Tony Membrino Jr. Wins Stafford DARE Stock Championship
Third-Generation Driver Continues Family Tradition
For any driver, their first track championship is special. Tony Membrino Jr. captured his first career championship at Stafford Motor Speedway during CARQUEST Fall Final weekend.
When your family has been competing on local short tracks since the 1950s, you grow up around the sport. The Membrino’s are a racing family with deep roots in New England racing history. Tony’s grandfather is Tony ‘Jap’ Membrino, a popular Modified driver that drove at West Haven Speedway and won races at Plainville Stadium and Riverside Park Speedway. He was also a track champion at the old Plainville Stadium. He drove for different car owners including Ron Berndt’s #54 and the Earl Pelletier #27 but is best known for the purple #0 0.
His father, Tony Membrino continued the tradition, competing in Pro Stocks at Riverside Park and Stafford with the #00. Uncles Marty and Tommy also competed. His cousin Tommy Membrino Jr. is a Stafford regular in the SK Light Modifieds.
Tony Membrino, Jr. is the third generation to carry on the family tradition of the purple #00. ” To carry on the family legacy with the purple #00 means the world to me, said Membrino. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid, and to get the chance to carry the colors is awesome. Racing is what our family does, and I’m just thankful to now be a part of that tradition. I hope to carry the legacy on for years to come.”
The 21-year-old from Plantsville, CT, had two goals entering the 2010 season: win races and try to get the track championship. “After our season last year, I was confident we could be contenders all season long,” said Membrino. “I knew that as long as we’re consistent and stayed out of trouble, we would be there at the end of the season. We didn’t get as many wins as we may have wanted to, but we were the most consistent with a lot of top-5 finishes and never finishing outside of the top-10.” Consistent finishes were essential for Membrino, who finished the season with a 42 point lead after 21 starts, 1 win, 16 top 5-s and 21 top-10s.
Membrino is surprised about winning a championship so early in his career. “T o win a track championship “A track championship just in itself is amazing especially since it was only our second full season at Stafford,” said Membrino. “To be able to pull out a championship for my dad was phenomenal. I was thrilled to be able to enjoy the wins and the championship with him. It means a lot to me personally because this was all I ever wanted to do, but I never pictured being a champion. It really is a dream come true, as corny as that may sound.”
The most important part of the season for Membrino was his only win, at the opening weekend’s Spring Sizzler. “I knew that if we could win that race we could set our own pace and run consistent for the rest of the year,” said Membrino. “We never looked back from there, we kept finishing up front week after week, and that’s what paid off in the end.”
Membrino is quick to acknowledge his family and team for their support throughout the year. “I’d like to first off thank my dad,” said Membrino. “He is my biggest supporter and without him, none of this would be possible. We’ve been chasing races for years and he has all the confidence in the world in me. To have someone like that in your corner makes all the difference. My brother has been a big help as well. It was a little hard to keep him around the trailer, but when he was there and not at the food shack, he was the big motivator and was always running around helping out as much as he could. Joey D came into the picture the first Friday night and I had no idea who he was. It didn’t take long before we clicked. He’s a heck of a wrench and a great addition to the team. Chris came along about halfway through the season and basically just learned on the fly. He was a big help this year and he really added to the chemistry on the team. Everybody contributed a big part to this championship. My dad, my brother, Joey, Chris; those guys are the real champions.”
At this point, don’t look for Membrino to defend his championship. “We sold the car before the feature at the Fall Final,” Membrino said. “We’re looking to go Modified racing next year. I’d like to run in the SK Light division at Stafford and possibly other tracks. I drove one at the beginning of the year and I felt very comfortable and confident behind the wheel. It’s going to take some sponsor help, but I think if we get a decent operation going, I’d like to try and go for Rookie of the Year in 2011. We’ll see what happens.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com