Auto Racing News - 5 August 2024

With summer time here there are numerous museums that you can visit while on vacation. If you are looking for something different to do, the Northeast Classic Car Museum is located at 24 Rexford Street, (Route 23) in Norwich, N.Y. and is open seven days a week from 9:00am until 4:30 pm. There are over 200 classic vehicles to check out including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and airplane engines, all on one floor. The museum is home to one of the largest Franklin car

collections in the world.

 The Saratoga Automobile Museum has a collection of Ferrari’s as their current main exhibit. Located at 110 Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The S.A.M. is currenting open seven days a week from 10:00 am. until 5:00 pm. through October.

 The Motorcyclepedia Museum is located at 250 Lake Street, Newburgh, N.Y. and has two floors loaded with over 600 motorcycles. 

If you are going to Albany-Saratoga Speedway tonight, be sure to check out the memorabilia display. There will be a number of former drivers signing autographs and Melissa  Shoemaker-Pigliavento will have t-shirts and stickers for sale honoring her father Kenny “The Shoe” Shoemaker.

 For those of you that missed the Aim Autism party at Fonda last week. It was another great opportunity to interact with the racing community. The possibility of socializing with many of the drivers, car owners, and sponsors that you hear about every week could not be matched. Not to mention chassis builders, track promoters, racing photographers, journalists, oh and former NASCAR asphalt modified national champion Brian Ross was seen taking in the history at the Fonda Speedway Museum. We all have crazy schedules, but I can not express it enough. How you should take advantage of an event such as this to mingle with others with the same interests. The effort behind the scenes that is put into the Aim Autism fundraiser by the Friesen family and their volunteers is unmatched. $38,416 was raised through their efforts, plus an additional donation by Halmar International helped in presenting the Crossroads Center for Children with a $50,000 contribution.

 Results from last Friday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in the NAPA DIRTcar modified division 32-lap Stan Da Man feature Mike Mahaney finally earned his first win at the Great Race Place for 2024 with Demetrios Drellos and Marc Johnson filling the podium.

In the Doug Wholey’s Ideal Excavating DIRTcar crate 602 sportsman division 32-lap feature. Zach Buff scored the win over Tim Hartman Jr. and Chris Jakubiak. In the Saratoga Masonry Supply DIRTcar pro stock division 25-lap feature Rich Crane took the checkers ahead of Brandon Emigh and Scott Duell. In the Haun Welding limited sportsman division 20-lap feature it was Steve Burch claiming the victory over Dakota Green and Matthew Gebo. In the Cornell’s Auto Parts street stock division 20-lap feature Matt Mosher earned the win over Chris Stalker and P.J. Cram Jr. In the Greg’s Towing 4 cylinder division 15-lap feature Slappy White earned the dual cam division and Kyle Lanfear earned the single cam division victory.

 Out west at the Utica-Rome Speedway in the 3 Bastards Brewing modified division 30-lap feature Kid Rocket/Alex Yankowski claimed the victory over Matt Sheppard and Pat Ward. In the Taylor’s Trailers crate 602 sportsman division 25-lap feature Matt Janczuk earned the win over Mike Richmond and Josh Coonradt. In the Ted’s Body Shop/Next Generation GraphiX pro stock division 20-lap feature Devon Camenga took the checkers ahead of A.J. Walters and Bret Belden. In the Fastline Performance limited sportsman division 15-lap feature Andrew MacFadden claimed the win over Eymarah Bowman and Kadyn Depasquale.in the Fonda Fair 4 cylinder division 12-lap feature Wayne Russell Jr. won the single cam division and Jeff Connolly the dual cam division.

In the slingshot All-Star division Justin House won the 20-lap feature and Blake Banek won the 15-lap Junior division feature.  A,J. Miller of Fultonville was at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee on Friday night where he finished 11th. in the United Late Model Series 30-lap feature which was won by Dylan Yoder. 

 On Saturday at Fonda Speedway on Aim Autism Night the Amsterdam Truck Center modified division 30-lap feature saw Stewart Friesen win his 94th.career feature at the Track of Champions. Mike Maresca and Cody Clark filled the podium. Friesen’s crew member Jay Castimore achieved a milestone as it was his 800th. win with the various teams that he has worked with including  Brett Hearn, Keith Flach, and Friesen. The Swagger Factory Apparel crate 602 sportsman division 25-lap feature went to Mark Mortensen, over Mike Kalkbrenner and Blaine Klinger. In the Leatherstocking Credit Union pro stock division 20-lap feature Kenny Gates scored his 96th. victory at Fonda over Chuck Dumblewski and Nick Stone. In the Montgomery County Office for Aging limited sportsman division 15-lap feature Tim Wilmot took the win ahead of Corky Warner and Shawn Gibbons. The C.R.S.A. 305 winged sprint car series 20-lap feature was won by Jordan Hutton with Jeff Trombley and Dalton Herrick completing the top three. 

In the Fonda Fair 4 cylinder division 12-lap feature Kenny Hollenbeck won the single cam division and Kerrie Hollenbeck won the dual cam division.

 Demetrios Drellos was at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday with his late model to compete with the RUSH Late Model Series. Drellos would win the B-main and start 21st. in the A-main, then drive up to 3rd. and finally finish 6th. for the night. 

On Sunday at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park in the Callanan Industries DIRTcar 358 modified division 35-lap feature Lance Willix earned the win over C.J. Castelletti and Tucker O’Connor. The Ted’s Body Shop/Next Generation GraphiX DIRTcar crate 602 sportsman division Hall of Fame Classic CDRA 35-lap feature went to Zach Buff over Tavien Blowers and Taylor Wason. In the Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar pro stock division 20-lap feature Steve Cosselman earned the victory over Cousin Luke Horning and Slater Baker. In the limited sportsman division 20-lap feature Mason Gray claimed the win over Nick Brundige and Mike Block. In the street stock division 10-lap feature Josh Samrov scored the win over Jason Samrov and Matt Mosher. In the Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar mini stock division 15-lap feature Jordan Ryder won the dual cam division and Bruce Liddle the single cam division. For the Northeast Paving & Sealcoat slingshots Brayden Ketchum won the 15-lap All-Star division feature and Alex Cosselman won the 12-lap Junior division feature.

Weedsport Speedway hosted the World of Outlaws winged sprint cars on Sunday. Locals attempting to qualify included Danny Varin, Chad Miller. and Stewart Friesen. The  30-lap feature would be won by David Gravel. Friesen would finish 4th. and Varin 24th. Miller did not qualify for the A-main. In the Big block modified Empire State Challenge 50-lap feature Mat Williamson took the win ahead of Tim Sears Jr. and Jimmy Phelps. 

Tuesday night the Short Track Super Series was at  Autodrome Graby in Quebec, Canada for night number one of the Lumberjack Swing. A 60-lap feature for the sail paneled modifieds. David Hebert claimed the victory over Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen. Alex Yankowski finished fifth and Jack Lehner sixth.

Tonight at Utica-Rome the C.R.S.A. 305 winged sprint cars will join the weekly divisions. Next week at U-R is twin 20's modified features.  Albany-Saratoga will present the John Grady Memorial for the modifieds tonight. Tomorrow night Fonda will host the M2 Metal LLC.crate late models with RUSH Series rules.