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When the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS) rolls into Devil’s Bowl Speedway this Saturday, its promoter, Laurie Fallis, will have a new title added to go along with it — Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame inductee.
Fallis will be honored with this year’s Outstanding Woman in Racing Award at the 31st annual Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame ceremonies Thursday in the Hall of Fame Museum in Weedsport.
Also being inducted this year are drivers Tim Fuller, Danny O’Brien and Bob Cameron, car owner Glenn Hyneman, mechanic Randy Williamson, late Flemington Fair Speedway promoter Paul Kuhl and DIRT Motorsports TV director and cameraman Patrick Donnelly.
“Back in the ’90s, when Drew [ex-husband Drew Fallis] raced up there, we went to Weedsport, Canandaigua and Rolling Wheels,” Fallis said. “When I used to go in the Hall of Fame at Weedsport, I never thought I would ever be on the wall for the Northeast Hall of Fame.”
Along her road to the Hall of Fame, “Freeda” has been involved in many racing projects, including being a crew member, sportswriter and race car driver and has found her niche as the promoter of the MVVDMS.
Being a promoter for the series was not something on which she had planned.
“I was going to help out a friend and be the tech inspector,” she said. “After, Buck Gasner was going to be done with it and things happened. I thought I might be able to do it because there were only eight cars at that time and they only had like four races. I thought to myself, ‘I am going to make this bigger.’ That was my goal.”
Mission accomplished.
The series now draws between 30 and 40 vintage and tribute cars from all around the Northeast competing in five classes in 12 races at eight different tracks. She was also able to secure sponsorship for the events during the season.
“I have been around racing for a long time and was able to use those contacts to get sponsorships for the series,” Fallis said.
Before hanging up her helmet in 2012, Freeda had success behind the wheel starting out in Powder Puff races before moving into weekly competition in the 4-cylinder mini stock division. At Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, she had 15 wins and won the track championship in 2007 and has 13 wins at Five Mile Point Speedway along with the A League of Their Own (ALOTO) championship.
“I don’t miss driving,” she said. “I got into a vintage car last year at Bedford Speedway in Pennsylvania and it was so totally different than a four-cylinder car. I felt very uncomfortable. I was out there but I didn’t want to wreck it.”
Longtime friend and host of the Wheel People radio and podcast Ed Lamberton will deliver Fallis’ introductory speech at the ceremony.
The Hall of Fame class will also be honored with the running of the Hall of Fame 100 on Sunday.
ROSS CHASTAIN JOINS RICHIE EVANS REMEMBERED FIELD
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain will jump behind the wheel of a modified to compete in the Short Track Super Series Richie Evans Remembered race July 20 at Utica-Rome Speedway.
The “Melon Man” will run as a teammate to Matt Sheppard in the 61-lap, $6,100-to win main event. It will be the first time for Chastain in a Northeast dirt modified even though he has piloted Super Late Models on dirt.
The Chastain-Sheppard connection came through Sheppard’s Hurlock Auto & Speed No. 9s race team via the Delaware-based Givens family, watermelon farmers, growers for Melon 1 and supporters of both Sheppard and Chastain.
Chastain will meet fans in the grandstand area from 5-5:30 p.m. to sign autographs alongside Sheppard before heading back to the pit area to compete.
“I can’t wait to get to Utica-Rome Speedway to participate in the Richie Evans Remembered 61 event with the STSS Modifieds and Matt Sheppard,” Chastain said.
“When the Givens family brought me this opportunity, I had to take advantage of it. Matt runs a first-class program, and I am thankful for the chance to race with some of the best, honoring one of the best, Richie Evans. Although I have never competed in a Northeastern dirt Modified, I am excited to learn and compete before Pocono.”
Grandstand admission is $28. Seniors (ages 65 and up) pay $26. Kids 11 and under are FREE.
HOHENSHELDT RECOVERING FROM WRECK
Fans watched the accident scene intently Saturday night after seeing modified driver Kurtis Hohensheldt make hard contact with the first turn wall on a lap 19 restart and flip violently, coming to rest right side up on the speedway.
Track safety crews and ambulance rushed to the scene, finding Hohensheldt conscious but in pain.
After being helped from the wreck, Hohensheldt was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment before returning home to recover.
“I have three broken ribs, a broken wrist that I am going [Thursday] to an orthopedic surgeon to have a plate and screws put in,” Hohensheldt said.
“Also, there is a deep hole in my shin that required a bunch of stitches and another one in my elbow. I will heal and be better soon but my race car is a complete loss. Nothing left of it and that hurts me worse than anything. I’m honestly surprised we made it out alive. The car pretty much disintegrated on impact. There’s barely a part left on it that we can salvage.”
Hohensheldt said there was trouble with the ignition during the heat races that led to the team taking the dashboard apart to fix the problem. In the process he ended up cutting a zip tie holding the line to the oil pressure gauge.
“When we put it back together we never put the Zip Tie back on the oil line and it just hung there. It was my mistake,” Hohensheldt said. “We raced most of the feature with no issues but at some point the oil pressure gauge line fell down behind the throttle linkage causing the throttle to stick wide open. I tried to pull the throttle pedal back with my foot, but the steel braided line wouldn’t budge. I basically hit the wall wide open, doing about 90 mph.”
