Todd Owen Looks to Carry End of 2009 Momentum into 2010 SK Modified® Season at Stafford Motor Speedway

By admin January 15, 2010 Stafford

Stafford Springs, CT — With the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season looming on the horizon, Stafford Motor Speedway SK Modified® competitor Todd Owen is flush with excitement about his prospects for the new season. In the final 7 races of the 2009 season, Owen scored 6 top-6 finishes, including 3 second place finishes, and he looks to build upon that success and challenge for the 2010 track championship.

“We’re really looking forward to the 2010 season,” said Owen. “We made some big gains on the car last year and we started running well, which really picked up the entire team. We’ve struggled a bit the past couple of seasons, but we spent last year focusing on getting the car back to where it needed to be and we ended up hitting on something during the middle of the year.”

In an ironic twist of fate, Owen and his team hit on a car combination that returned the car to its front-running ways after a hit to the rear of Owen’s car necessitated the installation of a brand new rear end.

“We got hit from the back and taken out in a heat race,” said Owen. “We took the car back to the shop and replaced the rear end. When we came back to the track the next Friday night, which was the SK® 150, the car felt like it did a couple years ago. The car stayed consistent for 150 laps and the car was fast again when we came back the following Friday. The racing game is a two-part deal. There is the car and the driver, and both parts have to be working well to run up front, especially at Stafford where there are so many good cars. If your car is good and is working, you’re going to have the confidence to stick it in there and make a move where you might not make that same move if your car is off a little. The second half of the year helped me get some confidence back where I could make moves on the track that I wouldn’t have made a year or two ago.”

After winning SK Modified® Rookie of the Year honors in 2003, Owen finished second in the SK Modified® points standings in 2004 and 2005, scoring 4 wins during those two seasons. After his explosive second half of 2009, Owen looks to break from the starting gate strong at the 39th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler this season and contend for the 2010 SK Modified® track championship.

“We’re going to try to run up front as much as we can and let the points take care of themselves,” said Owen. “With the high level of competition at Stafford, there is bound to be at least one or two guys that start the season out strong and you have to be able to keep pace with them if you want to win the championship. If you get behind right away, you spend the rest of the season trying to catch back up and its hard to gain points on guys like Teddy [Christopher] and Keith [Rocco].”

As the 2010 season draws closer to a green flag at Stafford, the SK Modified® division isn’t the only thing that Owen has on his mind. In addition to his SK Modified® duties, Owen will be piloting a Modified Racing Series car at Stafford’s Inaugural Shark Cycle 100 on September 10th.

“I’m really looking forward to the Modified Racing Series race at Stafford,” said Owen. “Those cars are pretty similar to a Modified Tour car and I’m looking forward to driving that type of modified around Stafford. We have a win and a third place finish at Thompson in that car, so we’re looking forward to racing that car at Stafford.”

The 2010 SK Modified® season kicks off with the 39th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 23-25, 2010. 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 24, and Sunday, April 25 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 23 practice session open to the public free of charge.

For more information, or to order CARQUEST Tech-Net 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