Dylan Liseo Takes First career Victory at Stafford Speedway in Thrilling Fashion
Stafford Springs, CT — Traditionally for some people, seven is a lucky number. For 15-year-old Dylan Liseo, the number seven may just be his new lucky number as well. For that’s the number of SK Light Modified starts it took him to get his first feature win with his family owned #42 Home Team Supply / WCCC 106.9 FM Chevrolet.
Liseo started the race on the outside pole and had built up a comfortable lead in the first half of the race after taking the lead at the drop of the green flag, but when the caution came out with 11 laps complete, he had possibly the hottest driver in the division, Tommy Barrett, Jr., alongside him for the restart.
“I was bumming about the caution because I had a huge lead,” said Liseo.
Liseo held the lead until lap-13 when Barrett, who had won two of the previous four SK Light Modified feature events, took over the point on lap 14. The caution flew again on lap-16 and Liseo restarted on the outside of Barrett and was able to take the lead on lap-17. Barrett would drive back to the inside of Liseo on the final lap and with the crowd on their feet as Barrett and Liseo barreled out of turn 4, Liseo nipped Barrett at the line by the nose of his car to take his first career victory.
“When I saw Tommy on the inside I never lifted off the gas, I just muscled the car around the outside,” said Liseo. “It was astonishing, I was really speechless! I forgot to thank Paul French, Home Team Supply, my Mom and Dad, and especially my Uncle Joe. I still can’t believe I have my name in the record books as a winner at Stafford.”
Another one of the young guns of Stafford’s SK Light division, Dylan is the third generation in his family to be involved in racing. His grandfather Tom owned a car driven by Joe Trudeau at Plainville Stadium, and his father Mike raced Stafford, Thompson, and Waterford before, he too, became a car owner. Dylan’s father bought him a quarter midget when he was 4 years old and the name on that car was “Dilly the Kid”, something that has stuck with Dylan to this day. Dylan moved from the quarter midgets to BMX bikes before moving back into the quarter midget ranks 4 years ago. Dylan raced primarily at Silver City in Meriden, CT as well as traveling to races in Indiana, New Jersey, and The Grands in Ohio.
Next for Dylan came the 600 Racing school at Charlotte Motor Speedway behind the wheel of a legends car. Legend driving turned out not to be to his liking though, as he said, “I never had trust in the car” something that he feels completely different about his SK Light.
Liseo’s car has winning pedigree at Stafford, as the chassis is the 2008 SK Modified® championship car of Keith Rocco, and his engine is the motor from former SK Light competitor Mark Bakaj’s car, which won four races during the 2008 season at Stafford. Liseo’s chassis and engine combination has proved itself a winner at Stafford, becoming the 7th different winning car in the SK Lights this season.
Dylan says his future holds a couple more years in the SK Light division at Stafford and he would love to one day be offered a ride in an SK Modified® car or even move up to the Whelen Modified Tour. For now though, he’s enjoying being the celebrity of the week, popping up on Stafford Speedway’s website as well as the WCCC.com website as a feature winner.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Linda Corliss/Stafford Motor Speedway PR