Ryan Preece Ready to Challenge for SK Modified® Title in 2011 at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — After moonlighting in the SK Modified® division at Stafford Motor Speedway during the 2010 season, Ryan Preece has a full schedule lined up for the 2011 season and he is ready to be a contender for the 2011 track championship. Preece will run the full 2011 season at Stafford in the same #40 Chassis Dynamics car that he drove last season for Mike Paquette, Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson, but the car will have a fourth partner.
Jean-Guy Poulin, who won the SK Modified® championship in 2008 as a car owner with Keith Rocco and in 2009 as a sponsor of Ted Christopher, will supply the #40 team with engines for the 2011 season. The car will also carry sponsorship from Sullivan and Sons for the 2011 season.
“We’re going to run the full season with the same deal as we had last season,” said Preece. “Jean-Guy Poulin is coming on board with us to supply us with a motor. We ran Jean’s motor for the last three races of 2010, and it’s a real good motor.”
In his limited appearances in the SK Modified® division last season, Preece recorded 8 top-5 finishes in 13 starts including his first career SK Modified® victory on September 10. Preece finished second in the prestigious CARQUEST SK 150 and in the final 7 races of the season, he recorded 5 podium finishes, giving him confidence that he can be a contender for the SK Modified® championship in 2011.
“The goal for us this year is to win the championship,” said Preece. “There’s no doubt we have all the tools we need to win, it’s going to come down to having some luck on our side and staying out of trouble. A lot of SK racing is having a good car and avoiding the wrecks. We have a good car and if we don’t bang it up then I think we can be contenders for the championship this season. Bob and Kelly have put a lot of time and money into this program and they deserve a championship. The dream is to have a season like Teddy [Christopher] or Woody [Pitkat] have had in the past, or like Keith [Rocco] had last year in the SK’s where they win a ton of races, but with the level of competition in the SK’s, that is going to be very hard to do.”
In addition to his SK Modified® duties, Preece will also drive a full season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for car owner John Lukosavage, meaning that he will be a double duty driver when the Tour makes its four stops to Stafford during the 2011 season.
“This is pretty good deal,” said Preece. “John Lukosavage is the car owner and we have Mike Paquette and Bob Cuneo helping out with the car as well. I’ll have the same crew guys working on the Tour car as the SK car, and the Tour car will be the same CD chassis that I’ll be driving in the SK’s, so I’ll know the cars pretty well. Last year I did the SK, Late Model, and Tour, so going back and forth between cars won’t be a problem. Whichever car you’re in at the moment, that’s the car that you’re focused on.”
Preece will begin his quest for an SK Modified® track championship at the 40th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 29-May 1. The Whelen Modified Tour will headline the Sizzler with Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions joining them on the card. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 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 $38.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
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: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR