38th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Event Notebook
2009 CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR EVENT NOTEBOOK
· The 38th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will represent race 2 of 14 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on their 2009 schedule of events.
· Total posted awards for the 38th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are $88,546.
· Ted Christopher is the defending champion of the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. The Sizzler victory was the first of 4 wins for Christopher last season as he went on to win the championship. Christopher was the second consecutive driver to win both the Sizzler and the WMT Championship in the same season, following Donny Lia in 2007. Other drivers who have won both the Sizzler and the WMT Championship in the same season include Richie Evans (1985), Mike Stefanik (1989, 1997, 1998), and Tony Hirschman (2005).
· As of April 20, 2009, Stafford Motor Speedway has received 36 entries for the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
[NASCAR WMT Spring Sizzler Entry List]
· Mike Stefanik leads all Whelen Modified Tour drivers with 20 career victories at Stafford Motor Speedway. Other WMT drivers who have filed entries for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler that have won at SMS include Reggie Ruggiero (8 career wins), Ted Christopher (8 career wins), Ed Flemke, Jr. (3 career wins), Todd Szegedy (3 career wins), Donny Lia (2 career wins), Doug Coby (1 career win), Jamie Tomaino (1 career win), and Jimmy Blewett (1 career win).
· Mike Stefanik also leads all Whelen Modified Tour drivers with 15 career Coors Light Pole Positions at Stafford. Other drivers entered into the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler who have won multiple Coors Light Pole Positions at Stafford include Reggie Ruggiero (7 poles), Donny Lia (6 poles), Rob Summers (4 poles), Ted Christopher (2 poles), Todd Szegedy (2 poles), and Eric Beers (2 poles). Drivers with a single Stafford Coors Light Pole include Ed Flemke, Jr., Matt Hirschman, Ryan Preece, Carl Pasteryak, and Jamie Tomaino.
· 5 former Spring Sizzler winners have submitted entries for the 38th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. They are Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher (4 wins), Reggie Ruggiero (2 wins), Doug Coby and Donny Lia (1 win).
· Matt Hirschman holds the Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour track qualifying record of 18.009 seconds – 99.950mph. Hirschman set this mark during Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the 2007 Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
· Rick Fuller holds the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler 200-lap race record of 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 35 seconds at an average speed of 79.382mph. Fuller set this record during the 1992 running of the race.
· Whelen Modified Tour Coors Light Pole Qualifying will commence at 1:30pm on Saturday, April 25. Qualifying will consist of two consecutive green flag laps. The faster lap will determine qualifying time and starting position. The fastest 28 cars from time trials, will earn starting positions in Sunday’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. The fastest qualifier will draw to determine a redraw of the top 6, 8, or 10 cars. Four provisional starting positions based on 2008 WMT owner and driver point standings. A past champion’s provisional is also available to make up the 33-car starting field.
· The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will mark the first of four appearances by the Whelen Modified Tour at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2008. The WMT returns on May 22nd for the TSI Harley-Davidson Classic, August 7th for the Town Fair Tire 150, and October 4th for the CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend.
· Last year’s Whelen Modified Tour winners at Stafford Motor Speedway were Ted Christopher (Spring Sizzler), Chuck Hossfeld (TSI Harley-Davidson Classic), Jimmy Blewett (Town Fair Tire 150), and Mike Stefanik (CARQUEST Fall Final).
· The CARQUEST Spring Sizzler will mark the 91st NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event to be held at Stafford Motor Speedway and 506th event overall since the series’ inception in 1985.
· Richie Evans won the first Whelen Modified Tour event held at Stafford Motor Speedway – the April 14, 1985 Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
2008 TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER RECAP
· Ryan Preece was the Coors Light Pole winner for last year’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. Preece’s pole time was 18.057 seconds – 99.684mph.
· Ted Christopher is the defending champion of this event. Christopher’s margin of victory last year was .719 seconds over Eric Beers. Christopher started the race in the 5th position, and led the race twice for a total of 27-laps.
· 2008’s top-ten finishers were: 1.Ted Christopher, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Chuck Hossfeld, 4. Mike Stefanik, 5. James Civali, 6. Rowan Pennink, 7. Richard Savary, 8. Jamie Tomaino, 9. Todd Szegedy, 10. Glenn Tyler.
· Ted Christopher led the most laps in last year’s race. He led 79 of the race’s 200 laps. Other lap leaders included Ryan Preece, who led for 64 laps, Eric Beers, who led for 31 laps, Rob Summers, who led for 25 laps, and Jimmy Blewett, who led 1 lap.
· Time of the race was 1 hour, 47 minutes and 2 seconds, at an average speed of 56.057 mph. There were 13 caution periods for 71 laps. 5 drivers exchanged the lead on 7 occasions. 15 of 33 cars finished on the lead lap.
TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER RACE HISTORY
· The Tech-Net Spring Sizzler is the longest continuously run NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event in the country.
· This will be the 38th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST. The first Spring Sizzler was held in 1972 and was won by Fred DeSarro.
