RPW Column: Dreams Can Become Reality: Jack Lehner Found That Out First Hand Saturday At Fonda

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – A dream. It’s something you may have fantasized about since you were a kid. Can you picture it in your mind’s eye?

That’s what Jack Lehner was able to experience last Saturday at the Fonda Speedway when he powered his Modified off turn four towards the checkered flag to capture the very first win of his career at the ‘Track of Champions.’

This young racer had always had visions of what it would be like to win at the famed track along the Mohawk River since an early age. He’s imagined adding his name to the list of drivers that includes Hall of Famers like Lazzaro, Corey, Lape, Johnson, Varin and Friesen.

Now, he can say it has become reality.

“I was just so pumped,” Lehner said. “It means so much to me since I kind of started my career at Fonda. A lot of the legendary racers have won there and there’s a great history at the track.”

Last year, Lehner agreed to driver for Erik & Bill Nelson and their #85 team. Several drivers include Bobby Varin, Willy Decker and Demetrios Drellos have driven and won in the Nelson ride. However, during the pandemic-plagued 2020 season, things just didn’t go their way.

Now, just a handful of races into 2021, the Lehner / Nelson pairing’s a winner.

“To get a win like this early in the season feels really good,” he said. “We’ve all become good friends from time in the shop and stuff and we share a huge passion for racing. We all really want to win and Erik puts so much into this team. That made winning even better.”

Even though the box score will say that Lehner led every lap of the feature last Saturday night, it was by no means that easy. The Saratoga Springs, NY native had to work his tail off to get that first career win at the track.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,” he said. “The car was so good all night which made my job easy, but I knew there were some fast cars behind me.”

No matter what, from the drop of the green, Lehner was up on the wheel. He never took a break. He knew what his job was.

“I felt like they were on my bumper the whole time,” he said. “Lapped traffic definitely was tough at times when there would be a group of cars all fighting for position. We had to do whatever we could to get through. There are no easy races at Fonda. The track is one of the most challenging places regardless. I still can’t believe we got a win there.”

Now the Nelson team will look to back up their win in the first race of the Thunder Along The Thruway Series this Saturday night, and Lehner is hungry to show that last week wasn’t a fluke. He and the team now have that taste of success.

They want more…and more…and more.