In comparison to the early part of the season, the track may have been a little off at Fonda Speedway Saturday, but Pep Corradi was right on.
The veteran modified pilot got out front, hit his marks, stayed in control and recorded his first career modified feature win last Saturday at Fonda Speedway.
Corradi and his brother, Joe, have been involved in racing as crew members with Jeff Trombley for more than two decades and I can remember Pep driving a Tobias Slingshot before jumping into the big cars.
Though Saturday was his first modified win at Fonda, he also has a sportsman victory to his credit at Albany-Saratoga on April 24, 2009.
The night also produced strong runs from Justin Boehler, who finished second to Corradi, while Brandon Walters turned in his career-best run, holding off Josh Hohenforst for most of the race before Hohenforst got by on the final lap to take third.
Jeremy Wilder and Stewart Friesen were big movers in the race.
Wilder found success on the outside and moved from his 12th starting spot to finish fifth, while Friesen, driving a new Cyclone chassis by DKM, started 19th in the field and finished eighth.
Friesen later used that experience to take home the 25-lap feature win in the A-Main for the Patriot Sprint Car Series’ debut at the speedway.
A well-placed lap car near the finish helped Friesen as early-race leader Danny Varin made a last-lap drive and finished .112-seconds behind Friesen.
Cody Clark picked up his second career sportsman feature win over Aaron Burton, but the night’s most emotional victory went to Shane Henderson, who took time out of his pro stock racing career to serve in the Marines.
It was fitting he would get his second pro stock win on Memorial Day weekend when the track honored active military and veterans.
Broadcast buddies
A quick shoutout to Wheel People host Ed Lamberton as he embarks on another season of broadcasting the local racing news.
For more than 40 years, Ed has been on the air waves with a call-in show on local radio stations and is now in his second season of broadcasting over the Internet on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at www.wspddb.com.
Also on Tuesday nights, Jim King and Bob Lansing present the Glen Ridge/Fonda Motorsports Hour from 7 to 8 p.m. on WCSS radio and the Internet.
Wallace to run Big Show 8
It has been announced that Kenny Wallace will jump into a modified to race in Brett Hearn’s Big Show 8 scheduled for June 28 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Wallace was scheduled to run last year but rain forced the postponement on the original date and he had a schedule conflict on the rain date.
The 100-lap, $10,000-to-win Super DIRTcar Series event is expected to draw a large crop of the top drivers on the circuit to the track.
Triple 20’s
Fonda and Glen Ridge will host triple 20’s in August, sponsored by Sowle Trailer Trailer Repair
On Aug. 5, Glen Ridge will host Sowle Summer Mania with triple 20-lap features for the modifieds, 602 sportsman and pro stocks.
The modifieds will pay $1,250 to the winner of each feature, with a $5,000 bonus if a driver can win all three, while the 602 sportsman will pay $500 to the winner of each feature with $2,500 bonus if a driver can win all three. The pro stock division will offer $400 to win for each feature with a $1,000 bonus for a sweep.
On Aug. 13, Fonda Speedway will host the Sowle Summer Showdown with triple 20-lap features for the modifieds, 602 sportsman and pro stocks.
The modifieds will pay $1,500 to the winner of each feature, with a $5,000 bonus if a driver can win all three, while the 602 sportsman will pay $500 to the winner of each feature with $2,500 bonus if a driver can win all three. The pro stock division will offer $600 to win for each feature with a $1,000 bonus for a sweep.
