Richie Pallai, Jr. Set to Chase SK Modified® Track Championship and Make Whelen Modified Tour Debut at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — With the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Stafford Motor Speedway less than a month away, race teams are busy preparing their cars and making final tweaks and adjustments for the first event of the season, the 38th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. For third-year SK Modified® driver Richie Pallai, Jr., the off-season workload has been doubled as he his not only preparing his Bosch Spark Plugs SK Modified, he is also preparing a Whelen Modified Tour car that he hopes to debut in May at Stafford for the TSI Harley-Davidson Classic event.
Pallai and his team bought former SK Modified® and Whelen Modified Tour competitor Mike Molleur’s equipment during the 2007-2008 offseason and planned to debut last year on Tour, but maintaining his SK Modified® effort put those plans off until this year.
“Our original plan was to try the Tour car last year, but we had a few wrecks with the SK and fixing the car week to week took up all of our time,” said Pallai. “Our plan is to test the car in early May and then try to qualify for the May race at Stafford. Ultimately we’d like to attempt the three races at Stafford, the race at Chemung and possibly Thompson, and the open modified show at Seekonk.”
As Pallai looks forward to making his Whelen Modified Tour debut in May, he knows that even with all the laps he has turned in both the SK Modified® and SK Light Modified divisions at Stafford over the past three seasons, he faces two of the hardest laps he has ever had to turn.
“I think the toughest thing for me will be time trials,” said Pallai. “I’ve never had to time trial for a race before, so hopefully I can put two good laps together and we can get in the show. I think that if I can get in the show, I’ll do all right because I think the longer distance races suit my driving style. Last year in the 150-lapper, we didn’t really start turning fast laps until around lap-90. It’s all about finding a rhythm and saving the car so that you can get going at the end of the race, which is how I like to race.”
In addition to making his Whelen Modified Tour debut, Pallai’s main focus for the 2009 season will be contending for the SK Modified® track championship at Stafford. In 2008 Pallai turned in a career best fifth place finish along with 7 top-10 finishes under the guidance of Stafford’s 2005 track champion Lloyd Agor and his championship winning crew chief Chuck Madigan. Pallai’s 2008 season culminated with leading over half of the Fall Final SK Modified® feature before being collected in an accident, a performance that has Pallai looking for bigger and better things this year.
“I really think there’s no reason why we can’t be contenders for the championship this year,” said Pallai. “This is going to be my second year together with Lloyd and Chuck, and it’s great to be able to work with them because they have been there and done that. I think we showed everyone at the Fall Final what we are capable of doing. We had the dominant car until we got taken out. I don’t see any reason why we can’t get our first win this year. If we can get a couple of wins this year and finish on the podium a few more times, I really think we can contend for the championship. We have everything we need to be contenders.”
Pallai will once again pilot the #2 SK Modified® with sponsorship from Bosch Spark Plugs, Mahle Engine Products, Gates Belts & Hoses, Super Clean, East Penn Manufacturing, Sachs Clutches, and Grote Lightning. For 2009 Pallai has added a few new sponsor’s to his program in Lucas Oil Products, Spectra Premium Radiators, BC Designs, Ringers, and ThermoTec products.
“I have to thank all my sponsors, they’re great marketing partners and we certainly couldn’t race every week without their support,” said Pallai.
In addition to his SK Modified® and Whelen Modified Tour efforts, fans at Stafford may also see Pallai behind the wheel of a Late Model during the 2009 season. Pallai has been entered as the driver of Ryan Posocco Racing’s #3 entry, which carried Posocco to three of his four career track championships at Stafford.
“I talked with Ryan over the winter and if he decides to bring the car to the track, then I’m going to be driving,” said Pallai. “It all depends on Ryan and if he wants to bring the car to the track or not. I would love to drive the Late Model, it would be fun to get some seat time in different style of car than the modified.”
Pallai’s busy season gets kick started at the 38th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST on April 24-26. Tickets for “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway box office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 25, and Sunday, April 26 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 24 practice session open the public free of charge.
Fans can see Pallai attempt to make his Whelen Modified Tour debut at the 19th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson Classic on Friday, May 22. Tickets for that event are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway box office and are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $32.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order Spring Sizzler 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