J.J. Hill Set to Defend Late Model 100 Title at Stafford Speedway on August 19th
Stafford Springs, CT — The Late Model division at Stafford Speedway will take center stage next Friday night, August 19th, with the 18th Annual running of the Late Model 100. Fresh off his first Late Model feature victory of the 2011 season last Friday night, Stafford Motor Speedway Late Model driver J.J. Hill is ready to defend his Late Model 100 victory of one year ago, which was also his first career Late Model victory at the Connecticut half-mile facility.
“We’re looking forward to the race,” said Hill. “We had some bad luck for 3 weeks in a row, so last Friday we came to the track with a little different setup, and it worked out for us. The car seemed to stay pretty consistent throughout the run where other guys look like they slowed down a little at the end. It was good to get a win for everyone on the team and it was good to get a win for our sponsor Ticket Network.com. We have had a lot of bad luck this season and we finally had some the right kind of luck last Friday night with the race going green. Picking up that win last Friday night really turned our season around.”
Hill’s victory last Friday night came in a 30-lap race that ended up going from green to checkered. In a 100-lap event, there is usually a stretch of the race that sees a long green flag run, which could end up playing right into Hill’s hands as he enjoys the longer races.
“I’ve always liked the longer races and the long green flag runs,” said Hill. “You can take your time getting to the front where in the 30-lap races you really have to go right away. I don’t feel like I ever overuse the car, but at the start, if there’s a move that I’m not sure about, I can take another lap or two before trying to make the pass. And if you’re faster than the car in front of you, you’re eventually going to get by, so you can take your time. We’re not sure what to expect with the tires if we have a long green flag run in the 100. I think in last year’s race we went 50 green laps at one point and our car seems to get faster the longer we run, so that definitely adds some confidence for us going into the race. I think the tires are going to play a big factor. I don’t like going out for a feature with brand new tires, so last year, we scuffed in 4 new tires the week before the 100 during a practice and I think we’ll probably do the same thing this year. We might scuff only 3 tires because we don’t abuse the left front all that much and we might start the race with a little less stagger.”
Hill’s win last Friday night vaulted him into 8th place in the Late Model championship point standings. Hill is currently 96 points behind championship leader Ryan Posocco but he is only 20 points behind Corey Hutchings in fifth place. If Hill can repeat his 100-lap victory from one year ago, it would give him and his #41 TicketNetwork.com team some added momentum for the final five races of the 2011 season as they try to hit their preseason goal of a top-5 finish in the points standings.
“Another win in the 100 would be huge for us,” said Hill. “At the beginning of the year, my goal was to finish in the top-5 in the points standings. We’re 96 points behind Ryan so the championship might be a little far fetched for us this year, but I feel like we can be in the top-5 and there’s still a chance for us to get there. We’ve had a strong car all year long but we’re still looking for something extra. If we can keep the car clean, stay focused, use some patience, and put ourselves in the right place for the end of the race, I think we have a chance at winning the 100 again.”
Tickets for the 18th Annual Late Model 100 are priced at $18.00 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 $20.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order tickets, please 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