Archive for the 'Stafford' Category

Whelen Modified Tour Stat Advance: Stafford

Published at May 21, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Analyzing The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Presented By G-Oil

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race under the lights for the first time in 2013 with the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil on Friday, May 24 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:

Stafford Race Setup:
• Bobby Santos has won the last two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford Motor Speedway, and five of his last 11 starts there overall.
• Reigning NWMT champion Doug Coby won three of the four races at Stafford last year, including the TSI Harley-Davidson 125.
• Following a rainout at Monadnock Speedway, this will be the first race since the NWMT last visited Stafford on April 28, for a span of 26 days between events.

AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
History
• The Stafford Springs Agricultural Park opened in 1870. The current race track was originally used for horse racing, which gave way to automobiles after World War II.
• Stafford Motor Speedway became a NASCAR track in 1959 and was paved in 1967.
• Stafford is one of nine tracks that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program in each of its now 32 years of competition.

Continue reading ‘Whelen Modified Tour Stat Advance: Stafford’

Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes: Stafford

Published at May 20, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Santos Looks to Stay On a Roll in TSI Harley-Davidson 125

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Following a pair of day races and a rainout, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race under the lights for the first time in 2013 when it returns to Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil on Friday, May 24.

Winner of three of the last four Whelen Modified Tour races dating back to last season, Bobby Santos is well-positioned to keep the run of good fortune going in the second of four races on the schedule at the historic half mile.

While the number of different legitimate contenders to win on Friday at Stafford reaches double digits, Santos’ success – not only due to his recent run, but historically at the track as well – has him as one of the favorites to capture yet another checkered flag.

Continue reading ‘Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes: Stafford’

Lavoie Wins DARE Stock Xtra Mart Xtra D Feature at Stafford; Pennink, Fearn, Membrino, & Arute Also Score Feature Wins

Published at May 17, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back in Friday night action with the DARE Stock division taking center stage for a 20-lap Xtra Mart Xtra D feature, paying an extra $50 to each of the top-5 finishers. Jeremy Lavoie was the big winner of the night, driving to his second consecutive victory in the DARE Stock feature. Rowan Pennink picked up his first career SK Modified® victory in the 40-lap feature, Tom Fearn was the winner of the extra distance 35-lap Late Model feature, Tony Membrino, Jr. was the winner in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, and David Arute was the winner in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Rowan Pennink went around Michael Gervais, Jr. to take the lead with Ted Christopher moving into second. A melee broke out going into turn 3 that involved several cars and brought the caution out.

Pennink took the lead on the restart with Glen Reen moving from fourth to pull alongside Christopher in a fight for second. Christopher got a good run and was able to get clear of Reen in second, with Sean Foster and and Keith Rocco behind him. Doug Coby and Woody Pitkat were side by side for sixth place, with Joey Cipriano and Danny Cates side by side for eighth. The field quickly settled into single file with Pennink leading Christopher, Reen, Foster, Rocco, Pitkat, Coby, and Cipriano with 8 laps on the scoreboard. The caution came out with 10 laps complee for a spin by Zach Aszklar on the frontstretch.

Continue reading ‘Lavoie Wins DARE Stock Xtra Mart Xtra D Feature at Stafford; Pennink, Fearn, Membrino, & Arute Also Score Feature Wins’

Jay Goff Enjoying Early Season Success on Shoestring Budget

Published at May 16, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — For hometown driver Jay Goff, the 2013 season at Stafford Motor Speedway has been the season that almost didn’t happen. Goff was laid off from his job in the off season and it was only through several consulting jobs he took on that got him and his #07 SK Light to the track for the Spring Sizzler. After back to back top-5 efforts in the first two races of the 2013 season, Goff is hopeful that he can find sponsorship to run the entire 2013 season and make a run at the track championship.

“I got laid off from work after the Fall Final last year, so money has been tight since most of it comes out of my own pocket for racing,” said Goff. “I have great support from my family, which helps, and we decided to race this year as we could financially. I was able to pick up a couple of consulting jobs, which got me to the Spring Sizzler. We really thought we were done around Christmas time. If not for those consulting jobs, we wouldn’t have made the Sizzler. The car is basically the same as it was at the Fall Final. We refreshed the engine and we added a couple of new parts and pieces, but the car was just sitting in my garage. Our plan for this year was to race as much as we can and have some fun, and so far we’re doing that. We have to watch every penny right now, so we’re probably going to be racing a little longer on older tires than we want and getting a primary sponsor would definitely help us out with that. I do have a couple of product sponsors, NAPA of Tolland, they’ve been very helpful, Personal Touch Landscaping, and Rob B’s Plumbing, who purchases my fuel. I also have Team 78 Publications, they build go-kart engines and they help me out with tires. We were pretty successful at the Sizzler, and we were pretty successful last week, so we’re going to continue to take things race to race.”

After starting his racing career in the late 70’s, Goff finally was able to drive his car into CARQUEST Victory Lane at Stafford last season when he won on June 15th. That victory, plus his good start to the 2013 season, has Goff hoping for bigger things this season if he can keep on racing.

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Justin Bonsignore Looking to Continue Good Fortunes at Stafford in 23rd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson presented by G-Oil

Published at May 16, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT – For NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Justin Bonsignore, Stafford Motor Speedway has been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde track. Bonsignore has two of his three career NWMT pole positions at Stafford, but in three seasons, he had yet to record a top-5 finish. That all changed at this year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, where Bonsignore drove through the field from 14th to 2nd at the checkered flag, and he is hoping to continue that good fortune when the NWMT returns to Stafford on May 24th for the 23rd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Presented by G-Oil.

“We’re always excited to come to Stafford,” said Bonsignore. “I love racing there, it’s a fun track, and especially coming off the run we had at the Sizzler. I wish we could have qualified a little better, it would have made things a bit easier, but we’re excited to get back there. It seems like we’ve always had a lot speed at the bigger tracks like Stafford and Thompson, but we haven’t been able to get the finishes. Lately we’ve been able to keep the car good for the whole race and we’re getting better and better so that makes it more fun to come back to those tracks.”

While the Sizzler was the longest race of the 2013 NWMT schedule at 200-laps, the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 will be a relative sprint race when compared to the Sizzler. Bonsignore is confident that he and his #51 M3 Technology team will be able to find a setup that will suit their car in the shorter race.

Continue reading ‘Justin Bonsignore Looking to Continue Good Fortunes at Stafford in 23rd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson presented by G-Oil’

Stafford Speedway Offering Girls Night Out Promotion for July 12th Event

Published at May 16, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that the Friday, July 12th Five-Star Series Mid-Season Stretch race program will have a Girls Night Out Promotion. As part of the promotion, all female guests will be able to purchase a $10 Adult General Admission Ticket, saving them $7.50 off the price of a regularly priced Adult G.A. ticket.

“Our BFF Friday program was a huge success and this is another way for us to be able to offer our loyal race fans another Friday night with a discounted ticket,” said SMS V.P. / CFO Lisa Arute. “There are certainly a lot of female NASCAR fans and we’re hoping to see those fans choose our July 12 race as a special Girls Night Out get together and have a great night at the track watching exciting NASCAR racing.”

The July 12th program will see all five of Stafford’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions taking part in extra distance feature events. The SK Modifieds® will race 42-laps, the Late Models will race 32-laps, the SK Lights and Ltd. Late Models will each race 22-laps, and the DARE Stock feature will be 17-laps.

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CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Randy Cabral

Published at May 16, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has lined up an impressive field of current and former open wheel champions for its 3rd Annual CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event, which will take place on Friday, June 28th this season. 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 spotlights falls on 3-time NEMA Midget Champion (2008, 2008, 2011) Randy Cabral, who will be racing to help support The Spalding Foundation.

“We’re working on some things for fundraising,” said Cabral. “We’re working on some raffle items and maybe we’ll do some 50/50 stuff at the track and then see who we can get to make online donations. I was real good friends with Shane Hammond and this year would have been his 5th year anniversary racing, so it’s been a bit of a tough start to the season for me. He was a great friend and he is still missed to his day, so it’s nice to be able to work with the Spalding Foundation to reach out and help those who have gone through similar circumstances. I was able to meet with them last year at Stafford and they’re great people to be associated with. It’s an awesome situation, I love doing the charity stuff, and it’s going to be a good time, I can’t wait.”

This year’s edition of CARQUEST Champions For Charities will be Cabral’s third time behind the wheel of a Senior Outlaw Wild Thing Kart. Cabral has finished 10th and 11th in the first two races and he is looking forward to putting his experience to good use and come away with a good finish in this year’s race.

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Rocco Aiming High In National Race

Published at May 14, 2013 in NASCAR WA-AS, Stafford, Thompson and Waterford. Closed

Pulliam Is Early Points Leader In Whelen All-American Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Despite an early season injury, Keith Rocco expects to be a contender in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national point race. Rocco was the series’ 2010 national champion and placed second to Lee Pulliam for the 2012 national title. Pulliam is off to an early lead in the 2013 national point race.

Rocco, 28, of Wallingford, Conn., is maintaining a winning pace despite injury. He broke a bone near his left wrist in an SK Modified heat race accident at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on April 27. After finishing fourth in that night’s feature event, he went to a hospital where the injury was diagnosed and placed in a “soft” cast. He started the following day’s SK Modified feature at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Under the first caution, seven-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Mike Stefanik hopped in the car and drove it to a seventh-place finish.

