Jack Johnson won six Super DIRT Modified Series titles. The list goes on and on. Someone mentions Fonda Speedway and you immediately think about Johnson's decades of success at the famous Track of Champions. He is still the leader on the speedway's all-time modified win list with 149.
The Duanesburg native also picked up 11 championships (1975, 1980, '81, '82, '84, '85, '88, 1993, '94, '95 and '96). In 1979 Johnson became the first New Yorker to win a feature event at the "famous moody mile" located on the New State Fairgrounds site in Syracuse. He did it again in 1984.
Subject ID: 81874
MoreJack Johnson won six Super DIRT Modified Series titles. The list goes on and on. Someone mentions Fonda Speedway and you immediately think about Johnson's decades of success at the famous Track of Champions. He is still the leader on the speedway's all-time modified win list with 149.
The Duanesburg native also picked up 11 championships (1975, 1980, '81, '82, '84, '85, '88, 1993, '94, '95 and '96). In 1979 Johnson became the first New Yorker to win a feature event at the "famous moody mile" located on the New State Fairgrounds site in Syracuse. He did it again in 1984.
“(Jack) was something, he could drive anything,” said C.D. Coville, one of Johnson's toughest competitors. “It didn't always have to be top-notch stuff either, he could drive.”
And like most sports, there is always some kind of rivalry going. That was the case with Johnson and Coville.
“It was a rivalry that our fans had more than we did,” Coville said. “His fans didn't like me and my fans didn't like him and they thought we didn't like each other. But we did. We were friends.”
Coville brought up a picture he recently saw. It had racer Kenny Shoemaker, promoter Ron Compani, racer Maynard Forette, Johnson and himself.
“I looked over at my wife and said, I'm the only one left,” Coville said. “It's sad but we've had some great times, some great memories.”
Johnson's last win was at Sharon Speedway (Ohio) in 2009. A hard crash in July of 2009 sidelined the popular driver, who then suffered from other health issues that would keep him out of the race car.
Johnson was still active since his son Ronnie has a successful racing career in the Capital Region, winning championships at both Albany-Saratoga and Fonda speedways. Johnson's daughter, Natalie, is married to racer Andy Bachetti.
Subject ID: 81874
Subject ID: 81874