Archive for March 29th, 2012

New Car & Engine Combination Has Dan Avery Looking for Victory Lane Trip in 2012 at Stafford Speedway

Published at March 29, 2012 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — For SK Modified® driver Dan Avery, the 2012 season at Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of promise. After racing the last two years in Ted Christopher owned equipment, Avery and his partner Tony Genua has purchased a new car and engine for the 2012 season. Avery is looking to pick up his first SK Modified® victory since he won back-to-back events in the very first season of SK Modified® competition in 1982.

“I’m pretty psyched and the guys on the team are pretty psyched for the season,” said Avery. “Towards the end of the season last year, we were really close to winning. There’s nothing like having new equipment, a new car and a new engine. I think that this new car will help us to gain that one tenth of a second that were lacking last year and make that gap up to the field. But I can’t say enough about Teddy [Christopher] and his guys with all the effort they put into the car for us the last two years. Teddy is a great guy, a great friend, and he really does a lot of behind the scenes stuff that no one ever sees or hears about.”

In addition to racer spirit, Avery has a great deal of motivation to return to victory lane this season. Last season, Avery donated a portion of his winnings to the Channel 3 Kids Camp, and while nothing has been confirmed for this season yet, talks are ongoing for Avery to continue to make donations to the Kids Camp.

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Tom Fox Joins Team Stafford as Director of Racing Operations & Competition

Published at March 29, 2012 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Tom Fox, a 30 plus year veteran of weekly short track racing, has joined the Stafford Motor Speedway staff as Director of Racing Operations and Competition. Fox’s duties during the season will entail working alongside Frank Sgambato in the Race Control booth during races and oversee post-race technical inspection in the CBYD Inspection Zone. Fox joined the SMS staff for the final 4 races of the 2011 season as an observer to better prepare him for his 2012 duties.

“I’m looking forward to the season,” said Fox. “Last year I was able to meet the staff, I got to hang out with Frank [Sgambato] on Friday nights, and I got to see how the operation was run. I know most of the drivers at Stafford and in all my years of racing, Stafford is one of the finest facilities that I’ve been to. For a local short track, Stafford is very well equipped and I’m looking forward to utilizing the facilities they have for tech inspection and I’m ready to come in and help the team.”

Fox has previously served as Race Director/GM at Waterford Speedbowl, and Race Director for the NEMA Midget Tour. Fox has 31 years of both Modified and Late Model experience as a driver and he has two Late Model championships to his credit while racing at the Waterford Speedbowl.

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Todd Owen Looking to Get Back to Carquest Victory Lane In SK Modified® Division at Stafford with His Own Team

Published at March 29, 2012 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Todd Owen has been a mainstay of consistency in Stafford Speedway’s SK Modified® division, finishing in the top-9 of the points standings every year since his rookie season in 2003. Owen was twice a runner-up in the SK Modified® standings in 2004 and 2005, and he finished third in 2009. The 2012 season will present a new challenge for Owen as he will be an owner/driver for the first time in his SK Modified® career after driving for Brad and Linda Hietala in each of his 9 SK Modified® seasons at Stafford. With his last SK Modified® feature win coming in the 2006 Coors Light SK Modified® 100, Owen is ready to tackle the challenge of returning to victory lane this year while driving his own car.

“I’m excited about the season,” said Owen. “Brad and Linda started working with Chris Matthews last year and I was kind of doing my own deal last year, and working with Chris was the direction they were looking to go in for this season. I had a great time with Brad and Linda, we had a great relationship and they would do anything for me, I think it was just time to try something different after 9 years together. I have the same car and engine as last year, we just have a lot of different ideas and some new parts and pieces.”

As Owen makes his first foray into the driver/owner ranks in the SK Modified® division, he may have an ace up his sleeve as he prepares for the season. Owen will reunite with Butch Shea, who Owen worked with in the ProStock division and nearly won the track championship together during the 2000 season.