With no more need for a relief driver, Rocco returned to Waterford’s Victory Lane May 4. A runner-up finish to Ryan Preece at Stafford last Friday pushed Rocco’s eight-race record for the season to four wins, six top-fives and seven top-10s. He leads the Connecticut state point race and is seventh in the national standings.

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Gray Wins Xtra Mart Late Model Xtra D Feature at Stafford; Preece, Talman, Burnham, & Lavoie Also Score Feature Wins

Published at May 10, 2013 in NASCAR WA-AS and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back on track under the lights for the first time in 2013 with the Xtra Mart Late Model Xtra D program on Friday night, May 10th. Adam Gray was the winner of the extra distance 35-lap Late Model feature, Ryan Preece scored his second consecutive victory in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Troy Talman was the second consecutive rookie winner in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, D.J. Burnham was the winner in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Jeremy Lavoie drove to victory in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Michael Gervais, Jr. took the lead at the green with Rowan Pennink moving alongside Sean Foster in a fight for second place. Woody Pitkat and Tom Bolles were side by side for fourth place behind Pennink and Foster, while Doug Coby and Keith Rocco were side-by-side fighting for sixth. Pennink took the lead from Gervais on lap-5, but the caution came out for a multicar spin in turn 2 involving Joe Williams, Raymond Grassetti, Ted Christopher, and Tommy Membrino, Jr., putting Gervais back in front for the restart.

The field didn’t complete a lap before the caution came back out for spins by Grassetti and Membrino. Pennink took the lead on the restart with Gervais and Pitkat side by side for second. Brian Sullivan pulled off the track and came to a stop on the frontstretch to bring the caution out with 6 laps complete.

Continue reading ‘Gray Wins Xtra Mart Late Model Xtra D Feature at Stafford; Preece, Talman, Burnham, & Lavoie Also Score Feature Wins’

Career Best Finish in CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Has Kelsey Rottino Looking for Big Things in 2013 at SMS

Published at May 9, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — For Willimantic native Kelsey Rottino, the 2013 CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler was a race that was 6 years in the making. Prior to the Sizzler race, Rottino’s career best finish in Stafford’s DARE Stock division was a fifth place finish in last year’s CARQUEST Fall Final. After an off-season filled with changes to his #36 Don’s Home Improvement / Lintec Steel Chevrolet, including a new DARE Stock Spec Engine, Rottino collected a career best 4th place finish and he is looking forward to bigger and better things as the 2013 season unfolds.

“I think the Sizzler was a show of more things to come from us this year,” said Rottino. “We really have the car rocking and rolling right now. During the winter we went through the car and we overhauled just about everything. We have the new spec engine, new transmission, we rebuilt the rear end, and we got a new gear ratio for the spec engine. I think that we had one of the fastest cars all weekend long and after 6 years, it was about time we got the car good. It was nice to be a front running car and racing with guys like Kris Fluckiger, and Jeremy Lavoie. I like racing with those guys, you know you’re going to get a good clean run.”

With a career best finish under his belt, the next box to check off for Rottino and the #36 team will be to put the car into CARQUEST Victory Lane this season. Rottino’s car has been to victory lane before as the car was formerly driven by Victoria Bergenty and Stacey Botticello, and Rottino thinks he and his team can finally realize their goal of winning a race.

Continue reading ‘Career Best Finish in CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Has Kelsey Rottino Looking for Big Things in 2013 at SMS’

Jay Stuart Makes Successful Return to Full-Time Late Model Racing at Stafford Speedway

Published at May 9, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — While Jay Stuart has made a handful of starts at Stafford Motor Speedway over the past few seasons, he hasn’t raced a full season at Stafford since 2003. But that long layoff didn’t affect Stuart all that much as he raced his way to a podium finish in the season opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler in his own #42 Auto Machine sponsored car.

“It’s been a while since I ran Stafford full-time,” said Stuart. “I’ve been racing here and there, mostly at Waterford and Thompson. I had a tube chassis car, which didn’t really work out for me, so I sold that car and decided to build a G-body car and come race at Stafford this season. The cars have a little bit different feel with the tire and shock combination than what they used to have, but it was like riding a bike for me. It’s a car with gas and brake pedals, and a steering wheel, so I didn’t really have to think about it too much. I’ve helped Kevin Gambacorta out and taken his car out for a few practice sessions, and Daren Clark called me last year to drive a couple of races, so I was able to get a feel for what to expect. I really like racing at Stafford and I missed running there, so we’re going to see what we can do this year. The Sizzler was a lot of fun, the officials were great, the tire guys were great, everyone was very helpful and it was a stress free weekend for us.”

As Stuart proved at the Sizzler, he is not short on experience. He is the 1994 Late Model track champion and he is 7th on the all-time Late Model winners list at Stafford with 18 career wins. While Stuart has plenty of experience to lean on, he says he is still learning new things about his car and the track.