· 22 different drivers have won the CARQUEST Spring Sizzler. Multiple CARQUEST Spring Sizzler winners include Mike Stefanik (1989, 1990, 1997, 1998), Ted Christopher (1988, 2002, 2003, 2008), Richie Evans (1975, 1976, 1985), Maynard Troyer (1977, 1978, 1979), Rick Fuller (1992, 1999, 2000), Mike Ewanitsko (1994, 1995), Reggie Ruggerio (1987, 1993), and Greg Sacks (1982, 1983). Single race winners include Fred DeSarro (1972), Ed Flemke (1973), Bugsy Stevens (1974), Geoff Bodine (1980), Bob Polverari (1981), Jimmy Spencer (1984), Brian Ross (1986), Jeff Fuller (1991), Jan Leaty (1996), John Blewett, III (2001), Jerry Marquis (2004), Tony Hirschman (2005), Doug Coby (2006), and Donny Lia (2007).
2009 CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES EVENT NOTEBOOK
· NASCAR New England – SMS’ own in-house television program, will return for its sixth season.
· All NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature events will be green flag laps only, caution laps will not count towards the feature total. SK Modified® features will regularly be 40-laps, Late Model features will be 30-laps, SK Light Modified features will be 20-laps long, Limited Late Model features will be 20-laps, and DARE Stock features will be 15-laps.
· Last year’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler feature winners were Rob Summers (SK Modified), Woody Pitkat (Late Model), Scott Foster, Jr. (Late Model 16), Chris Matthews (SK Light), Bill Davis (Limited Late Model) and Norm Sears (DARE Stock).
· Keith Rocco is the defending Stafford Motor Speedway SK Modified® champion. Rocco drove to 2 wins, 14 top-5, and 14 top-10 finishes to outpoint Ted Christopher by 36 points for the championship.
· Ryan Posocco is the defending Late Model track champion. Posocco drove to 7 wins, 16 top-5, and 17 top-10 finishes to outpoint Dillon Moltz by 86 points for the championship.
· Joe Allegro, Jr. is the defending SK Light track champion. Allegro scored 11 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes to win the championship by 14 points over Chris Matthews in a tight race that saw 4 drivers mathematically eligible to win the title at the Fall Final. Allegro has moved to the SK Modified® division for the 2009 season, so there will be a new champion at season’s end.
· Bill Davis is the defending Limited Late Model track champion. Davis took home 3 wins, 15 top-5, and 16 top-10 finishes to take the championship by 22 points over Sean Foster.
· Norm Sears is the three-time defending DARE Stock track champion. Sears drove to the DARE Stock track championship with 2 wins, 11 top-5, and 15 top-10 finishes to take the title by 8 points over Scott Roy. This season, Sears will be driving in the Limited Late Model division, assuring that there will be a new DARE Stock track champion this season.
· 184 total number requests have been submitted for the 2008 racing season at SMS. 51 numbers in the SK Modified® division, 43 numbers in the Late Model division, 32 numbers in the SK Light Modified division, 26 numbers in the Limited Late Model division, and 32 numbers in the DARE Stock division.
· The SK Modified division had 8 different winners in 17 races last season: Woody Pitkat (5), Ted Christopher (4), Keith Rocco (2), Frank Ruocco (2), and Doug Coby, Bo Gunning, Kenny Horton, and Rob Summers.
· The Late Model division had 6 different winners in 17 races last season: Ryan Posocco (7), Dillon Moltz (5), Joe Rzeszutek (2 wins), and Michael Bennett, Corey Hutchings, and Woody Pitkat.
· The SK Light division had 8 different winners in 18 races last season: Chris Matthews (7), Mark Bakaj (4), Chris Bakaj (2), and Raymond Grassetti, Earl Pelletier, Alan Provost, Tony Santangelo, and Harry Wheeler.
· The Limited Late Model division had 8 different winners in 17 races last season: Sean Foster (4), Bill Davis (3), Andrew Durand (3), Rob Dow (2), Joey Ferrigno (2), and Carla Botticello, Darrin Havanec, and Charlie Newman.
· The DARE Stock division had 12 different winners in 17 races last season: Norm Sears (2), Scott Roy (2), Kyle Casagrande (2), Don Wood (2), and Dan Flannery (2 wins), and Matt Chiarizio, Bill Dunn, Jeff Jolly, John Kasper, Todd LaPorta, Duane Provost, and Robert Thompson.
FINAL 2008 SK MODIFIED® POINTS STANDINGS
FINAL 2008 LATE MODEL POINTS STANDINGS
FINAL 2008 SK LIGHT MODIFIED POINTS STANDINGS
FINAL 2008 LIMITED LATE MODEL POINTS STANDINGS
FINAL 2008 DARE STOCK POINTS STANDINGS
FINAL 2008 RELIABLE WELDING & SPEED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS STANDINGS
NEXT EVENT:
Friday, May 1, 2009
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series – Opening Friday Night – Main Events 7:30PM
SK Modified® (40), Late Model (30), SK Light (20), Limited Late Model (20), DARE Stock (15)
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR