Sheppard and Calabrese win Firecracker STSS races at Fonda Thursday Night

COLUMN BY: Ron Szczerba – FONDA SPEEDWAY – FONDA, NY  – Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

Originally scheduled for back on July 1, at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway, the “Firecracker 50” was rained out on that day with the rescheduled date of Thursday, July 16. It was a huge celebration of America’s 250th birthday with a huge Fireworks display and a special singing of “God Bless America” by Fonda Speedway starter Joe Kriss, from the flag stand, just before the start of the “Firecracker 50” Modified feature event for the Bob Hilbert Short Track Super Series (STSS) HYTORC of New York North Region Modifieds.

A wrecker from the weekly division sponsor Amsterdam Truck Center drove around the speedway during pace laps with a huge American Flag waving in the air as it was attached to the back boom of the wrecker.

When the racing action started on track, people probably figured that it would be a battle amongst two of the best, Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen competing for the “Firecracker 50” win. Throw in defending and two time Fonda Speedway Track Champion Alex Yankowski and it was actually a three way battle for the win with Sheppard getting the win in the IHRA sponsored #9S.

For Sheppard it was his 60th career win on the Short Track Super Series (STSS), his third career Firecracker 50 win (2023, 2024, 2026), and the 11th of his career in the Modified division at Fonda.

“It’s always fun to win at Fonda,” Sheppard said regarding the crowd reaction to his Firecracker 50 victory. “Everything went our way tonight, we had a good car, drew a good number, we got out front there, kept the tires on it and got it to the end. I’d like to thank Bob and Dalton Slack and Tim Fuller has been helping me out some as well. We put our heads together trying to get this car faster and I thinks that it’s working.”

Other winners on “Firecracker 50” night at Fonda were Brian Calabrese in the STSS Sportsman of the Madsen Overhead Doors Inc. North Region, Bruce Liddle (SOHC) and Jay Ingersoll (DOHC) in the Fonda Fair Four Cylinder division, and Jason Samrov in the Oline Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stock division.

The win for Sheppard was worth $7,776 while Calabrese’s winnings were $1,776.

Thanks to bonus sponsor Upstate Auto, all 29 Modifieds on hand for the evening were able to start the “Firecracker 50” feature event.

After a redraw for starting positions in the pit area, Ronnie Johnson and Jack Lehner were on the front row at the drop of Joe Kriss’ green flag to start the event with Johnson the early race leader. On the inside of turn three on lap two, Sheppard took command of the event, getting by Johnson and immediately pulling away. An early caution fell on lap three for Alex Payne who got into the wall in turns one and two resulting in a three wide restart on the backstretch as drivers jockeyed for positions.

The three drivers involved in the three way battle for the second position on the restart were Johnson, fourth place starter Alex Yankowski, and ninth place starter Stewart Friesen with Yankowski and Friesen both getting by Johnson for the second and third positions. Sheppard had a close call lap 17 in lap traffic when Dave Constantino went off the track into the pit area right in front of the leader but swerved to miss Constantino and continued to lead the event.

Sheppard and Yankowski were both running the inside groove on the track while the only one attempting the outside at the time being Friesen. Friesen got by Yankowski for the second position on lap 23 only to have Yankoski get the spot back one lap later just before the caution came out for a wreck in turn one involving the fourth place car of Johnson and the lap car of JaMike Sowle who were hooked together on the track.

Friesen took the second position away from Yankowski on the restart and was racing side by side with Sheppard for the lead when the caution came out again for Jack Lehner who slowed in turns one and two. Sheppard led on the restart and at the halfway point the top five consisted of Sheppard, Friesen, Yankowski, sixth place starter Marc Johnson, and tenth place starter Anthony Perrego.

Sheppard pulled away from Friesen with 20 laps to go in the event but while in lap traffic four laps later Friesen closed in quickly on the race leader. Sheppard and Friesen were side by side for the lead again with the lap car of Keith Flach in front of them, until another caution flag out with just over ten laps to go.

Yankowski and Marc Johnson both got by Friesen on the restart with one final yellow flag out on lap 46 with four laps to go. Sheppard held the lead on the single file restart and led the remaining laps uncontested for the win in the IHRA sponsored #9S followed in the top five by Yanlowski, Friesen, Marc Johnson, and seventh place starter Robert Bublak.

“The track was going through a weird transition there, it was starting to latch on the bottom, but the top had a little bit of speed left in it,” Sheppard told Jeff Ahlum in victory lane. “It was tough to tell where to run, I got some fortunate cautions at the right time. The lap traffic wasn’t maintaining a bad pace, we caught one of the lap cars, he was running an unconventional line, and he was really slowing down. I didn’t know whether I should try him or if or Stewy was going to try us or what was going to happen. The caution came out and it ended up being a moot point.”

