CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Frank Ruocco
Stafford Springs, CT — The CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday Champions for Charities Event at Stafford Motor Speedway scheduled for June 28th is building in momentum and excitement as the drivers gear up to raise funds for their respective charities. The impressive field of open wheeled division champion drivers represents 42 championships among 12 drivers. This week’s spotlight is on Frank Ruocco, the 2006 Stafford Motor Speedway SK Modified® Champion, and he will be racing to raise funds for the Lustgarten Foundation in the fight to defeat pancreatic cancer.
Ruocco has taken the challenge to fundraise to a higher level as he will be sponsoring and participating in the Bill Tamburro, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday, May 16th at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, CT. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Lustgarten Foundation. The tournament has already signed on sponsors such as Hurricane Motorsports, Sign-Pro, DP Motorsports, Rocco’s Restaurant, Stafford Speedway, and Jeff Jolly Financial Services. For more information on how you can beomce a tournament sponsor and/or play a round, please CLICK HERE.
“Over the years, I’ve become close with Mark and Lisa Arute, and being that it was Lisa’s brother Bill who passed away from pancreatic cancer, that gives a personal touch to it,” said Ruocco. “All charities are worthwhile, but it’s always better when you have a personal connection. Golf is my favorite sport. In golf, the worst thing that can happen is you lose a little white ball while in racing you can lose an entire car. The tournament is going to be a lot of fun, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone that I normally see at the track out on the golf course.”
Ruocco began racing in Stafford’s SK Modified® division in 2002, where he finished 25th in the points standings. Since that first season of SK Modified® competition, Ruocco has not finished lower than 6th in points. Ruocco has won at least one feature race every year since 2005, with a career high 4 wins coming last season. Ruocco won only once during his championship season of 2006, the only season during his current 6-year race win streak that he has not won at least twice during the year. Ruocco heads into 2011 tied with John Anderson for 8th place on the all-time Stafford SK Modified® winners list. While Ruocco has an extensive list of success in Stafford’s premier division, he will face a new challenge when he gets behind the wheel of the Senior Outlaw Kart for the CARQUEST Champions For Charities event on June 28th as part of the 8th Annual CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday.
“I’ve never driven one of these karts before,” said Ruocco. “After looking at the list of drivers that I’ll be competing against, I don’t know that I would bet on myself to win the race. I think the only chance I might have at winning this race would be if I drove my SK. But we’re all racing for good causes and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The starting lineups for the CARQUEST Champions For Charities qualifying races will be determined by how much money each driver raises for their selected charity. The starting grid will be set with the drivers who have raised the most money starting up front. Fans are encouraged to get involved in the event by donating to their favorite driver or favorite charity. To make a donation to the The Lustgarten Foundation on behalf of Frank Ruocco, and for more information on the event, please refer to the CARQUEST Champions for Charities donation page located at www.staffordspeedway.com. Stay tuned to www.staffordspeedway.com for more driver spotlights and exciting information regarding the CARQUEST Champions for Charities event.
Pancreatic cancer is the nation’s fourth leading cancer killer. Currently the only way to cure pancreatic cancer is to detect it early enough to be removed surgically, but there are no tests for early detection of pancreatic cancer at the moment. The Lustgarten Foundation’s mission is to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. For more information about the Lustgarten Foundation and how you can make a donation, please visit the Lustgarten Foundation link found by CLICKING HERE.
CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday will take place on June 28, 2011 and will also feature the ISMA Super Modifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds. Tickets for CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office and are priced 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 to the 8th Annual CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday event, 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