The 4th Turn ~ by Tom Boggie

Did I miss the memo about money growing on trees?

In the last week, Lebanon Valley Speedway officials announced that the Mr. Dirt Track U.S.A. race on Sept. 1 will now pay $25,000 to win, and Albany-Saratoga announced that Tuesday’s “Stampede at Toga” will now feature a “Bigger Show Challenge,” which could result in $7,500 going to the winner of the 50-lap Stampede.

Mr. Dirt Track U.S.A. has always been one of the yearly highlights at Lebanon Valley Speedway. Promoter Howard Commander first started paying five figures to the winner in 1989, when Brett Hearn went back to New Jersey with $15,000.

Victory Lane 2017, Lebanon Valley Speedway

Billy Decker became the first driver to take home $17,500, in 1991, but that deserves an asterisk, because Decker actually won $15,500, and received a $2,000 bonus from Auto Palace.

So the first actual $17,500 payout came in 1992, when Mark Fleury went flag-to-flag in the 100-lapper. Fleury also got a $1,000 bonus for leading lap 77, giving a total payoff of $18,500.

But that’s chump change compared to the $25,000 going to the winner on Sept. 1. Amsterdam Trailer Repair, which has become a major sponsor of dirt track racing in the Capital District this season, is the major sponsor behind the payout increase.

And then there’s Tuesday’s “Stampede at Toga,” part of Brett Deyo’s Short Track Super Series. Deyo’s races pay $5,000 to win, but on Tuesday, that could increase to $7,500.

Here’s how. When Hearn held “Big Show 10” earlier this year, he drew a field of 55 cars to Albany-Saratoga Speedway. In the “Brett’s Bigger Show Challenge” if Deyo’s race draws 56 cars or more, the total purse will be increased by $5,000 through an American Racer bonus, with half of that being added to the winner’s share.

Now remember, the “Stampede” is for both big blocks and small blocks, and drivers can use either Hoosiers (the preferred tire at Albany-Saratoga) or American Racers (run on the STSS). There is no Super DIRT Series race on Tuesday, so I don’t see why Deyo’s STSS race can’t draw more than 55 cars, especially if it turns out to be 50 laps for $7,500 to win.

IN THE SHUFFLING MADNESS

And let’s not ignore what’s going on at Fonda Speedway next week. How about three nights of racing in six days?

The wild week will begin on Monday, with “The Jack,” the rescheduled 100-lap Super DIRT Series race that is a tribute to Jumpin’ Jack Johnson. That racing card will also include the annual “Hondo Classic,” a tribute to former pro stock driver Hondo Carpenter.

The track will be back in action Wednesday with a King of Dirt 358 Series race, which was added to the schedule to run with “The 602 Grand Daddy” for crate sportsman.

To cap it all off, the annual “Night of Features” will be held on Aug. 18, crowning the 2018 champions. With his third-place finish last Saturday, Josh Hohenforst has regained the modified points lead from Bobby Varin. Hohenforst takes a slim 10-point lead into this weekend’s racing.

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

Glen Ridge Motorsports Park promoters Mike Parillo and Ray Sefrin instituted a bounty to anyone who can beat Dave Constantino and Tim Hartman Jr. in the 602 crate modified division. The bounty went unclaimed last Sunday, as Constantino picked up his eighth win of the season, and will be doubled to $400 this weekend.

So far this season, Constantino (who drives Sefrin’s West End Towing-sponsored car) and Hartman (who pilots the Parillo Services car) have combined to win 11 of the 13 sportsman features that have been run, and Hartman has finished second in seven of the races that Constantino won.

For a driver to earn the bonus, both Constantino and Hartman Jr. have to be running at the end of the feature.

FRIESEN ON A ROLL

Stewart Friesen had another big weekend, winning for the seventh time at Fonda Speedway on Saturday and then winning the Summer Nationals Super DIRT Series race at Ransomville on Tuesday.

Stewart Friesen

Here’s a point to ponder. If Friesen wins Monday night at Fonda (he’ll be running a truck series race at Michigan on Saturday), will he tie the track record with seven consecutive wins?

Since May 26, Friesen has run six races at Fonda and won every one. Does it matter that he wasn’t in town for the other races, or is the record based on consecutive races at the speedway?

Obviously, when Steve Danish set the record in 1954, and Jack Johnson tied in on two occasions, they were running at Fonda every Saturday night.

Friesen got the win last Saturday despite being involved in a massive pileup on the first lap, which left him with a flat tire and a bent axle. But once he got a new tire, he again dominated.

AROUND THE TRACKS

Hearn’s crew needs to get some recognition for helping him get a third-place finish in the Summer Nationals at Ransomville. Hearn sheared off the left rear shock mount and seemed done for the night, but just after he pulled into the pits, the race was red-flagged for another accident. Because Hearn had been in the pits before the red came out, his crew was able to fix the rear-end problem, get Hearn back out before the green flew again and he climbed back through the field to finish third.

If Hohenforst wins the modified championship at Fonda, Laudy Hoyenga will get an assist. Hohenforst ran Hoyenga’s car to a third-place finish last Saturday after his own car was sidelined during his heat race.

The racing world lost another great person with the death of Dan Carlton last week. Carlton, who was only 49, worked at a number of Capital District car dealerships and was responsible for instituting the “Beat Brett” bonus at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. When the track switched to asphalt, he got money for the “Denooyer Dash,” in which the top six qualifiers for the feature all received some extra money. After being raised in Malta, Carlton achieved a lifelong dream when he began racing in the sportsman division, even though his only previous racing experience had been on ice. If you didn’t know Dan Carlton, you missed a wonderful personality.

The Ridge has announced its first class of inductees into its Hall of Fame. The group includes the entire Hayes family, who turned their fertile fields into a race track, drivers Randy Hotaling and Bob Vedder, and the late Don Warner (Rocky Warner’s father), who was a jack-of-all-trades at the Ridge. They will inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug, 19.