“We redrew fourth and I needed to get them on that first lap,” Yankowski said after his second place finish. “Whoever got out front in the first ten or fifteen laps was going to win the race. Hats off to him (Sheppard), they have been working hard. Just tough, the last couple of races have been tough. So, we’re going to take second and just keep plugging away here. I wish that we could have raced harder here tonight, but we’ll just keep plugging away.”

“We had a really fast Halmar 44 tonight,” Friesen said after his third place finish. “Ran out of racing laps there and just had to get in line. I don’t think Craig knows the rubber is on the bottom and that is where he has to water. There were twenty good laps of racing, and we had a really fast race car so we could move around. There was a really, really fast pace and he (Sheppard) was going to be tough to beat either way. Once the top went away that was it.”

The  30-lap “Firecracker 30” event for the STSS Sportsman of the Madsen Overhead Doors Inc. North Region began with Brian Calabrese leading from his pole position redraw start with Blaine Klinger second after starting right behind Calabrese in third. On a restart after an early caution on lap two, Klinger took the lead away from Calabrese, but another caution came out before any laps were completed handing the lead back to Calabrese for another restart.

At the halfway point on the event Calabrese was the race leader with Klinger, second place starter Camron Hotaling, fifth place starter Bobby Hackel IV, and eighth place starter Tanner Warner completing the top five. One more yellow flag slowed the event on lap 23 with Calabrese holding the lead on the restart while Hackel managed to get by Klinger for the second position with three laps to go.

Hackel got close to Calabrese but not close enough to challenge for the win as Calabrese took his eighth career win in the division in the Ingram Engines/LM Mason Contracting sponsored #21C. Hackel, Klinger, Tanner Warner, and seventh place starter Corky Warner completed the top five.

“I’m thankful that I’m able to come down here and race and put on a show,” Calabrese told Jeff Ahlum in victory lane. “Luckily, we drew the pole, if anyone got in front of me and took the line away I don’t know if we would have been able to pass them. It’s been a long time since I’ve won here at Fonda, (last win was 5/7/2022) the cool part is my daughter is here tonight. I’ve won probably 30 races, and she has only ever been to one of them. That was during covid, so we had pictures taken with masks on, so tonight we get real pictures taken.”

“You’re just waiting for the track to latch down to the bottom, and I thought that is was,” Calabrese added. “But when Blaine (Klinger) rolled the middle I just went up a little bit in the brown because I knew if I could keep him out of the brown he wasn’t going to pass me. It feels good to be back in victory lane at Fonda, this is holy ground and you never know when you’re going to win here.”

“We tried, but he (Calabrese) was in clean air which is huge,” Hackel said after his second place finish. “For the little bit we’ve got to run this 4AMY car here we’re really starting to get it rolling especially here at one of our home tracks. I keep getting on the podium when I get in the crate sportsman, we’ll try to get a win here soon. The car went really well but we still have a little bit of homework to do. It is always good when I can hop back in this car because I can help my customers with their stuff.”

“P2 finish tonight with the Mesothelioma Warrior Alliance 4AMY team! I appreciate them letting me drive there equipment and bring awareness to the cause , Glad to get Great friends a good finish at Fonda Speedway,” Hackel added in a post on Facebook.

“I couldn’t ask for a better race track, hats off to the whole crew,” Klinger said after his third place finish. “I think I had a winning car but passing Calabrese is always dangerous because you never know what he is going to do. But hats off to him he did a good job. I might have been able to stay in it on that one restart, but the wall came up pretty quick. I’m happy the car is fast and the track was awesome. Man, I was so close, I wish I could have pulled it off.

Pole position starter John Ray led at the start of the 15-lap Fonda Fair Four cylinder feature until third place starter Len St. Andrews got by for the top spot one lap later. Seventh place starter Jay Ingersoll moved into the second position on lap five and chased the leader until lap ten when St. Andrews slowed and Ingersoll was able to take over the lead

Ingersoll led the remaining five laps for his fifth win of the season and the 27th of his career in the division with St. Andrews ending up second. Third place finisher Bruce Liddle was the SOHC winner for his fourth win of the season and the sixth of his career in the division.

Jason Samrov led all 20-lap of the Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stock feature for his 22nd career win in the division at Fonda followed in the top five by Josh Samrov, Shane Wetherington, David Cook, and Dan Madigan.

This Saturday, July 18 the only visit for the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) will take place at Fonda along with all other divisions in action with racing starting at 7:00 p.m.

If you are a race fan that gets to the track early, be sure to check out the history of the Fonda Speedway at the Fonda Speedway Museum & Hall of Fame which is located on the Fonda Fairgrounds at the rear of the parking area going down towards turn four. The museum is open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on race days and admission is free!

Fonda Speedway weekly feature winners, their race teams, and sponsors are invited the following week to display their cars at the museum and watch their feature win on Flo before the races. The victorious car display can begin as early as 3:00, and you are welcome to arrive and stay as late as your schedule allows.

Please message the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum Facebook page to RSVP or with any questions!

