Ryan Preece and Keith Rocco Locked in Tight Race for Stafford SK Modified® Track Championship
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford’s SK Modified® division is currently in the midst of one of the tightest championship battles in recent memory. Entering this Friday night’s Late Model 100 race program, Ryan Preece leads Keith Rocco by only 4 points, which is 2 positions on the race track. The championship margin was 2 points, but Preece’s victory last Friday night, combined with Rocco’s second place finish, pushed the margin up to 4 points and their 1-2 finish may be a preview of what fans can expect to see over the final 6 events of the 2011 season.
Between them, Preece and Rocco have combined to win 10 of the 12 SK Modified® features run thusfar during the 2011 season. Each driver has 9 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes, while Rocco holds the advantage over Preece in the win column by a 7 to 3 margin. While the race for the championship is ultra close, the face that both drivers are separated by only 4 points is a remarkable feat, considering Rocco missed the 100-lap race due to a heat race crash that sent him to the hospital with a separated shoulder.
“I absolutely wish we didn’t have to miss that race,” said Rocco. “If we hadn’t missed that race, we probably would be out front in the points, but it’s going to make for a good points race for the rest of the season. Last week, we wacked the car pretty good early on in the race and it got toed out about an inch and a half. It was just enough to mess us up, but the car was still pretty good.”
“It’s not discouraging at all that Keith is that close to us with missing a race,” said Preece. “We had a weight issue in one of the races that took some points away from us, and we have a great car and a great team and we want to win this championship. I know Keith has won some races going away this year, but I don’t think that he’ll be able to do that for the rest of the year.”
With only 6 more races left in the 2011 season to determine who will win the championship, both drivers have the same strategy and mindset for the stretch run.
“We really don’t have a strategy, our plan is to just go out and win races,” said Rocco. “I’m sure that Ryan and his team will be doing the same thing.”
“We need to beat Keith and keep on winning races to win this championship,” said Preece. “Our strategy is going to be the same as it was last week, get the car to the front and try to win races. We need to race every race like it’s the first race of the season. Things are so close right now we can’t finish behind Keith. I think that if things keep going like they have been, it’s going to come down to the last lap at the Fall Final to who wins the championship.”
While Preece trails Rocco in the win column, he thinks that he and his crew hit upon something with their victory last Friday night that will give them an edge over the final 6 races.
“All season long, we’ve been fighting one thing that Keith was beating us at, and we fixed that last week,” said Preece. “We made a change to the car and it was the best it’s been all year long. We have 6 more races left on the schedule and that’s 6 more times we can get a win. I have so many great sponsors and people around me with J.G. Poulin Drywall, American Lamp Recycling, Sullivan and Sons, Mike Pettit, Chassis Dymanics and Mike Paquette, Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson, and NAPA of Canton, I don’t want to let anyone of them down and I want to keep winning races so that I can thank them all in victory lane.”
Both drivers have experience racing for championships, as Rocco has won 2 SK Modified® championships at Stafford and Preece was nearly the 2009 Whelen Modified Tour champion, finishing second to Donny Lia by only 16 points at the seasons end. For Rocco, winning the championship would be extra sweet after missing a race, while a championship for Preece would be a first.
“I think this would definitely be a bit sweeter if we can win this year,” said Rocco. “To not start one feature and with the year we’ve had so far, the stats speak for themselves. We want to win as many times as we can, not only for the Stafford championship, but for the National points as well.”
“My Mom and Dad always told me not to count my chickens before they hatch, so we’re just looking to go racing and win,” said Preece. “If we could win the championship this year, it would be a first for the crew and myself and it would be awesome to win a championship at Stafford. We raced with Donny Lia for the championship in 2009 and if you think too much about the championship, you can make your head crazy. I’m sure it’s going to be an intense race for this championship the rest of the year.”
Preece won the season opening SK Modified® feature at the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, and he has occupied the top spot in the points standings for all but one week this year. With 10 wins between them this season, Preece and Rocco have been the class of the SK Modified® field and it is sure to be an epic fight for the championship, which will conclude with the final checkered flag of the season on Sunday, October 2nd during CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend.
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