In a dream-come-true moment, Alex Yankowski drove the modified of his childhood idol, Stewart Friesen, into victory lane. He won the Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway.
“My 10-year-old self would have been super pumped to be driving Stewart’s car,” Yankowski, of Covington Township, Pennsylvania, said. “I have a photo of him and I that I cherish. I was a 4-year-old fan in that photo.”
A brutal crash at Autodrome Drummond injured Friesen in July. He tabbed Yankowski to drive his modified during Super Dirt Week earlier this month. Friesen took Yankowski under his wing in 2017, when Yankowski was just 13 years old.
“Stewart’s dialogue and confidence in explaining how to drive better have my respect,” said Yankowski. “He has a really good eye for things I’m doing on the track. He doesn’t tear me apart or nitpick at all. It’s all about making more speed.”
Those lessons revolved around areas away from the cockpit, too.
“He showed me how to represent sponsors, and how to handle good and bad situations that happen during racing,” Yankowski said. “He showed you need to promote your sponsor in any way due fit or as needed. You have to give back as much as possible to sponsors and car owners, from having a presence in social media platforms to making personal appearances.”
Friesen also showed him what it takes to become a winner.
“Stewart has gotten to where he is today because of his ability to push extremely hard,” said Yankowski. “He figures a way to get it right. He’s taught me to prepare better, how to run a race team, and is vocal to me on how I could do a better job.”
Some think Halmar Friesen Racing brings a NASCAR team to a dirt track. Yankowski disagrees.
“People have misconceptions about this team,” Yankowski said. “What we actually have is three old-school, nitty-gritty racers. They run a maintenance program next to none.”
Two of his crew members are in halls of fame: Jay “Jaybird” Castimore (NYSCCA) and Tommy Conroy (Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame). Castimore, who had worked for Brett Hearn for years, takes care of the tires. Crew chief Tommy Conroy oversees the operations. He and Stewart are hands on when it comes to setup. Brian Burkehart takes care of just about everything else.
“The crew works exceptionally hard,” said Yankowski. “They don’t outspend the other competitors. They maximize what they have, using it to its utmost potential. I realized I was a little too relaxed. Stewart is detail oriented in every aspect of the race car. I never thought of things that he points out, especially his unique perspective on shocks and springs.”
Alex Yankowski doesn’t know when Stewart Friesen will return to the seat of his modified. But what is for sure is the significance of his Eastern States 200 win.
“It’s my biggest win — a race that I will never forget,” Yankowski said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to drive Stewart’s car. Yet, I hope a situation like what happened to Stewart will never happen again.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
