When the final checkered flag is thrown on Saturday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway it will be the final flag for the 2020 season.
The high-banked oval will be going dark several weeks earlier than in past years due to the restrictions put on speedways because of COVID-19.
“What everyone needs to realize is that without people we just can’t make this work anymore,” said longtime track owner and promoter Howard Commander.
Speedways can have essential patrons in the pit area but the grandstands must be closed so several of the local ovals have offered pay-per-view options to race fans, but the fear of losing fans to other area activities also lingers.
“We tried to make it work for quite a while but it’s becoming harder on all of us,” said Commander, an Auto Racing Promoter of the Year (ARPY) in 1989. “The worst thing a promoter can do is cut the purse, the drivers need that money to keep going and because there are no people at the track the tracks and drivers have lost thousands and thousands of sponsorship dollars, so it’s tough on everyone.”
Commander headed up a lawsuit against the State of New York, shadowing the suit brought by religious groups, but his bid was unsuccessful.
“We were told that for the health and well-being of the community we have to go with what the governor says so we can’t have spectators,” Commander said.
He was hoping the governor would at least give them a 20 percent fan allowance but it didn’t work out that way. So for now, like many are doing, Commander is looking ahead to the 2021 race season and looking to forget what 2020 had to offer.
“The governor (Andrew M. Cuomo) needs to understand that you just don’t go down to the corner store and buy a race car,” Commander said. “It takes time to put a team together and if we don’t get back to racing this will kill the racing industry and if we run out of cars and run out of people all of these stock car tracks are going to be growing weeds. I’m just trying to keep my crop of racers alive and well.”
Friesen again and again
Stewart Friesen (44) and Michael Maresca battled all season, with Maresca coming away with the Modified division points title. (JB Photography)
JB Photography
Stewart Friesen (44) and Michael Maresca battled all season, with Maresca coming away with the Modified division points title. (JB Photography)
JB PhotographyStewart Friesen showed everyone once again last weekend why he is one of the most successful and versatile drivers in the Northeast.
Friesen picked up his eighth modified feature event victory at Fonda Speedway — his eighth of the nine events held at the ‘Track of Champions’ this season.
And keep in mind that he wasn’t there the other week since he had a scheduling conflict with his NASCAR Truck Series team and was attending an event at Pocono Raceway (Pa.), so Friesen considers it a clean sweep at the Fonda oval for his Halmar Racing team.
He had such success this season that a bounty (‘Mimi’s Bounty,’ orchestrated by Mimi Lazzaro) was put on Friesen. Anyone capable of beating him would have received an additional $1,500 and if Friesen won, he received half and the other half went to the Crossroads Center for Children in Rotterdam.
In victory lane, Friesen donated his half of the money to the organization as well.
“They are struggling right now with the COVID-19 and kids not being able to attend so hopefully sooner or later we can put all of this mess behind us and get back to real life and put fans in the stands and that the kids get what they need at Crossroads,” Friesen said.
The win was Friesen’s 68th at the oval and his 21st victory this season.
Friesen was at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, where he suffered alternator issues that put him down two laps early, but he managed a 10th-place finish.
In the dark
Last Saturday night was the last race scheduled for Fonda Speedway unless the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and fans are allowed back in the grandstands.
Should Governor Cuomo lift the ban then promoter Brett Deyo may run a couple of late-season events.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway
With some speedways going dark, what’s up at Albany-Saratoga Speedway?
“Our tentative plan is to run until Sept. 4, we’re still trucking,” promoter Lyle DeVore said.
Visit Albany-Saratoga Speedway’s Facebook page for updates.
We are the champions
Fonda Speedway crowned its points champions. Congratulations to Michael Maresca (Modified), Chad Edwards (Crate 602), Brett Mortensen (Limited Sportsman), Nick Stone (ProStock), Jason Samrov (Street Stock), Ken Hollenback (SOHC 4 Cylinder), and John Napoli (DOHC 4 Cylinder).
Maresca edged Friesen by two points despite Friesen's unbeaten season.
He said it
“Even if you’re not working on the car you are thinking about it and trying to get better — especially with the butt kickings we took all year from Stew (Friesen) — it was constantly gnawing at your brain, ‘What the heck can I do to beat this cat?’ I feel like tonight was a good thing, I was the only person who could run with him and I’m pretty proud of that,” said Mike Maresca who won the Fonda Speedway Modified point championship title.
Maresca and Friesen battled the lead back and forth during the season’s final feature event. Maresca continuing to show his talents as he makes a name for himself in the sport.
“We are working together good as a team, running at different tracks, running different tires and we really started clicking well and we can show up anywhere and pretty much know what to do so it’s pretty cool to see how far we’ve come in the last couple of years. So this (title) is a good cap to it and hopefully we can keep it rolling from here.”
Robin Yasinsac-Gillespie's auto racing column runs every other Thursday during the season.
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