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FONDA SPEEDWAY HOSTS THE EMPIRE SUPER SPRINTS THIS SATURDAY, JULY 19 FOR THEIR ONLY APPEARANCE THIS SEASON AT THE “TRACK OF CHAMPIONS”

By: Ron Szczerba

Fonda, NY – This Saturday July 19, the “Track of Champions” Fonda Speedway will have a jam packed racing program in all regular divisions including the Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds, the Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman, the Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks, the Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc. Limited Sportsman, and the Fonda Fair Four Cylinders.

Townline Equipment is the evenings race event sponsor.

The Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman will have double features on Saturday, July 19 with the rain delayed feature from 6/28 along with the regular scheduled feature.

Along with all regular divisions, the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) will be in action with the 21st running of the 25-lap $2,000 to win “Earl Halaquist Memorial”. With all of that action it promises to be a great night of racing at the Fonda Speedway. Gates on Saturday, July 19 will open at 4:00 p.m. with hot laps at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.

The 2025 racing season is the 42nd year of competition for the ESS Sprint cars with ten events out of the 33 scheduled events being run so far this season after four straight rain outs to begin the 2025 campaign. Jordan Poirier (Brighton, Brockville, and Cornwall), and Dylan Swiernik (Can-Am, Utica Rome, and Fulton) lead the way with three victories apiece while Nick Sheridan (Oshweken), Davie Franek (Freedom), Jason Barney (Brewerton), and Danny Varin (Weedsport) all have single event wins so far this season leading the way into the event at Fonda this Saturday.

The current point standings according to the ESS website www.empiresupersprints.com following the ESS event at Weedsport back on July 6 shows Jordan Poirier leading the way with 1132 points followed in the top five by Dylan Swiernik (982), Jason Barney (913), Paulie Colagiovanni (857), and Logan Crisafulli (854).

There have been a total of 28 ESS Sprint car events held at Fonda from 1987 through 2024 with 15 different drivers winning those events led by Danny Varin with eight victories, those eight wins coming in the last nine ESS events held at Fonda. Justin Barger is next with five wins followed by Lance Yonge and Steve Poirier both with two wins apiece. John Brutcher, Bobby Parrow, Tom Taber, Craig Lane, Doug Emery, Jessica Zemken-Friesen, Jeff Cook, Chuck Hebing, Stewart Friesen, Davie Franek, and Shawn Donath all with one victory apiece.

Last year in 2024, Danny Varin won the only visit by the ESS Sprints of the season at Fonda.

The Earl Halaquist Memorial has been held at three different racetracks in its 20 year history including Dundee, NY; Fonda, NY; and Afton, NY with a total of 12 different drivers winning those events. Danny Varin leads the way in Earl Halaquist Memorial events with five wins (2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024) followed by Justin Barger with four wins (2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011) and Chuck Hebing with two wins (2006, 2014).

Single event wins in the prestigious event have gone to Blake Breen (2004), George Suprick (2005), Doug Emery (2009), Jessica Zemken-Friesen (2012), Jeff Cook (2013), Matt Tanner (2015), Steve Poirier (2016), Jordan Poirier (2019), and Paulie Colagiovanni (2021).

21ST ANNUAL EARL HALAQUIST MEMORIAL

Mike Emhof gave me permission years ago to share the following story of Earl Halaquist as Remembered by Michael Monnat so I will share it again this year in 2025.

By the ?rst time I saw Earl Halaquist race a sprint car for the United Racing Club (URC) in 1960 at the Five Mile Point Speedway in Kirkwood, New York, he was already half-way through his career. Yet, at that point, he hadn’t even begun to receive national notoriety. That all changed with the dawn of the Sixties and his prodigious and overwhelmingly spectacular use of George Nesler’s sprint car racing equipment.

Halaquist had been around the sprint car game since arriving home after serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, making his debut in 1946 in Little Valley, N.Y. From that point forward through the Fifties, he raced with sanctions like the Eastern States Racing Association (ESRA), the Big Car Racing Association (BCRA), and URC.

Back to that July night at Five Mile Point, Halaquist didn’t win the feature, but he was impressive, getting a second place ?nish behind Hal Rettberg. That was only the beginning as the decade that changed the country belonged to the Earl Halaquist/George Nesler duo.

Six URC titles (1962, ’64, ’66, ’67, ’68, ’69) impressed the hell out of me and, during that time, I caught every local show and went to a few regional shows, as well. Halaquist won on dirt and asphalt. He won on the big tracks and the bullrings. In short, he won on everything and everywhere; he won 14 features in 1967 alone. Along the way, he garnered 52 URC main events; most coming at a time when ‘having a roof over your head’ meant living at home.

The quiet, unassuming family man from Sidney, N.Y., had a full-time job with Bendix, in addition to running up and down the East Coast chasing feature wins and point titles. He retired after spending 1970 driving midget cars with the American Race Drivers Club (ARDC). I didn’t meet Earl Halaquist in person until 1992 when he was inducted in the We-Go Racing Fan Club Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was inducted into the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Hall of Fame and, in 2000; he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF).

In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into the URC Hall of Fame. His many skills spoke for themselves and everything about him read ‘class act.’ Earl Satch Halaquist, who was born on September 7, 1925, in Rock Rift, N.Y., died on January 12, 2001, at the age of seventy-?ve. Great driver, great man. Nothing else needs to be said!

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.

Townline Equipment presents Empire Super Sprints

The lightning-fast Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars visit Fonda Speedway for the only time in 2025. All divisions will be in action presented by Townline Equipment.

Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman Feature postponed by rain from June 28

Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars

Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds

Swagger Factory Apparel Sportsman

Leatherstocking Credit Union Pro Stocks

Montgomery County Office for Aging Inc.

Fonda Fair Four Cylinders

All Gates Open: 4 p.m. - Hot Laps: 6 p.m. - Racing: 7 p.m.

Grandstand Admission: $25 (Adults) - $23 Seniors (ages 65 and over) - Kids 11 and under FREE

Infield Drive-In (includes four passes): $120

Pit Admission: $45 (Non-Members) - $40 (Members) - $10 Kids (11 and under)

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