Ronca family has deep roots in racing at Albany-Saratoga

Checking the all-time win lists in the modified and sportsman

divisions at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, the name Ronca shows up three times.

In the modified division, Don Ronca is an 11-time winner after his big victory last Friday. His brother, Mike, also shows up on the modified list with four wins, the last one on July 13, 2007, and their brother, Rich, has two career wins in the sportsman division.

Their father, Nick, was inducted into the NewYork State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame in 1991 for all of his accomplishments in racing.

On any given Friday night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, the Ronca brothers are all parked next to each other in the pit area, but one thing that you won’t see with them are the big stacker haulers, or not even an enclosed trailer. All three still tow to the track with open trailers, and are proud that they are competitive with all of the “big guns” with their family-owned race team.

When Don Ronca drove into victory lane last Friday, he did so with a smile from ear to ear. There were also big smiles on the faces of both his father and brother Mike, and why shouldn’t there be, after Don Ronca had beaten two of the track’s best drivers, Ronnie Johnson and Brett Hearn.

“I was thrilled,” Don Ronca said in victory lane. “When you are competitive and can run with those guys, and some of the other great drivers that race at Albany-Saratoga, it is one thing. But when you can beat them, it makes it even better.”

For Don Ronca, it was his first win in almost 11 years at the Malta track.

“Actually, it was my first win in seven years because I didn’t race from 2000 to 2004 due to an accident that I had in the garage while I was working on the race car,” Ronca said. “I was very lucky that I was able to race again, but it wasn’t like we weren’t competitive for all of those years, as we had many second-place finishes, but once you get the lead in a race, you have to be mistake-free, and you have to close the deal.”

On Friday, Ronca was able to do that.

“The track felt good and fast up on top, and I wasn’t getting threatened by anyone on the bottom, so I wasn’t going down there for anything,” he said. “The bottom glazed over, and I said to myself that if anyone can pass me down there for the lead, they could have it.”

STARTING OUT

When Don Ronca was 10 years old, his father started racing, and it has been in the family ever since.

“I’ve been working on dad’s race car for as far back as I can remember,” Don said.

In the late 1970s, he got his start in the six-cylinder hobby class at Albany-Saratoga, and in 1980, he moved right up to the big blocks at both Malta and Fonda. Although he only ran Fonda for the first year of his career, he started racing three nights a week after that, when he ran Albany-Saratoga on Friday, Plattsburg on Saturday and Devil’s Bowl on Sunday.

“It was quite a jump for me,

going from a six-cylinder to a big block, and I wrecked a lot of cars back then,” he said. “Running three nights a week was tough to do. It was like having another full-time job.”

The first car that Ronca competed with was one that he found in the Want Ad Digest that included a complete car, trailer and spare parts. In 1981, Dexter Dorr was building chassis in Latham, where Don, Mike, and Nick Ronca were all helping him out by cutting out parts for him.

“We built four or five cars that winter, and dad and I each got a new car out of it,” Don Ronca said. “Since then, I have been back and forth with the chassis from Troyer to Olsen, then Teo, back to Troyer, and now the 2006 Bicknell car that I have, which I bought from Alton Palmer.”

One thing that has stayed common throughout the years is that Ronca has kept Scott Noel as his engine builder.

“Scott and I went to school together, and my brother, Mike, once worked for Scott at his business,” Don said. “Now, Scott does all of the work on our motors, and Mike assembles them for us. Mike and my other brother, Rich, know a lot about setting up the race car and between that, what Mike does for me with the motors and the support of my father, we have had success doing what we love to do.”

LESSONS LEARNED

One of the happiest people in victory lane last week was Nick Ronca, who was very emotional when asked how he felt about his son’s win. Through the years, Nick Ronca has taught his sons a lot about the sport of stock car racing.

“Dad taught all of us that racing isn’t an easy game,” Don Ronca said. “He always said that the more that you work on the car, and the more time and effort that you put into it will get you better results. Preparation is the key, and it is all a matter of dedication when you work on a race car.”

Don and Rich’s cars are kept at Nick’s house, while Mike’s is kept at his sponsor, Skip Shippee’s shop.

“Mike and Skip have been together for a long time, just as I have been with Bruce [Tanski] over at Fairway’s of Halfmoon, which is my sponsor,” Don Ronca said. “We ran out of room to keep the cars at dad’s shop, so Mike decided to keep his at Skip’s place.”

At the warm-up session at Albany-Saratoga earlier last month, Don Ronca had a motor problem, and was without his own motor until last Friday.

“It was my own mistake when I let the motor overheat on practice day,” Don Ronca said. “We had to pull the motor out, and have it rebuilt again, but in the meantime, Rich let me use his car, which took its toll on the car, because I drove it as a modified and then he drove it the same night in the sportsman feature.”

Don’t be surprised to see another Ronca at a race track sometime soon.

“My son, Christopher, is aching for a race car,” Don Ronca said. “He’ll be the next Ronca out there on the track and hopefully, we can put something together for him in the next couple of years, maybe a budget sportsman or something.”

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Central New York Mini-Sprints will be on the racing card tonight at Glen Ridge, along with all other divisions starting at 7:30.

Tonight is CDL Night at Albany-Saratoga, with anyone with a valid CDL license admitted free to the grandstand. All divisions will be in action, starting at 6:45.

On Saturday at Fonda, a regular show plus the curfew-delayed sportsman feature from last week will highlight

Student Night, starting at 6.

At Lebanon Valley, Saturday will be Little League Night, with any Little Leaguers in uniform admitted free to the grandstand. All divisions will be in action starting at 6.

On Sunday, Devil’s Bowl Speedway holds its 42nd season opener, with racing at 5:45 p.m.