Gypsum Racing.com

By: Ron Szczerba
Fonda, NY – September 15, 2018 -The “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway was back in action on Saturday evening after a break for the annual Fonda Fair with a six-division racing program featuring something for everyone with all the different divisions in competition.

The 13th Annual Hondo Classic, held in memory of the late Hondo Carpenter, took top billing on the racing program, and when the checkered flag was thrown it was 2018 Track Champion Kenny Gates in victory lane with his third win in the prestigious event after also winning it back in 2009 and 2015.

For Gates, who is the all-time win leader in the pro stock division at Fonda, it was his seventh win of the 2018 season and the 79th win of his career at Fonda.

In the modified division, Pat Ward came to town as an “invader” and took home the modified feature win, the 23rd of his career at Fonda and his first win at the “Track of Champions” since 8/21/2010!

Back in the day, when the pit area used to be in the infield, Pat Ward was a weekly competitor at Fonda, a place that he always said was a track he loved to race at. He and his father and crew would be in the pit area every week, traveling quite a distance from his home in Genoa, NY.

Nicknamed the “Genoa Giant”, Ward looked like he was still a Fonda regular the way he ran on Saturday evening, taking the victory in the 30-lap event in the John Wight owned, Gypsum Express sponsored #42P after a great battle with Jeremy Wilder.

Jeremy Wilder and Pat Ward started the 30-lap modified feature on the front row with Wilder the early race leader. On the outside of turn two on lap two, Ward took over the race lead and immediately stretched out his advantage over the second-place car of Wilder. Ward was in lap traffic by lap seven and at the halfway point in the race the top five consisted of Ward, Wilder, Willy Decker, Rocky Warner, and Cody Bleau.

Ninth place starter Dave Constantino took over the fifth position from Cody Bleau on lap 18 with the caution out one lap later for a car stopped in turn three. On the restart, Wilder got by Ward for the lead with Decker and Warner swapping the third position a couple of times during the next couple of laps. The final caution of the event was out on lap 24 for Constantino who pitted with a right rear flat. He would pit to get the tire changed and return to the rear of the field.

On this restart, Ward took the lead away from Wilder with the two swapping the lead a couple of times on lap 25 before Ward took command of the event. Ward pulled away over the next five laps to take the checkered flag and was followed in the top five by Wilder, Warner, Decker, and Ryan Odasz who was in the Bill & Erik Nelson owned #85 car for the evening’s event.

“Every win is good,” Ward said in victory lane. “Jeremy (Wilder) gave me a whale of a race. I lost the front end in turn two and handed him the lead but then he did the same thing in turns three and four and I was able to get it back. I have the best crew in the business and I have to thank them along with John & Larry Wight, and Kevlar Racing Engines.”

BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS MODIFIED FEATURE – 25-LAPS – PAT WARD, Jeremy Wilder, Rocky Warner, Willy Decker, Ryan Odasz, Cody Bleau, Scott Huber, Pep Corradi, Dave Constantino, Kyle Armstrong, Tony Pepicelli, Josh DeMagistris, Aaron Cross, Darwin Greene, Aaron Jacobs.