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TRAUTSCHOLD EARNS FIRST EVER MODIFIED WIN IN THE UNDERDOG 33 AT FONDA

TRAUTSCHOLD EARNS FIRST EVER MODIFIED WIN IN THE UNDERDOG 33 AT FONDA

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – Day one of the 2025 edition of the Fonda 200 weekend at the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway ended with a very special win and an even more special family celebration in FX Caprara Victory Lane. For the first time in his Modified racing career, Michael Trautschold of Roscoe, NY celebrated not only his first career win at Fonda, but the first ever Modified win of his career at any track since he started racing Modifieds. The celebration with his son Preston alongside of him was a moment neither one of them will ever forget and what the sport of racing is all about.

“I love this place,” Trautschold told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane after getting a hug from his son Preston during an emotional victory lane ceremony. “Hopefully, Preston will be moving up and we are gonna be here on Saturday nights. This place is so good to me, just everything about it, the people, everything. I know it’s not a Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard race, but we watch those guys give it their all every time they are out there. The times were not much off from practice times; it’s tough no matter what.”

“It is a once in a lifetime moment,” Michael’s son Preston said. We’ve been waiting for this day; we’ve been talking about this win for a very long time. It finally happened and I’m very happy for him, he finally showed what he’s made of.”

Other winners on night one of the 2025 Fonda 200 weekend were 2025 Track Champion Corky Warner in the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman division and Jason Samrov in the Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stock event.

When Joe Kriss’ green flag flew to begin the Amsterdam Truck Center Modified division Underdog 33 event for non-winning Modified drivers at any track in 2025, Michael Trautschold and Brendan Gibbons started on the front row with Trautschold the early race leader. By lap four Trautschold was out to a straightaway advantage and in lap traffic four laps later on lap eight.

The caution flag flew at that point, taking the leader out of lap traffic with Trautschold choosing the inside for the restart. He maintained the lead at the drop of the green flag with fifth place starter Pep Corradi and third place starter Keith Flach the new second and third place cars behind the leader.

Trautschold was in lap traffic again on lap 16 with the top five at the halfway point consisting of Trautschold, Corradi, Flach, Gibbons, and JaMike Sowle. Corradi was the fastest car on the track at this point and was catching the leader with the final yellow flag of the event coming out on lap 25 closing up the field.

Trautschold again chose the inside for the restart and maintained the lead position, but the restart wasn’t what Corradi needed as he dropped back to the fourth position with Flach and ninth place starter Jessica Friesen both getting by him for the second and third spots. Trautschold led the remaining laps in the Quality Forestry Managements #28 for his first career Modified win ever at any track followed in the top five by Flach, Friesen, Corradi, and Gibbons.

With the win, Trautschold became the 146th different driver to win a Modified feature at Fonda in a total of 1463 feature events!

“Hat’s off to the track crew they fixed that bump down there in turn one,” Trautschold said. “I think it’s gonna be a great weekend. I couldn’t even tell you how many bridesmaids I have and how many flat tires, even wrecked myself, motor issues five engines this year, I’m blessed. This is what we love to do as a family.”

“Obviously it’s a tough sport financially, I do the best that I can with what I have,” Trautschold continued to say. “I guess tonight we did it. Like my son Mason at home says we’re self-made, everything on our car is our family business. We run the business with 14 employees, and they really put forth the effort the last two years for me and Preston to be on the road.”

“I was the first one to come and the last one to leave but now I’m barely there because this takes all your time,” Trautschold concluded. “I am very fortunate and very happy to be here.”

Walter Cook and Dylan Hutson started the 20-lap Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman feature on the front row with Cook taking the early lead followed by an early exit by Hutson as he drove to the infield on the backstretch with mechanical issues before any laps were completed. No caution flag was necessary, and the event remained under green.

The top three cars of Cook, fourth place starter Corky Warner, and sixth place starter Camron Hotaling were a straightaway ahead of the fourth place car of Steve Wagoner when the yellow flag came out on lap six for a three car wreck in turns three and four. Warner took the lead on the restart with Hotaling second and ninth place starter Bodie Marks third as Cook fell back to the fourth position.

One more yellow flag flew on lap nine with Warner choosing the inside for the restart and maintaining the lead at the drop of the green flag. When the Yurkewecz Auto Crushers lap counter showed the halfway point lap ten in the event the top five consisted of Warner, Hotaling, Marks, 12th place starter Mason Gray, and 15th place starter Jim Malia.

With two laps to go, Warner was in lap traffic but maintained the lead the rest of the way for his fourth win of the season and the fifth of his career in the division in the Carols Transportation #797 with Hotaling, Marks, Gray, and Malia completing the top five at the drop of the checkered flag.
“It was pretty cool, I know the start was the biggest thing,” Warner told Mimi Lazzaro in victory lane. “I really didn’t know what the track was gonna do and that bump in turn one kept messing me up a lot. It felt like the tire went away at the end of the race, but we’ll take some notes and hopefully be better the rest of the weekend.”