Continue reading ‘Todd Owen Looking to Get Back to Carquest Victory Lane In SK Modified® Division at Stafford with His Own Team’

Stafford Motor Speedway CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Randy Cabral

Published at March 29, 2012 in NEMA, NEMA Lites and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has again lined up an impressive field of current and former open wheel champions for its CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event as part of CARQUEST Super Saturday on June 30th. During the coming weeks, SMS will offer a profile on each of its championship winning drivers and the charity they will be racing for and this week’s CARQUEST Champions For Charities spotlight falls on 3-time NEMA Midget Champion (2008, 2008, 2011) Randy Cabral, who will be racing to help support The Spalding Foundation.

The Spalding Foundation provides monetary support for drivers, crewmen, and racing officials who have sustained injuries in a race related accident at a NASCAR, dirt or local licensed track in New York State and around the United States.

In 1988, Rod Spalding was seriously injured while racing at Rougemont Speedway in North Carolina. Spalding was a well-known and popular driver at the Shangri-La Speedway, Owego (Tioga Motorsports Park), as well as a member of the NASCAR Modified division. Immediately following Spalding’s accident in 1988, Betty Sherwood from Owego, NY organized an event that was held at Quinlan Park, Waverly where fans helped her raise more than $25,000. The following year Sherwood formed the Spalding Foundation and serves as president. Diane Crooker of Horseheads, NY and Pam Olenski of Maine, NY completes the three-member board. Since its formation in 1989, the Spalding Foundation has donated over $100,000 to more than 130 individuals and families.

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Gary Danko’s “Speedway Line Report” Radio Show Returns To The Airwaves April 2nd for it’s 14th Season

Published at March 29, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed

Waterbury, CT — Gary Danko, the host of “The Speedway Line Report” radio show on WATR 1320 AM in Waterbury, CT, has announced that his auto racing talk show will again include live streaming audio on the Internet when the show resumes its schedule on Monday, April 2nd. for it's 14th season on the air. The Speedway Line Report is presented weekly by Schaller Acura of Manchester, CT.

Danko’s popular talk show, which covers local auto racing in Connecticut, New England and around the nation, airs Mondays from 6-7:30 p.m. the show again can be heard live on the Internet, via streaming audio at www.watr.com. Listeners can also access the live audio on www.speedwaylinereport.com. All radio shows will be archived and can be accessed on www.speedwaylinereport.com giving listeners who miss the live broadcast a chance to listen to a re-broadcast anytime. Features of the show include live call-ins from listeners, by calling (203) 757-1320. The Speedway Line Report will again have a variety of Co-Hosts which in the past have included long time car owner and mechanic on the Whelan Modified Tour, Billy "The Bear" Calicchio, Racing Photographer Fran Lawlor, Ricky Rotondo, Crew Chief on the North End Auto Parts #54 driven by Eric Berndt, Sid Dimaggio of Sid's Vault, The Hartford Courant's Motorsports Journalist Shawn Courchesne and others.

Since the show was founded in 1998 at a Springfield, MA. Radio Station, Danko’s guests have included many of the top auto racing personalities in the Northeast and several national celebrity guests. Danko, of Southington, CT, was a former member of the Waterford (CT) Speedbowl, Stafford Speedway and Riverside Park Speedway's broadcast teams and has also appeared on the “Speedway Heat” television show, SPEED Channel and the Motor Racing Network (MRN). Danko is a graduate of New England Broadcasting Institute.

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Spring Meeting and Practice ahead for the Granite State Pro Stock Series!

Published at March 29, 2012 in Granite State Pro-Stock Series and Monadnock. Closed

With the 2012 race season just around the corner the GSPSS has announced that they will hold there spring meeting at 10:00am on Saturday April 14th at Monadnock Speedway, followed by an open practice session from 12:00 to 5:00pm. The meeting will be a final chance to ask questions and to see what we have in store for the 2012 season.

Driver memberships, rules and race procedures will be available. The GSPSS will also announce the Schedule for the day’s events for the David’s House 106 as well as the purse structure for the event.

GSPSS president Mike Parks stated it was decided to have our spring meeting the day of practice in order to help the teams with a little bit of traveling expense, with the help of Monadnock Speedway we will hold our meeting in their VIP Suite before practice gets started. Tires and Fuel will be available at practice as well.

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