Ryan Preece Set to Make SK Modified® Debut at Stafford May 7th; Looks Forward to TSI Harley-Davidson 125 on May 28th at SMS
Stafford Springs, CT — NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ryan Preece is set to make his SK Modified® debut at Stafford Motor Speedway this Friday, May 7th as part of the 16th Annual Lincoln Technical Institute Late Model 100. Preece will be driving the #89 owned by Mike Paquette and maintained by Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson that is normally driven at Stafford by Kerry Malone.
“I’m definitely looking forward to making my Stafford SK Modified® debut this Friday night,” said Preece. “We’re going to go out and have some fun. It’s going to help me with seat time at the track and its going to help the team with developing new equipment to get ahead of the competition. The car is a Mike Paquette car with some different stuff on it than what everyone else out there has, so it will be a little bit of an R & D run, but we’re going to try to get to the front and win the race. Stafford has been a good track for me, but there is always more that you can learn.”
The deal between Preece and the Paquette/Hitchcock/Iverson team is a part-time deal for the moment, but could turn into something more long-term.
“This is a part-time deal for me right now,” said Preece. “I’d like to run as much as we can at Stafford, but it all depends on what we can secure for sponsorship. I have a deal with the 3 team that I won’t race anything else on Whelen Modified Tour weekends, but I’d love to race at Stafford every week.”
Preece is also looking forward to returning to Stafford at the end of May for the 20th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 with his Boehler Racing team in the Whelen Modified Tour. Preece had a top-5 run going in this year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, but contact with the turn 3 wall on lap-137 damaged his right front tire and he spent several laps behind the wall for repairs before returning to the track.
“You always want to finish better than where we did, but I can’t complain with how we ran,” said Preece. “The guys on the crew made great adjustments to the car and we were really good. We’re certainly looking forward to coming back to Stafford and getting back up on the horse.”
Preece has experienced both the highs and the lows at Stafford. In 12 career Whelen Modified Tour starts, Preece has 1 win, 3 top-5, and 4 top-10 finishes to go along with 2 pole positions. It is these results, plus a new combination that isn’t so new that Preece and the #3 Boehler team will be bringing back to the track for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 that has them excited about their chances.
“Stafford is a good track for us, we feel like every time we come to Stafford we can be either a top-3 or top-5 car,” said Preece. “We ran the Ford and a newer car at the Sizzler, but we’re going to bring back the old car that we know is good. We have a New Blue and and Old Blue, and we’ll be coming back for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 with the Old Blue.”
Tickets for the 16th Annual Lincoln Tech Late Model 100 are priced at $18.00 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 priced at $20.00 for all ages.
Tickets for the 20th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office and are price at $30.00 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 priced at $32.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, 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