All Fonda Speedway events are broadcast LIVE on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv).

The “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing for 75 years. The speedway operates weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy or Instagram: @fondaspeedway.

To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on (X) or Instagram.

 

Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds

A Feature 1 (50 Laps): 1. 9S-Matt Sheppard[3]; 2. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[4]; 3. 44-Stewart Friesen[9]; 4. 9-Marc Johnson[6]; 5. 6B-Robert Bublak[7]; 6. 3-Mat Williamson[11]; 7. 4-Cody Clark[5]; 8. 1D-Tyler Dippel[14]; 9. 63-Chip Constantino[19]; 10. 89-Dylan Madsen[18]; 11. 43-Keith Flach[23]; 12. 4*-Anthony Perrego[10]; 13. 15M-Daniel Morgiewicz Jr[13]; 14. 06-Jackson Gill[8]; 15. 35B-Francois Bellemare[15]; 16. 21C-Brian Calabrese[20]; 17. 82S-Will Shields[12]; 18. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson[1]; 19. 1-Rocky Warner[21]; 20. 85-Jack Lehner[2]; 21. 76-Jamike Sowle[28]; 22. 4A-Bobby Hackel IV[24]; 23. 27-Jason Reome[27]; 24. 71-Eric Mack[16]; 25. 93-Dave Constantino[26]; 26. 21P-Luciano (Pep) Corradi[22]; 27. 70A-Alex Payne[17]; 28. (DNS) 88-Michael Wagner Fitzgerald; 29. (DNS) ONE-Felix Roy

 

MODIFIED BONUSES

358-MODIFIED BONUS – $250 to the first 358-Modified across the finish line in the Modified feature event – Chip Constantino

LEXIE & DONNIE DELUREY/JACK LEHNER JLR TECHNOLOGIES 10TH PLACE WEEKLY BONUS – $75 – Dylan Madsen

SPECIAL THANKS TO UPSTATE AUTO FOR AN ADDED BONUS SO THAT ALL 29 CARS COULD START THE FEATURE

Swagger Factory Apparel Crate 602 Sportsman

A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 21C-Brian Calabrese[1]; 2. 4AMY-Bobby Hackel IV[5]; 3. 9K-Blaine Klinger[3]; 4. 78-Tanner Warner[8]; 5. 797-Corky Warner[7]; 6. 349-Garrett Chillot[15]; 7. 9G-Tyler Peet[12]; 8. 9-Joe Toth[19]; 9. 10%-Chad Edwards[10]; 10. 98-Camron Hotaling[2]; 11. 26-Mason Gray[4]; 12. 25-Stephen Gray[9]; 13. 12AJ-AJ Greco[20]; 14. 314-Clayton Dumond[16]; 15. 13J-Jim Mallia[26]; 16. 55-Jonny Feagles[22]; 17. 00X-Josh Coonradt[6]; 18. 27-Michael Ballestero[17]; 19. 74-Matt Perry[14]; 20. 1H-Harry Shaffer[21]; 21. 1D-Kyle Dingman[23]; 22. 31J-John Dumond[11]; 23. 11-Josh Persse[18]; 24. 5C-Randy Cosselman[13]; 25. 621-Seth Martin[24]; 26. 618-Bobby Rhinehardt[25]

SPORTSMAN BONUSES

GRECO’S AUTO & TRUCK CENTER HARD CHARGER AWARD – $100 Gift Certificate to Greco’s Auto & Truck Center (in the event of a tie the driver starting furthest back will get the award – must have Greco’s Auto & Truck Center sticker on the racecar to be eligible for the award) – Jim Malia +11

SWAGGER FACTORY APPAREL HARD CHARGER AWARD – $50 Gift Certificate to Swagger Factory Apparel – Joe Toth +11

Fonda Fair Four Cylinders

A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 97JD-Jay Ingersoll[7]; 2. 26D-Len St Andrews[3]; 3. 47S-Bruce Liddle[2]; 4. 244S-Dave Reedy[5]; 5. 29JD-John Ray[1]; 6. 78D-Blake Smart[14]; 7. 191D-Chris Danylieko[9]; 8. 16JD-Jason Samrov Jr[11]; 9. 6D-Joshua Leonard[8]; 10. K1S-William Liberatore[4]; 11. 23D-Lucas Condon[12]; 12. 12D-Kendra St Andrews[13]; 13. 38S-Ben Ladd[10]; 14. 11D-Tomek Kowalczyk[6]; 15. (DNS) 212S-TJ Marlitt; 16. (DNS) 54S-Wayne Russell Jr

Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks

A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 24V-Jason Samrov[1]; 2. 24N-Josh Samrov[2]; 3. 54-Shane Wetherington[3]; 4. 369-Dave Cook[5]; 5. 24M-Dan Madigan[7]; 6. 54B-John Bradt[8]; 7. 91-Matt Mosher[4]; 8. 92-Mike Duggan[6]