Jeff Malave Looks Forward to Contending for 2010 SK Modified® Track Championship at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway SK Modified® competitor Jeff Malave is poised to challenge for the 2010 track championship after a roller coaster ride 2009 season that saw the Manchester native enjoy the highest of highs as well as the lowest of lows. Malave had a strong beginning to the 2009 season, picking up his first victory at the Connecticut half-mile since the end of the 2004 season in the second race of the year. Malave stayed in championship contention for much of the year, but poor finishes in four of the final five races dropped him from second in points all the way down to his finishing position of seventh.
“I was really happy with the year we had, it was a great season,” said Malave. “We had three bad races at the end of the year that dropped us down in the points standings. We were second for most of the year and we only finished 10 points out of third place. Those three races at the end of the year is where we lost those points, so we could have easily finished third or second. Those three races we had a broken transmission, a wreck, and we broke a rocker in the engine. The funny thing about the night we lost the transmission is we had it out of the car the previous week and it showed no signs of trouble. We came to the track the next week, we ran practice and a heat race, and still no signs of trouble. Then we went out for the feature and we lost the tranny. Some nights, you’d rather be lucky than good and we didn’t have any luck that night. We have a really good team, it’s always a privilege to drive for The Davidson Company, and I think we have a shot at winning the championship again this year.”
A big boost for Malave and the Davidson team during the 2009 season was the addition of Wendell Kilcollins coming on board as the crew chief. Before joining the Davidson team, Kilcollins turned the wrenches on the SK Modified® machine of Willie Hardie, guiding him to the bulk of his 13 career wins, including 2 100-lap wins.
“Having Wendell join the team last year was a big help,” said Malave. “Wendell is very smart and he brings a lot of racing knowledge with him.”
With the 2009 season behind him, Malave says he is primed for more success when the green flag drops on the 2010 season.
“I’m a racer and I love racing, there isn’t any place that I would rather be than at the track,” says Malave. “We come to the track every week to win and if we can’t win, we’ll start a new week up and go racing again. As long as you keep on trying, the wins will come. Stafford is a tough place to race and the competition is very tough. There is a great group of drivers at Stafford. It was just a couple years ago that we were leading the national point standings at one point during the year and I won a track championship at Thompson, so we’ve had success before and I think we’ll have a lot of success again this year and challenge for the championship.”
In addition to his SK Modified® duties at Stafford this season, Malave also has a Modified Racing Series car that he plans on running several times during the 2010 season, including the Inaugural Shark Cycle 100 at Stafford on September 10th.
“We’re going to race some of the Modified Racing Series shows this year, and I’m really looking forward to the race at Stafford in September,” said Malave. “It’s going to be nice to go to a track where I have a lot of experience compared to some of the other drivers.”
The 2010 SK Modified® season at Stafford Motor Speedway begins on April 23-25 as part of the 39th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend. Tickets for 39th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend 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 Tech-Net Spring Sizzler tickets, please 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