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CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Bob Potter

Published at May 9, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has lined up an impressive field of current and former open wheel champions for its 3rd Annual CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event, which will take place on Friday, June 28th this season. 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 spotlights falls on Bob Potter, the 5-time Stafford SK Modified® Champion, and he will be racing to raise funds for Compassion for Cats of New London County.

“I’ve always been a cat person and this is a great organization,” said Potter. “Carrie Nylen spends all her time and money taking in stray and abandoned cats and give them shots, they spay and neuter the cats, and they provide a home for the cats until they can find an owner to adopt the cats out to. She does it all for charity, so she isn’t making any money and that’s why I want to help her out. There isn’t a lot of people like Carrie out there today.”

While Potter is no stranger to the Stafford half-mile with 5 SK Modified® track titles and 24 career feature wins, he is still a relative newcomer to the Senior Outlaw Wild Thing Karts that the CARQUEST Champions For Charities drivers will be using.

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FRIDAY FEATURE: State Line – Concentration Makes NASCAR Modified Racing Special

Published at May 3, 2013 in NASCAR WA-AS, NASCAR WMT, Stafford, Thompson and Waterford. Closed

MODIFIED COUNTRY, Conn. – It is a 31-mile drive from Stafford, Conn., straight across the state to the town of Thompson. From there, it’s a 53-mile virtual straight shot down I-395 to the Waterford, along the Connecticut shoreline. Heading back to Stafford? That’ll run 52 to miles to the northwest, back into the heart of what is clearly demarcated as “Modified Country.”

On a map, it’s an upside-down acute triangle that perfectly cradles the epicenter of the NASCAR Modified universe.

One-half of the drivers entered in last weekend’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour call The Nutmeg State home. Nearly all of the others come from the area a stone’s throw across the sound to Long Island.

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Atlantic Coast Trailer Sales Joins Stafford Speedway Contingency Program as SK Modified® Sponsor

Published at May 2, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Atlantic Coast Trailer Sales of North Oxford, MA has signed on to become the newest member of the Stafford Motor Speedway Contingency Program. Atlantic Coast was formerly a Late Model contingency sponsor at Stafford, and they have rejoined the program for the 2013 season under new ownership. Atlantic Coast will provide a $150.00 bonus to the first place finisher of each SK Modified® feature event during the 2013 season.

“We recently purchased Atlantic Coast from Dave Posocco and Gil Bertrand, and we’re looking for ways to keep the Atlantic Coast name out there,” said Larry and Leslie Moloney, new owners of Atlantic Coast. “Racecar trailers are our specialty, we love the SK Modified® division and they bring in the biggest crowds to the track. We sell a lot of trailers to the competitors at Stafford and this is a great way for us to maintain our presence in the racing community while also being able to give something back to the racing community. Everyone here in the company races, from midgets to stock cars, and we all have a great time keeping track of who the feature winners are each week.”

Atlantic Coast Trailer Sales is your one stop source for all your trailer needs: aluminum trailers, concession trailers, race car trailers, enclosed trailers, landscape trailers, snowmobile trailers, utility trailers, ATV trailers, cargo trailers, skid steers, deckovers, equipment trailers, motorcycle trailers and dump trailers. Atlantic Coast’s showroom hours are Mon. and Fri. 8am-5pm and Tues.-Thurs. 8am-7pm, and Sat. by appointment only. Atlantic Coast offers a wide variety of services ranging from tires and wheels to custom fabrication and their service dept. is open Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm.

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Waterford Championship Car Owner Al Gaudreau Passes at 70

Published at April 28, 2013 in NEAR, Nostalgia, Stafford, Thompson and Waterford. Closed

Albert E Gaudreau
June 23, 1942 – April 27, 2013

NORWICH – Albert E. Gaudreau, 70, passed away in Norwich on Saturday, April 27th with family by his side.
He was born on June 23, 1942, the son of the late Albert J. and Annie (Mazarelli) Gaudreau. He was the beloved husband of Margaret “Peg” (Rude) Gaudreau who survives him. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary just last year.

Albert was born and raised in Norwich along with his brother Tom who now resides in Griswold with his wife Mary (Frye) Gaudreau.
Al graduated from NFA in 1960. After high school he worked as a welder at Electric Boat and for the plumbers and pipe fitters union. In 1976 he started Al’s Quality Auto and Marine Electric in New London which he ran until 2005.

Al and his wife Peg were avid auto racers. He built and owned many winning race cars in New England. He made many lifelong friends in the racing community and affectionately earned the nickname, “Buddha”. During the 70′s his car, called “Buddha’s Bullet” won 5 modified championships at the Waterford Speedbowl. In the 90′s he and his son Tommy raced Late Models and won two championships. In recent seasons he was been involved with his son Tom in a successful drag racing team. He was a great competitor and was rewarded with many checkered flags and victory lane celebrations.

