Todd Owen Looks to Improve by One Position in Shark Cycle 80 at Stafford Speedway on Sept. 9th
Stafford Springs, CT — When the Modified Racing Series made their first visit of the 2011 season to Stafford for the rain interrupted Lincoln Tech 80, Todd Owen had a car that was nearly the class of the field. After starting the feature from the 20th position, Owen had worked his way into 7th place before rain halted the race with 32 laps complete. When the race resumed in August, Owen continued his charge to the front and he nearly won the race, finishing second to Keith Rocco. Owen is returning to Stafford with the same car for the Shark Cycle 80 on Sept. 9th and he will be looking to improve his previous result by one position.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the race,” said Owen. “We had a good run and we’re coming back with the same car setup. The car was fast in practice, the heat, and the race the first time, so maybe we can find a little more. It should be an interesting race, everyone can work on their cars since the last race and make them better. I have an idea on how to make my car a little better and if we can have as much fun as we had in the last race, it will be a good night.”
One thing Owen will be focusing on is getting a better finish in his heat race. With the MRS procedure of the driver who passes the most cars in the heat will start on the pole for the feature, Owen went from 9th to 7th in his heat, but he missed being a qualified car by one spot, so he had to start the race from the 20th position. With a better starting position, Owen feels like he will once again be a contender for the checkered flag.
“The last race Keith [Rocco] started on the pole, so that would be a good place to start the race,” said Owen. “We drew a bad number and we were in a good heat and we just didn’t quite make a qualified position in the heat. If we had finished the heat in a qualified position, we would have had a real good starting position for the feature and maybe we could have had a better car at the end of the race. I drove the car hard from start to finish, there was no riding around. Not to take anything away from Keith, when I got to him I thought I was going to be able to go right by him, but he seemed to find another gear in his car and he pulled away.”
While a good starting position will be one of the keys to victory in the Shark Cycle 80, Owen says that another premium will be handling and track experience at Stafford in determining who will be the contenders for the checkered flag.
“I think that the guys with Tour experience at Stafford will be the favorites, but the MRS regulars will be coming back to Stafford for the second time with the same cars, so it should be an interesting race,” said Owen. “With the break we had in the first race, guys could work on their cars and at the end of the race it showed that the guys with experience were at the front. But handling is going to be the most important thing. A good starting position is important, but if the car isn’t handling, you can start on the pole and go right to the back. My car stayed consistent from start to finish the last race, it never gave up handling. You can’t hold onto a car for 80 laps with bad handling, so you definitely need to have a good handling car.”
Tickets for the Shark Cycle MRS 80 event at Stafford Motor Speedway are on sale now and are priced at $25.00 for Adult General Admission, $5.00 for Children Ages 6-14 General Admission, and $28.00 for Reserved Seating. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783, or tickets can be purchased the night of the show at the gate.
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