Archive for April 20th, 2012

Defending Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ronnie Silk Looks to Carry Season Opening Win Momentum into CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler

Published at April 20, 2012 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — After winning the 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship, Ronnie Silk and the #6 T.S. Haulers, Inc. began the defense of their title in grand style by winning the season opening race at Thompson. Stafford was a good track for Silk and crew last season, as he scored a win, a third, and two seventh place finishes in the four events held at the Connecticut half-mile. With the momentum of a season opening win on their side, Silk hopes to carry that momentum with him to Stafford Speedway for next weekend’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.

“Winning the season opener was obviously great for us,” said Silk. “Momentum means a lot in racing and it felt great to be able to win the first race of the season. I think we can win quite a few more races this year and we hope the next win will be the Sizzler. We feel really good about coming back to Stafford, we ran well and we were able to win once at Stafford last year. Everyone wants to win the Sizzler, it’s a very prestigious race, and I would love to be able to win the Sizzler. I feel pretty good about our chances and we’re definitely going to give it our best shot.”

In six career Sizzler starts, Silk’s third place finish in last year’s Sizzler race represented a career best finish. Had Silk not encountered an engine issue, he might have finished a step or two higher on the podium.

Continue reading ‘Defending Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ronnie Silk Looks to Carry Season Opening Win Momentum into CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler’

Ryan Preece Looking for Repeat of Sizzler Success from One Year Ago in Whelen Modified Tour & SK Modified® Divisions

Published at April 20, 2012 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — One year ago, a victory in the SK Modified® feature event during CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend sent Ryan Preece on a path that would lead him to his first career championship. Preece hopes to repeat his winning ways of one year ago in this year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend, not only in the SK Modified® division, but in the Whelen Modified Tour behind the wheel of the #16 Diversified Metals Ford.

Preece took over the controls of the #16 car for the final race of the 2011 season, scoring the pole position and leading 36 laps before a late race spin left him 26th in the finishing order. Preece kicked off his 2012 season in grand style by winning the pole again and leading 86 laps before a crash relegated him to a 16th place finish. In 2 starts thusfar with the #16 team, Preece has 2 pole positions and he has led 122 of 327 laps, but those results haven’t translated into good finishes as Preece has an average finish of 21.0 in those two events. Despite his misfortunes, Preece is excited about his prospects for this year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, where he hopes to better his career best finish of third in the Sizzler.

“We’ve had a few seconds and thirds at Stafford, so hopefully a win will be coming our way very soon,” said Preece. “Ever since I started racing on the Whelen Modified Tour, I always wanted to drive the #16 car, so getting into this car has been a dream come true for me. The team is very established, the crew is great, and we’ve jelled together really well and we have a lot of fun together. We have great support from Diversified Metals, Flamingo Motorsports, Sanderson/MacLeod, American Lamp Recycling, and R+B Enterprises, and we everything we need to win the Sizzler, we just have to be in the right position at the end of the race. If we are leading towards the end of the race, we’ll be in a good spot, and if we’re second, we know we have to make a pass on the high side and get the job done.”

Continue reading ‘Ryan Preece Looking for Repeat of Sizzler Success from One Year Ago in Whelen Modified Tour & SK Modified® Divisions’

CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party Ushers In a New Season of Racing at Stafford’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler

Published at April 20, 2012 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway opens its doors to the racing season with the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 28-29, with the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party again ready to serve a distinguished role in the weekend’s activities. The CARQUEST Belts and Hose Pit Party gives fans the chance to get up close and personal with their favorite drivers and cars on the frontstretch infield prior to racing activities on Sunday, April 29th. Fans will have access to all of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers as well as drivers from Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions. One driver who will have an extra special giveaway during this year’s CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party is Richie Pallai, Jr.

Pallai is the driver of the #39 Bosch Spark Plugs Chevrolet on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and he is one of the 13 drivers that will be taking part in the CARQUEST Champions For Charities race as part of CARQUEST Super Saturday on June 30. As part of his fundraising duties for the Danbury Animal Welfare Socitey (DAWS), Pallai will be giving away CARQUEST Belts and Hose tee-shirts during the CARQUEST Belts and Hose Pit Party for a $5.00 donation to DAWS.

Pallai’s tee-shrit giveaway will be just one of many items that will be given away by drivers during the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party. Drivers will also be available to sign autographs and pose for pictures, as well as giving race fans unique access to their chariots of speed that they hope will carry them to CARQUEST Victory Lane during this year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend.

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CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Todd Szegedy

Published at April 20, 2012 in NASCAR WMT 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. This week's CARQUEST Champions For Charities spotlight falls on 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Series Champion Todd Szegedy, who will be racing to help support The Foundation For Life.

The Foundation For Life is an organization that provides funding in Connecticut for underprivileged children. Their motto is to make children’s dreams come true by providing scholarships, bikes, school clothes and supplies, various playgrounds in CT, and provide volunteers to teach Junior Achievement in CT elementary schools. They have also assisted in the ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Bridgeport, CT by paying off the owner’s mortgage. Since 2006, the Foundation for Life has distributed over $350,000 to organizations in Connecticut who are working to better the lives of those in need throughout the community.

“The Foundation for Life is a great organization which gives back to communities who are in need of giving throughout the state of Connecticut,” said Szegedy. “We didn’t raise as much money last year as we would have liked, so hopefully we can get some more people to come on board with us this year. I know the economy is tough, but the money all goes to a very good cause. We have a lot of people around us who like to support The Foundation For Life, so we’re hoping we can pick up some more donations and have a larger total than we did last year.”

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