Guestbook

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Santos Superb In Stafford Spring Sizzler

Published at April 28, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Gains 9th Career Win In Whelen Modified Tour, 5th At Stafford

STAFFORD, Conn. – Bobby Santos dominated NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action in winning the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway on Sunday, giving him back-to-back wins at the historic half-mile track.

The 2010 tour champion from Franklin, Mass., led nearly all 200 laps – holding on in a dash to the finish after a late-race restart.

It marks the ninth career tour win for Santos, who had notched his ninth career Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying on Saturday. He was the Spring Sizzler runner-up during his title campaign and followed that with a win in the 2011 event. Sunday’s victory marks the fifth overall Stafford win for the No. 44 Curb Records/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet driver.

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NOTEBOOK: Strategy Yields Sizzling Finish

Published at April 28, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Varied Pit Work Helps Get Drivers To Podium

STAFFORD, Conn. – After winning his ninth career Coors Light Pole Award on Saturday afternoon, Bobby Santos said that track position was more crucial at Stafford Motor Speedway than it is anywhere else on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule.

And after leading a whopping 197 of 200 laps in the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler 200 on Sunday afternoon at the half-mile oval, Santos proved his point. Even over a handful of restarts in the final quarter of the event, Santos was able to steer away from trouble and win virtually unchallenged.

But he also made quick note that there was cause for concern on restarts.

“On those restarts, anything can happen. Especially with Ryan (Preece) outside of me, you don’t really want him out there. Anything can happen with him,” Santos said. “I think the biggest thing is just the equipment. I’m lucky to have really good equipment I’m driving.”

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Preece and Hill Score Carquest Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Sunday Feature Victories at Stafford

Published at April 28, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway’s 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend continued on Sunday with feature events for the SK Modified® and Late Model divisions. Ryan Preece scored a dominating win in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, and J.J. Hill scored a wire to wire victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature event.

In the 40-lap SK Modified feature, Woody Pitkat streaked into the lead from the pole at the drop of the green flag. Glen Reen moved into second, with Sean Foster, Ryan Preece, and Dan Avery lined up behind him. Reen made a move around Pitkat to take over the lead, but the caution came out with 3 laps complete for Eric Berndt, who came to a stop in turn 4. The caution put Pitkat back in front of Reen for the restart. Under the caution, Keith Rocco came to pit road for a driver swap and Mike Stefanik took over Rocco’s ride as Rocco is nursing a left wrist injury.

Back under green, Reen got a good run to the outside of Pitkat to streak into the lead. Preece was also able to get by Pitkat for second and he moved to the inside Reen for the lead, but the caution came back out with 4 laps complete for Tommy Membrino, Jr. and Matt Galko, who spun and came to a stop against the backstretch wall.

Continue reading ‘Preece and Hill Score Carquest Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Sunday Feature Victories at Stafford’

Dowling, Wood, & Fluckiger Score CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Saturday Feature Victories at Stafford

Published at April 27, 2013 in Stafford and Uncategorized. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway opened its doors for racing in 2013 with feature events for its SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions as part of the Saturday CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend festivities. Stafford’s three NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions were joined by the Northeast Mini Stock Tour for a total of four feature events on the day to kick off the new season. Chase Dowling took the checkered flag in the 20-lap SK Light feature in his first career Stafford start, Josh Wood was the winner of the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature for the second year in a row, Kris Fluckiger won the 15-lap DARE Stock feature, and Emerson Cayer was the winner of the 25-lap Northeast Mini Stock Tour feature event.

In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Joey Ferrigno took the lead at the green, but Rick Williams spun in turn 1 to bring the caution out before a lap could be completed. On the restart, Ferrigno took the lead ahead of Tony Membrino, Jr. as Bob Charland spun in turn 2. The entire field avoided Charland and the race stayed green but it was only for one lap as Tyler Hines took a hard hit into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution back out. Just as the caution came out, Ferrigno spun at the front of the pack. But because the caution had already come out, Ferrigno was able to keep the number one position for the restart with Membrino alongside.

The field took the green flag with Ferrigno back in the lead ahead of Membrino, Shayne Prucker, Ronnie Williams, and Glenn Griswold. The caution came back out with three laps complete for a spin by Dylan Menditto.

Continue reading ‘Dowling, Wood, & Fluckiger Score CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Saturday Feature Victories at Stafford’

QUALIFYING: Santos Scores Sizzler Pole

Published at April 27, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Ninth Career Coors Light Pole For Whelen Modified Tour Veteran

STAFFORD, Conn. – Bobby Santos has the inside track in his quest for back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories at Stafford Motor Speedway after earning the Coors Light Pole Award Saturday afternoon for Sunday’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.

