On display last weekend at the Fonda Speedway race car show was the modified of Jackson Gill. Sponsored by Betz, Rossi, Bellinger, & Stewart Family Funeral Homes.
Would you like to win two free pit passes to Glen Ridge Motorsports Park? Delease Racing and The Ridge are holding a promotion if you happen to spot the Glen Ridge vehicle out and about during its travels throughout New York. Snap a photo and send it to the Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Facebook page. Oh, no driveway shots; the photo must be of the vehicle somewhere besides sitting at home.
Hopefully you were able to get to the Via|Port in Rotterdam for the annual Fonda Speedway race car show. With the foul weather, being outdoors was not a great option, so thousands walked through the hallways and took in the sight of the upcoming cars for the 2026 season.
The speedway management team had a few comments and thoughts about the coming year. Fonda Speedway Promoter Brett Deyo is looking forward to the upcoming season with a number of new modified division teams becoming Fonda Speedway regulars for 2026. Jackson Gill and Matt Stangle are a couple of new drivers that will be calling the Track of Champions home on Saturday nights for the 2026 season. Gill had his Betz, Rossi, Bellinger, & Stewart Family Funeral Home number 06 on display for fans to check out.
Concession manager Denise Page is thinking of different special menu items that will keep the drivers and fans wondering what surprise will be available at every race event. Fonda Speedway this week also added at least two new (to them) pieces of equipment for track surface preparation.
Those fans attending the Utica-Rome Speedway night at the Utica Comets hockey game last Friday were greeted by a great turnout of drivers signing autographs and taking pictures. They were even able to tow a few cars onto the ice to display for everyone in the arena. Do not forget that the Utica-Rome Speedway race car show will take place today through Sunday at the Sangertown Square Mall in New Hartford.
On a sad note, longtime Lou Lazzaro crew member and close friend Junior Bianco passed away this week.
For results, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was at the Track Too Tough to Tame: the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Buckle Up South Carolina 200. Stewart Friesen of Sprakers and the Halmar-Friesen Racing number 52 Toyota Tundra were joined this week by Christopher Bell driving the number 62. Bell would qualify sixth and Stewart would start 13th. After Stage 1, Stewart finished 13th and Bell 15th. In Stage 2, Bell was 15th and Stewart was 20th. In the final stage, a late-race rally by Bell would find him finishing sixth, and an unfortunate "wrong place, wrong time" situation would find Stewart finishing 25th. Stewart lost five positions in the point standings and now sits 13th. Corey Heim was the feature winner.
On Saturday, off the track, our area track safety staff were busy updating and improving their knowledge of speedway safety for all involved. The Teal Blue Safety Team was part of a group of track and racing facility first responders that took part in an all-day safety training and seminar hosted by DIRTcar and the World Racing Group. There were approximately 20 tracks/organizations represented, including Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Orange County Fair Speedway, Utica-Rome Speedway, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, Fonda Speedway, and Fulton Speedway.
Stations taught cutting, towing, fire suppression, driver extrication, and accessing the driver in the car. Attendees included EMS, Fire, track support, and towing staff, with 80 people in attendance.
Saturday night, Bridgeport Motorsports Park held the Prelude to the Hoffman, a 25-lap feature for the modified division paying $3,000 and guaranteeing a starting position for Sunday to the winner of the A-main. Michael Maresca would earn the win over Logan Watt and Justin Grosso. Anthony Perrego finished 15th and David Schilling 20th.
On Sunday, Bridgeport held the Doug Hoffman Memorial 60 Over Special: 60 laps and $6,060 to win for Round 1 of the South Region Short Track Super Series modified division. Stewart Friesen would draw the pole; however, it was a very challenging race as Louden Reimert would take over the lead near lap 13. Stewart would get it back near the midway point. Then Ryan Krachun would overtake Friesen until Stewart regained his momentum and went on for the victory over Ryan Krachun, Michael Maresca, and Matt Stangle on a very challenging surface.
Alex Yankowski finished sixth and Anthony Perrego ninth. Matt Sheppard was listed 21st, did not finish, and Jason Reome did not qualify. Thirty-four modifieds signed in to qualify. For Stewart, this was a back-to-back win as he also won the 60 Over Special in 2025. This was also Stewart's 55th STSS feature win. Heat race winners were Danny Bouc, Alex Yankowski, Matt Stangle, and Stewart Friesen. The 25-lap STSS sportsman division Round 1 for the South Region feature was won by Joe Toth. Thirty-six sportsman signed in to qualify.