“I was trying to use my head a little bit and not overdrive the corners,” Warner continued to say. “I’ve had that happen to me a couple of times. Super thankful for everyone that got me here, this one is for all of the people that passed away 24 years ago fighting for us, this one is for them.”

Jason Samrov led every lap of the 20-lap Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stock feature in his EZ GO Smoke Shop #24 for his third win of the 2025 season and the 20th of his career in the division at Fonda after starting the event from the pole position. Fifth place starter Matt Moshier finished second followed by third place starter Chris Stalker, fourth place starter Shane Wetherington, and 11th place starter Mike Duggan.

“I love it here,” Samrov said in victory lane. “I wish they would bring us back here full time. I have more fun here than any other race track.”

Day two of the 2025 Fonda 200 Weekend takes place on Friday, September 12 with Amsterdam Truck Center Short Track Super Series (STSS) Modified Qualifying Races plus Swagger Factory Apparel STSS Crate 602 Sportsman Qualifying Races. The Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders will also be in action along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series (MVVDMS). All gates will open at 12 noon.

If you are a race fan that gets to the track early, be sure to check out the history of the Fonda Speedway at the Fonda Speedway Museum & Hall of Fame which is located on the Fonda Fairgrounds at the rear of the parking area going down towards turn four. The museum is open from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on race days and admission is free!

Fonda Speedway weekly feature winners, their race teams, and sponsors are invited the following week to display their cars at the museum and watch their feature win on Flo before the races. The victorious car display can begin as early as 3:00, and you are welcome to arrive and stay as late as your schedule allows.

Please message the Fonda Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum Facebook page to RSVP or with any questions!

All Fonda Speedway events are broadcast LIVE on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv).

Since 1953, the Track of Champions Fonda Speedway has hosted the best in stock car racing. The speedway operates weekly on Saturday nights from April through August plus several special events. Fonda Speedway is located on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds off New York State Thruway Exit No. 28 at 21 S. Bridge Street Fonda, NY 12068.

Fonda Speedway is on the web at www.thefondaspeedway.com. To learn more, call the office at 518.915.4395, like Fonda Speedway on Facebook or follow the speedway on Twitter: @thefondaspdwy or Instagram: @fondaspeedway.

DATE – 9/11/2025 FONDA 200 WEEKEND NIGHT 1

22 entries
Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds
A Feature 1 (33 Laps): 1. 28T-Michael Trautschold[1]; 2. 43-Keith Flach[3]; 3. 1Z-Jessica Friesen[9]; 4. 21P-Luciano (Pep) Corradi[5]; 5. B24-Brendan Gibbons[2]; 6. 20C-Craig Hanson[6]; 7. 27B-Robert Bublak[13]; 8. 55J-Ancel Collins[22]; 9. 24T-Thomas Cook[7]; 10. 9K-Blaine Klinger[10]; 11. 18-Tony Farone[19]; 12. 25-Stephen Gray[11]; 13. 747-Aaron Cross[20]; 14. 76-Jamike Sowle[4]; 15. 76M-Ricky Quick[12]; 16. 4X-Al McCoy[21]; 17. 30-Mark Pullen[15]; 18. 16-Aaron Jacobs[17]; 19. 27-Jason Reome[14]; 20. 71-Eric Mack[16]; 21. 24-Chad Edwards[8]; 22. 98-Tanner Warner[18]

21 entries
Montgomery County Office for Aging Limited Sportsman
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 797-Corky Warner[4]; 2. 98-Camron Hotaling[6]; 3. 33M-Bodie Marks[9]; 4. 26-Mason Gray[12]; 5. 13J-Jim Mallia[15]; 6. 7A-Steve Wagoner[7]; 7. 618-Bobby Rhinehardt[5]; 8. 6-John Santolin[13]; 9. 23-Nick Ryder[10]; 10. 4M-Zach McSpirit[3]; 11. 61-Wesley Sutliff[11]; 12. 27R-Rusty Baumes[14]; 13. 47-Walter Cook[1]; 14. 32-Owen Mormile[16]; 15. 4B-Kyle Burl[19]; 16. 18-John West[8]; 17. 647-Brian Nelson[18]; 18. 19Z-Destry Scribner[17]; 19. 11-Josh Persse[21]; 20. 16H-Dylan Hutson[2]; 21. (DNS) 29-Dale Van Allen

GRECO’S NAPA HARD CHARGER AWARD – $50 Gift Certificate to Greco’s NAPA – Jim Malia +10

13 entries
Online Performance/Stone Motorsports Street Stocks
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 24V-Jason Samrov[1]; 2. 91-Matt Mosher[5]; 3. 17-Chris Stalker[3]; 4. 54-Shane Wetherington[4]; 5. 92-Mike Duggan[11]; 6. 08-Lou Gancarz[9]; 7. 88M-Jake Middleton[8]; 8. 7-Anthony King[2]; 9. 39-Matt Wells[7]; 10. 909-Kailey Jaycox[10]; 11. 54R-Wayne Russell Jr[13]; 12. 24N-Josh Samrov[6]; 13. (DNS) 71-Rob VanAernam

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