Santos, from Franklin, Mass., laid down a fast lap of 18.082 seconds (99.547 mph) in qualifying at the historic half mile for his ninth career Whelen Modified Tour pole. It marked the second time he’s captured the top-qualifying spot for the famed Spring Sizzler weekend, and fourth time overall at Stafford.

Todd Szegedy will join Santos in the front row for Sunday’s 200-lap Whelen Modified Tour feature after he registered a quick lap of 18.084 (99.536). The second row will consist of Rowan Pennink (18.087/99.464) and Chuck Hossfeld (18.101/99.442).

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PRACTICE: Santos Leads At Stafford

Published at April 27, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Fastest In Whelen Modified Spring Sizzler Session

STAFFORD, Conn. – Bobby Santos picked up right where he left off in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s last visit to Stafford Motor Speedway when he led CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler practice Saturday afternoon.

Santos, winner of the CARQUEST Fall Final last September at Stafford, posted a quick lap of 17.938 seconds (100.346 mph) during the 75-minute practice session. A winner of the Coors Light Pole Award three times in his career at Stafford, Santos’ lap was just behind the track qualifying record established by Ryan Preece in this event last year at 17.924 (100.424).

Santos was followed on the speed chart by Justin Bonsignore at 17.946 (100.301) and Donny Lia at 17.971 (100.161). They were the only three to top the 100 mph mark.

Continue reading ‘PRACTICE: Santos Leads At Stafford’

Austin Bessette Looking for Big Things in 2013 as he Moves from DARE Stocks to Ltd. Late Models

Published at April 25, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Hometown driver Austin Bessette is looking for big things in 2013 at Stafford Motor Speedway. After scoring three wins last year and finishing second in the DARE Stock points standings, Bessette has made the move up the Stafford ladder into the Limited Late Model division for the 2013 season. After the initial open practice session that was held on April 20 in preparation for the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler this weekend, Bessette is excited about his prospects for the season.

“Practice went great, and the power difference was amazing,” said Bessette. “We started off with a pretty decent car, we made some minor adjustments and tried some different things to see how it went. I thought we’d be a little slower since we were new at it, but we actually ended up being pretty decent towards the top of the speed chart.”

Bessette makes the move into the Ltd. Late Model division with the engine that propelled Cory Casagrande to the division championship last season, and he has a former Bill Davis car built by BFR for his chassis.

“I think we have a pretty good setup with the car, Rick Casagrande helped us out with the setup and Bob Fill installed a new front clip for us,” said Bessette. “We got the engine and rear end from Rick, and we know the motor ran well last year with Cory, so we feel pretty confident with the engine. The car is an old Bill Davis car, it had been sitting for two years with a brand new front clip on it. Bill never ran the new clip, but the car has some wins on it, so we’re hoping we can win with it. I think we can get to victory lane at least once this year.”

As Bessette chases after a trip to the top step of the podium during the 2013 season, he says his goal is to just be on the podium as many times as he can rather than focus on points and the championship. But if Bessette can achieve his stated goal, he may just end up achieving a second goal as Cory Casagrande proved last year that podium finishes can carry you to a championship.

“Our main goal for the year is to get as many podium finishes as we can,” said Bessette. “We’re not really focused on points or the championship, that will come in time. I think we have everything we need to have a great year, and I’m really looking forward to getting started, I like this division a lot better than the DARE Stock division already.”

Bessette will have the backing of a brand new sponsor in Brickenmore in 2013, a partnership that should help Bessette in his pursuit of CARQUEST Victory Lane.

“We have a new sponsor this year with Brickenmore,” said Bessette. “They called us and wanted to sponsor us because they saw how well we ran last year with the DARE Stock. They talked with us last year, and they were just looking, and over the winter they called us up and wanted to sponsor us this year. We also have Mainline Heating, NAPA of Tolland, Casey’s Café, and John the Jackman as sponsors this year. I can’t wait to hit the track this weekend for the Sizzler.”

Bessette will take his first shot at CARQUEST Victory Lane this weekend with the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” may be ordered by calling the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is $42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.

For more information on the 42nd Annual CARQUEST TECH-NET Spring Sizzler®, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.

Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR

New England Racing Fuel Renews Stafford Speedway Contingency Program Sponsorship with Sunoco Gasoline

Published at April 25, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that New England Racing Fuel with John Holland and Mike Joy have renewed their participation in the track’s Contingency Program for the upcoming 2013 season. New England Racing Fuel was the first company along with CARQUEST Auto Parts to join the SMS Contingency Program for the 1999 season and they have been part of the program every year since. The 2013 season will mark the 15th consecutive season that New England Racing Fuel has been a member of the SMS Contingency Program.

“We’re looking forward to another season at Stafford,” said John Holland of New England Racing Fuel. “We are a charter member of the contingency program and this will be our 15th season in the program. Our relationship with Stafford is our longest running and one of our most successful programs that we have done with tracks throughout the years. The competitors at Stafford give us the most feedback of any track thanking us for our support, which really shows us the value of being involved with Stafford Motor Speedway as a contingency sponsor.”

