Thunder On The Thruway Series Kicks Off At Fonda Speedway On Wednesday Night

Story By: RON SZCZERBA / FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY – The F.X. Caprara Car Companies Thunder on the Thruway Series, after falling to rain on May 3, gets another shot on Wednesday, June 18 with a rescheduled program at the Fonda Speedway.

Headlining the program: the powerful Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, offering $4,000 to the winner after 30 laps around the Track of Champions from a robust pay structure. The 10th-place finisher receives $700, with $300 for 20th at the checkered.

Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman compete for a $1,500 top prize and $125 to take the green flag in a 25-lap main.

Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks complete the Thunder on the Thruway tripleheader vying for $1,000 in a 20-lap feature. American Racer or Hoosier tires will be permitted.

All Thunder on the Thruway divisions will compete under a draw/redraw format.

Fonda Fair Four Cylinders take part in the midweek program with $150 each going to Single and Dual Cam winners.

Completing the event: for the first time ever, the growing Crown Vic division. Neighboring speedways Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Devil’s Bowl (Vt.) Speedway and Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., have embraced the class. Fonda is offering a first-time visit with each of the three tracks’ rules honored.

The Thunder on the Thruway Series has been around since 2008 when it was known as the Go-Green NMX Series. In 2009 the series was known as the Dual Track Thunder Series before the current title was started in 2010 and it was run under the Thunder on the Thruway Series title in 2011, 2021-2024. It will run as the Thunder on the Thruway Series again in 2025 as a three-race mini-series at Fonda on 5/3, 6/21, & 8/9.

The history of Thunder on the Thruway Series champions since the start of the series shows Brett Hearn as Modified champion in 2008 (only the Modifieds ran the series back then); Bobby Varin (Modified) and David Towns (Open Sportsman) in 2009; Stewart Friesen (Modified), Bill Trexler Jr. (Open Sportsman), and Rocky Warner (Pro Stock) in 2010; Stewart Friesen (Modified) and Rocky Warner (Pro Stock) in 2011; Stewart Friesen (Modified), Chad Edwards (Crate 602 Sportsman), and Nick Stone (Pro Stock) in 2021; Alex Yankowski (Modified), Payton Talbot (Crate 602 Sportsman), and Nick Stone (Pro Stock) in 2022; while in 2023 Yankowski, Talbot, and Stone repeated as series champions.

Last year in 2024, Michael Maresca (Modified), Talbot (Crate 602 Sportsman), and Kenny Gates (Pro Stock) were the Thunder on the Thruway Series Champions in their respective divisions.

Win lists for the Thunder on the Thruway Series since its inception find a total of 44 Modified events held with 15 different drivers winning those events. Stewart Friesen leads the way with a total of 17 wins followed by Matt Sheppard with five wins, Matt DeLorenzo with four wins, Brett Hearn and Billy Decker each with three wins, Ronnie Johnson and Bobby Varin each with two wins. Single event wins in the series have gone to Pat Ward, Tony Pepicelli, Willy Decker, Jim Gabriel Jr., Larry Wight, Max McLaughlin, Cody Clark, and Michael Maresca.

A total of five Open Sportsman events have been held in the series with four different drivers winning those events led by Luke Munroe with two wins; Jason Rood, Matt Janczuk, and David Towns each with one victory.

A total of 23 events have been held in the series in the Crate 602 Sportsman division with eight different drivers winning those events led by Matt Janczuk and Payton Talbot each with seven wins. Cody Clark is next in line with three series wins followed by Chad Edwards with two victories. Jason Greco, Butchie Irwin, Tyler Peet, and Brendan Gibbons all have one win apiece.

Thirty-One total events have been held in the Pro Stock division with 15 different drivers winning those events led by Nick Stone with eight wins. Following behind Stone with their amount of wins in parenthesis are Beau Ballard (5); Kenny Gates (3); Tom Denton, Rob Yetman, and Luke Horning (2); Chip Smith, Rocky Warner, Shawn Frost, Glenn Forward, AJ Walters, Shane Playford, Devon Camenga, Bret Belden, and Andy Graves (1).