July 29th at Stafford Features Lincoln Tech Modified Racing Series 80, Full Card of NASCAR Weekly Racing
Stafford Springs, CT — On Friday night, July 29th, Stafford Motor Speedway will welcome the Modified Racing Series back to the track for the completion of the Inaugural Lincoln Tech 80. The Lincoln Tech MRS 80 was originally scheduled for June 24th, but a rain shower halted the race with 32 of the race’s 80 laps complete. The Modified Racing Series will complete their 80-lap feature event and there will be heat and feature races for all five of Stafford’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions. All rain checks from the original June 24 date will be honored for this event.
Pit gates will open at 1pm, spectator gates will open at 4:15pm, qualifying heats for Stafford’s SK Modifieds®, Late Models, SK Lights, Ltd. Late Models, and DARE Stocks will begin at 6:15pm, and feature events will begin racing at 7:15pm.
The Lincoln Tech MRS 80 will resume from lap-33 with Keith Rocco leading Dave Etheridge, Matt Hirschman, Chris Pasteryak, and Doug Coby. Rocco started the Lincoln Tech 80 on the pole and he led the first lap before Pasteryak went by Rocco to take over the lead on lap-2. Rocco then lost second position to Etheridge, but he moved back by Etheridge on lap-11 and he went back by Pasteryak to retake the lead on lap-13. Rocco then held the lead of the race until the rain started to fall with 32 laps complete.
After the race was red flagged for the rain shower, MRS officials impounded everyone’s tires, which Rocco says will leave the teams with an unknown when they resume the race.
“I think it’s going to be a crapshoot and a roll of the dice,” said Rocco. “We ran the tires for a couple of laps in the rain and then the tires have been sitting after they impounded them. It’s a good thing that they do with impounding everyone’s tires, but we really don’t know what we’re going to have when we start racing. It’s going to be a guessing game, but it’s the same for everyone.”
The Lincoln Tech 80 is one of three races that Rocco will try to win as he will also partake in the SK Modified® and Late Model feature events.
The East Windsor campus of Lincoln Technical Institute (formerly Baran Institute of Technology) is a 40-acre, 315,000 square foot facility. It is located conveniently off Interstate 91, (Exit 44) just north of Hartford and Bradley International Airport. The campus contains 30 classrooms, two fully equipped computer labs, a learning resource center, an auditorium, administrative offices including financial aid, admissions, student services, career services, a full service cafeteria and over 260,000 square feet of practical shop space. The shop area contains fully equipped training sections that are air-conditioned. Lincoln Tech offers hands-on training from ASE certified instructors and there are morning, afternoon, and evening classes available to fit any type of schedule. Lincoln Tech also has housing available at their Hartford and Suffield campus locations. For more information, please visit www.lincontech.edu.
For fans who do not have rain checks, there is still plenty of seating available for the Lincoln Tech MRS 80. Tickets are priced at $25.00 for Adult General Admission, Children 6-14 are $5.00, and Children 5 & under are free. Reserved seating is priced at $28.00 for all ages. Tickets can be ordered by calling the speedway office at 860-684-2783, or tickets can be purchased at the gate the night of the event.
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