For the 2013 season, New England Racing Fuel will once again provide fuel certificates in the amount of $50 to third place finishers in each SK Modified® and Late Model feature event, and a $25 fuel certificate to the first, second, and third place finishers in each SK Light Modified, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock feature events. New England Racing Fuel will also offer $25 fuel certificates to the top-3 finishing SK Modified® and Late Model cars who compete with the SMS Spec Engine in each feature event during the 2013 season.

Continue reading ‘New England Racing Fuel Renews Stafford Speedway Contingency Program Sponsorship with Sunoco Gasoline’

R.A.D. Automachine Signs On as Newest Member of Stafford Speedway Contingency Program

Published at April 25, 2013 in Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced the formation of a Rookie of the Year award for DARE Stock drivers that will be sponsored by R.A.D. Automachine of Ludlow, MA. In order for a driver to be eligible to win the R.A.D. Automachine DARE Stock Rookie of the Year Award, a driver must not have competed in more than 5 races in the DARE Stock or a higher division at Stafford in any previous season. The award will be worth a $400 bonus to the highest finishing DARE Stock rookie driver in the 2013 points standings and will be presented at the end of season awards banquet that will be held at Maneeley’s Banquet Facility in South Windsor on Friday, November 22nd.

“This is something I wanted to do to help out the lower divisions,” said Don Wood, owner of R.A.D. Automachine. “Back when I started racing in the DARE Stock division, there was no points and the DARE Stocks have really evolved and developed as a racing division since then. I thought they could use a rookie award with all the young kids that are getting started out in the DARE Stocks. The DARE Stocks are just as competitive as every other division at Stafford, they might be slower, but they’re just as much fun to drive and race and this will be a nice bonus for someone to win this year.”

The Rookie of the Year award is not where the bonus money comes to an end from R.A.D. Automachine in 2013. With the introduction of a spec engine for the DARE Stocks this year, R.A.D. Automachine will present a weekly $30 bonus to the highest finishing spec engine DARE Stock from each feature event this season.

Continue reading ‘R.A.D. Automachine Signs On as Newest Member of Stafford Speedway Contingency Program’

Eric Berndt Looking To Get 2013 Season On Track With Strong Finish In 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler

Published at April 25, 2013 in NASCAR WMT, Stafford and Uncategorized. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — For Cromwell native Eric Berndt, the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season got off to a less than desired beginning. Berndt qualified 18th of 29 cars and he finished last after oil issues sidelined him after only completing 38 of 150 laps. But if there is one track that can get Berndt and the #46 Cape Cod Aggregates / North End Auto Parts team back on track, it is Stafford Motor Speedway.

Berndt has 2 career pole positions in his NWMT career with one of those poles coming at Stafford. While Berndt has yet to win a NWMT race, he nearly took his first checkered flag in the 2010 TSI Harley-Davidson 125, but a late caution erased his lead and he was a sitting duck on older tires and finished the race in sixth place. With his knowledge of Stafford from his SK Modified® experience, Berndt is looking forward to getting his 2013 season back on track.

“I like our chances going to Stafford,” said Berndt. “We’ve qualified well there in the past and we want to be able to solidify our position and get a top-5 or top-10 finish in the Sizzler. I think we should have a good car and a good shot at achieving that goal as long as nothing stupid happens to us. We just need to be there at the end. Three years ago in the May race, I think we led all but about 20 or 25 laps in that race. The caution came out around lap-105 of 125 and we were on old tires. We had some oil issues at Thompson with our backup engine, so we’re coming to Stafford with one of my family engines in the #46 and we’re looking for a good finish.”

Continue reading ‘Eric Berndt Looking To Get 2013 Season On Track With Strong Finish In 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler’

Jimmy Blewett Looking to Keep Stafford Success Going in 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler this Weekend

Published at April 25, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour comes to Stafford Motor Speedway this weekend for the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, one driver who will be looking forward to the trip is Jimmy Blewett. Blewett has scored two of his five career WMT wins at Stafford, and he recorded top-9 finishes in each of the four WMT races at Stafford last season, including a pole position and third place finish in the CARQUEST Fall Final.

“I always enjoy coming to Stafford,” said Blewett. “Stafford is one of the best tracks on the schedule, the fans there are always great, and I feel like it’s my best track,” said Blewett. “I really enjoy a challenge, and Stafford is one of the toughest tracks we go to. We usually have a good car at Stafford, so we’re feeling pretty good. With the equipment that my grandfather has given me, I definitely feel like we can come up to Stafford and go home with a win. I feel like my strong point is the longer races because the longer the race goes, the better I get, so the Sizzler being 200 laps long is a good distance.”

While Blewett’s best career finish in the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler is fifth place, that finish came in last year’s Sizzler, and with 2 Stafford wins to his credit, he knows what it will take to be victorious this Sunday.

Continue reading ‘Jimmy Blewett Looking to Keep Stafford Success Going in 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler this Weekend’

CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Doug Coby

Published at April 25, 2013 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 and this week’s CARQUEST Champions For Charities spotlight falls on defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby, who will be racing to help support The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

As a result of winning the 2012 Whelen Modified Tour championship, Coby had a host of functions to attend during NASCAR Champions Week in Charlotte and that is where he met NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion Lee Pulliam and his girlfriend, Carrie Hendrick. When Coby met up again with Pulliam and Hendrick at Daytona for the UNOH Battle at the Beach, Coby learned that Hendrick had been diagnosed as having early stages of ovarian cancer, which is what propelled him to choose the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund as his charity of choice.

“I met Lee at a photoshoot during Champions Week as soon as we landed in Charlotte,” said Coby. “We introduced ourselves right away and when you see the same people at the same places during the course of the week, you get to chatting and you learn more about what they do inside and outside of racing. With Lee battling with Keith Rocco all year for the national championship, he was definitely someone that I wanted to meet. My sister Kelly went down to the banquet with me, and she and Carrie got to do some ladies only things together, and they bonded pretty quickly. I heard from Carrie about her cancer diagnosis right before the Daytona race. I think they caught it early, so there’s a good chance for recovery. Carrie is still pretty young and she has her whole life ahead of her, but now she has to fight the cancer and go through chemo, so there’s a lot of uncertainty there. Her situation made me think of all of the important women who support drivers at our tracks, and I know every driver has wives, girlfriends, sisters, and mothers who support them in the shop and at the track. I asked her if it would be ok to use her name to help support and bring awareness to that type of cancer research. While the money won’t be directly helping her, any money that we can raise for Ovarian Cancer Research is a big help.”

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Whelen Mod Tour Stat Advance: Stafford

Published at April 23, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Analyzing The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler At Stafford

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will headline the racing action during CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler weekend at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 28. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:

Stafford Race Setup:
• Ted Christopher is not only the all-time winningest driver in Stafford Motor Speedway history, but he also possesses the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record for most victories in the Spring Sizzler with five.
• Mike Stefanik is one behind Christopher on the Sizzler win list with four, but he holds the NWMT record for total Stafford triumphs with 20.
• Reigning NWMT champion Doug Coby won three of the four races at Stafford last year, including the Spring Sizzler.
• Four of the previous eight winners of the Spring Sizzler have gone on to capture the season championship, including the defending race winner Coby.

Continue reading ‘Whelen Mod Tour Stat Advance: Stafford’

Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes: Stafford

Published at April 22, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Coby Returns To Where Title Campaign Started

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Even though Stafford Motor Speedway is 75 miles from Doug Coby’s hometown, but during his 2012 championship season Coby might as well have called it “Home Sweet Home.”

Coby, from Milford, Conn., launched his title campaign in earnest with a victory in last year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at the Connecticut oval, then strengthened it with wins in two of the remaining three races there on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. Without those three Stafford checkered flags, who knows how Coby’s season would have gone.

The tour’s record book for Stafford is dominated with accomplishments from Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik, but Coby is positioning himself as the present-day master of the historic half mile. Including those three wins from last year, Coby has seven-straight top-10 finishes at Stafford and has led laps in six of his last 10 Whelen Modified Tour races there.

Continue reading ‘Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes: Stafford’

New England Racing Fuel’s John Holland to Serve As Grand Marshal of 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler

Published at April 19, 2013 in NASCAR WMT and Stafford. Closed

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that John Holland, co-owner of New England Racing Fuel, will serve as the Grand Marshal of the 42nd Annual CARQUEST TECH-NET Spring Sizzler. Holland, along with his partner Mike Joy, have been the official fuel supplier to Stafford for over 20 years and they have been members of the SMS Contingency program since the inception of the program in 1999, providing gas certificates to the top finishers from each of Stafford’s feature events.

“I’m super excited about this opportunity and it’s a real honor for me to serve as the Grand Marshal of the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler,” said Holland. “I really appreciate Rich Pallai from CARQUEST and Stafford Speedway for giving me the opportunity to be the Grand Marshal. When you look at Stafford Speedway and the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, there is a lot of history both at the track and the race itself, and I’ll try to do the best job that I can as the Grand Marshal.”

New England Racing Fuel is currently the official fuel supplier for almost every circle track in New England and they provide gasoline for a wide variety of racing cars ranging from modifieds and full fendered cars. New England Race Fuel also formerly serviced Grand-Am road racing machines as well, with several tracks in Canada.

Continue reading ‘New England Racing Fuel’s John Holland to Serve As Grand Marshal of 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler’

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