray, Robbie Green, Steve Paine, Mike Ricci, AJ Romano, Bob Savoie, Jeff Trombley, Pat Ward, Jack Johnson, Bobby Varin, and Stewart Friesen all with one victory apiece.
TWO 358-MODIFIED EVENTS RUN BACK IN 2018 WERE THE LAST ONES HELD
On 8/15/2018, Bobby Varin took the lead from Demetrios Drellos with ten laps to go in the feature event using the inside groove on the back stretch to get by Drellos for the lead. Varin pulled away from that point on to his fifth win of the 2018 season at Fonda (four big block wins and one 358 win) and was followed at the checkered flag by Drellos, Rocky Warner, Jeremy Wilder, and Matt Janiak.
“Once I got to the second spot I started searching around,” Varin said in victory lane. “Drellos had a quick sled tonight but when he got to the lap traffic he wasn’t sure where to go in order to get by, so I was able to catch him and then shot the gap to get past him for the lead. I have to thank everyone on this Palmer Team; we are more like a family than a race team.”
9/21/2018
A redraw set the starting lineup for the 60-lap Super DIRTcar Series 358-Modified feature event with Stewart Friesen on the pole and 2018 Fonda Speedway Modified Track Champion Bobby Varin alongside. Varin took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Friesen, and Pat Ward in tow.
On the inside of turn three on lap 20, Friesen was able to take the lead away from Varin and quickly stretched out his advantage. Friesen was the winner of the event in the Halmar #44 DKM “Cyclone” chassis and was followed in the top five by Varin, Ward, Erick Rudolph, and Jeremy Wilder who came all the way back through the field for a top five finish.
“Thanks to my dad for drawing me a good pill for starting position tonight,” Friesen said in victory lane. “It was hammer down tonight, had to keep the car free and wound up. Once Bobby (Varin) got the lead I thought that it may be over, but he got bottled up in lap traffic and I was able to catch him and get by. Thanks to the DKM guys who had to put a new front clip on this car this week.”
