Archive for April 13th, 2012

Cory Casagrande Ready to Tackle Limited Late Model Division at Stafford with Shark Cycle as New Sponsor in 2012

Published at April 13, 2012 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — As Stafford native Cory Casagrande gives chase to the Limited Late Model championship this season at Stafford Motor Speedway, he will have a new primary sponsor on his car with Shark Cycle. Casagrande won three races in his rookie season of Limited Late Model competition last season, and the new sponsorship from Shark Cycle might just be the extra ingredient that Casagrande needs to challenge for the championship this season.

“Everyone needs help and this sponsorship is good for us,” said Casagrande. “One of my sponsors, Andresen Overhead Doors, is good friends with Bob Charland from Shark Cycle, and we got to talking at the end of last season. Everything came together for this year and you need as much help as you can get throughout the season. Gas and tires alone is over $100 per week and no matter how much sponsorship you have, it always seems like it’s not enough as you get closer to the end of the year.”

In only 2 short seasons, Casagrande has firmly established himself as a race winner and viable championship contender. In his first season of DARE Stock competition in 2010, Casagrande won 3 races and he finished 5th in the points standings. Last year saw Casagrande move up to the Limited Late Model division and he again won 3 races and finished the season 7th in points despite missing a race. With such a history in only a short period of time, Casagrande is looking to build upon that success and challenge for the championship this season.

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Curt Brainard Ready to Take on 2012 Season at Stafford Speedway with New Sponsor Ammo Zone

Published at April 13, 2012 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — When the SK Modified® cars hit the track at Stafford Motor Speedway for the first time this season, Stafford veteran Curt Brainard will have a bull’s-eye on his familiar #96. Brainard has lined up TheAmmoZone.com as his new primary sponsor for the 2012 season, and with TheAmmoZone.com’s bull’s-eye logo on the side of his car, Brainard will be hard to miss while he is out on track.

“I came across the AmmoZone.com logo, and I thought it just looked cool and needed to be on a racecar,” said Brainard. “I gave Bo [TheAmmoZone.com founder Thibaut, II] a call and we got to talking about sponsoring the car this season. It was a long shot in the dark for sure, but it worked out and we’re excited about having TheAmmoZone on the car this season.”

Ammo Zone was founded in the fall of 2009 in Covington, Louisiana by James “Bo” D. Thibaut, II. Ammo Zone provides all of the top name brand ammunition, firearms, hunting, camping, and outdoor supplies at an affordable cost. Ammo Zone’s goal is to provide for the most cost effective pricing in the market place.

 

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Whelen Modified Tour Championship Winning Car Owner Bob Garbarino to Serve as Grand Marshal of CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler

Published at April 13, 2012 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that championship winning Whelen Modified Tour car owner Bob Garbarino will serve as the grand marshal of the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. Garbarino has fielded an entry for every Spring Sizzler except for the 1981 race, and he will send the Whelen Modified Tour field on its way for this year’s 41st annual edition of “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” with the most famous words in motorsports, “Drivers start your engines.”

“It’s a honor that Rich Pallai from CARQUEST Auto Parts and Mark and Lisa Arute asked me to do this,” said Garbarino. “Stafford is my home track and I’ve had a car racing at Stafford ever since they paved it in 1967. I’ve been through the good times, the bad times, and everything in between, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly at Stafford. It’s one of the old tried and true facilities, and anyone who can get a win at Stafford should feel pretty good about themselves. I’ve done a lot of things in racing, but this will be a first for me. I don’t know what I’ll feel like at that moment, but I’m sure it will be a special moment for me when I look back on it.”

While Garbarino has had such drivers as Leo Cleary, Bugsy Stevens, Ed Flemke, Sr., Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Brian Ross, Satch Worley, Tim Connolly, Robbie Summers, Chuck Hossfeld, and Jerry Marquis behind the wheel of his #4 Mystic Missile throughout the years, it wasn’t until recently that Garbarino was able to collect a Sizzler trophy or a Whelen Modified Tour championship. Donny Lia gave Garbarino his first Sizzler victory in 2007 and Lia also gave Garbarino his first WMT championship that same season. Lia won the championship again in 2009 for Garbarino and Bobby Santos, III was the 2010 Whelen Modified Tour champion behind the wheel of Garbarino’s car. Santos is the defending champion of the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, but Garbarino's car will once again have Lia as its pilot for the 41st edition of the Sizzler.

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CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Ron Midford, Jr.

Published at April 13, 2012 in 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 2-time Wild Thing Kart Senior Champ Champion (2010, 2011) Ron Midford, Jr., who will be racing to help support The Greg Caron Family Fund.

On November 11, 2011, Ellington native Greg Caron, while serving a second tour with his Marine Corp unit, lost both of his legs, the tip of his finger, and broke his collar bone after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. The Greg Caron Family Fund was established to help Greg adjust to a new lifestyle and Ron Midford, Jr. will be representing the Greg Caron Family Fund in his CARQUEST Champions For Charities effort.

"My parents are good friends with Greg's parents, they ride motorcycles and play golf together, so there's a family connection," said Midford. "Greg Hurlburt, who owns the kart I'll be driving, is also friends with the Caron family. We were both in the stands last year for the CARQUEST Champions For Charities event and enjoyed watching the race. When we heard about what happened to Greg Caron, Greg Hurlburt and I were motivated to get in this race to help raise money for he and his family.” Greg Hurlburt’s son Cole races in the Tiger A division on Monday nights in Stafford. “Greg (Hurlburt) bought a Sr. Outlaw kart and motor that I will run in the Champions for Charities Race and Cole will use when he moves to the Sr. Outlaw division. I feel we take for granted what our soldiers do for us on a daily basis. They protect our freedoms and allow us to live our lives the way we do. We are all extremely fortunate to have soldiers like Greg Caron defending our country and it’s nice to be able to give something back.”

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