Although a veteran sportsman campaigner, this is Hohensheldt’s rookie season behind the wheel of a big block modified. As soon as he is healed, his plans are to start building another race car to hopefully run in the season-ending Fonda 200.
“Basically a 25-cent Zip Tie to hold the oil pressure line to the chassis could have avoided all this,” he said. “It just goes to show how important it is to make sure everything is perfect on these cars. It’s not like racing in the 1980s or ’90s. These cars are way faster and the parts are way lighter on them.”
As he recovers, Hohensheldt will be able to watch his son Kadon compete in the limited sportsman division at Fonda Speedway.
“I want to personally thank the Fonda speedway safety crew for such a professional and awesome job of getting a 250-pound hurt guy out of that mangled mess of a car,” Hohensheldt said. “I also want to thank Bicknell racing products for such an awesome built, incredibly safe chassis. I am grateful and thankful to have such great friends, family and a racing community that is like no other. Without all of you, this would have been so much worse. Thank you so much.”
FONDA FINISH NOT OFFICIAL YET
After Saturday’s modified feature, the top five finishers were held on the infield for an extra inspection of the tires run that night.
The compounds were checked with a durometer with all but one of the 20 tires checked failing to meet the parameter guidelines set the American Racer.
“The one tire that did not meet the standard was the left rear on second-place finisher Dave Schilling’s car,” Fonda Speedway promoter Brett Deyo said. “With the recent disqualification of Mat Williams at Merritville for softened tires, we decided Saturday morning we were going to check the top five.”
With the crews watching, two samples of the tire were taken and placed in separate sealed containers with one being sent to Blue Ridge Labs.
“The sample was sent out express Monday and it arrived there Wednesday,” Deyo said. “Both David and I have the tracking numbers for the sample so we can keep track of it. He also gave me the tire, which he did not have to do. If the results come back good, he will be paid and the race made official. If it fails, we will give him the option to send the second sample to a lab of his choice.”
Deyo said they expect the results back before racing starts on Saturday.
PIT NOTES:
— Saturday the annual Tailgate for a Cause Autism Awareness Night presented by One Zee Tees and AIM Autism to Crossroads Center for Children will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Entertainment Building at Fonda Speedway.
The benefit features a chicken barbecue, raffles, music, bounce houses and a dunk tank.
When the racing hits the track, the Thunder on the Thruway Series will highlight the race card featuring a $4,000-to-win modified feature, $1,500-to-win sportsman main event and a $1,000-to-win pro stock feature along with the limited sportsman and 4-cylinder mini stock mains.
— Fonda Speedway will take Sunday to prep the track for the rescheduled $10,000-to-win Firecracker 50 featuring the Short Track Super Series modifieds and the 602 Sportsman division.
— Utica-Rome Speedway will welcome the CRSA 305 Sprint Cars to the Vernon facility as part of a full regular race program.
Utica-Rome will host the Short Track Super Series Richie Evans Remembered 61 on July 20.
The modifieds will battle for 61 laps for a $6,100 winner’s check and $610 to take the green in the feature. The 602 Sportsman division will go 30 laps with the winner getting $2,061. The All-Star Slingshots and Junior Slingshots are also scheduled for the Thursday night program.
— Lebanon Valley Speedway will pay tribute to one of its champions Saturday on Tommy Corellis Night sponsored by Rifenburg Construction.
The 82-year-old Corellis has been preparing for the event by helping with track prep and has driven Kenny Tremont Jr.’s backup car to a 16th and 17th place finishes the past two weeks in the big block modified feature.
— Albany-Saratoga Speedway will feature a $3.000-to-win feature for the modifieds on Friday, while the pro stocks will battle in a $1,000-to-win feature and the limited sportsman division will compete for $500 to win in each of their features.
— Devil’s Bowl Speedway is featuring a $5 general admission night featuring a full regular race card plus the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series (MVVDMS).
— On Sunday will be 2022 Championship Recognition Night at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park.
Drivers will be in front of the grandstand at 4 p.m. to accept their awards.
The Following will be receiving Awards in Each Class in Final Point Order:
DIRTcar Sportsman — Andrew Buff, Justin Buff, Garrett Poland, Cody Ochs, Ricky Quick.
Limited Sportsman — Butchie Irwin, Mike Hill, Lucas Duncan, Nick Arnold, Wesley Sutliff.
DIRTcar Prostocks — Luke Horning, Jay Fitzgerald, Slater Baker, Andy Graves, Johnny Rivers
All-Star Slingshots — Adam Fusco, Dan Ballard, Nathaniel Boesse, Kristen Swartz, Kolton Weiler
Junior Slingshot — Connor Crane, Sloan Cherko, Braxton Martin,
Street Stock — Adam Tranka, Matt Mosher, Matt Wells
Single Cam Mini Stock — Jay Ingersoll, Blaze Post, Wayne Russell
Dual Cam Mini Stock — Billy Hillman, Jamie Warner, Chad Hoffman
