Matt Galko Racing for Second Consecutive Championship, will Make SK Modified® Debut in Stafford’s CARQUEST Fall Final
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway’s CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend promises to be a busy weekend for defending SK Light track champion Matt Galko. Galko is currently chasing a second consecutive track championship and he will also make his SK Modified® debut during the final race event of the 2011 season, set for Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd. In addition to piloting his #20 Davidson Company SK Light to what he hopes will be a second consecutive track championship, Galko will also take the wheel of the #3 Davidson Company SK Modified® that was previously piloted by Jeff Malave.
“We’re working on putting the car together right now, and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Galko. “The Fall Final is one of the biggest races of the year, so it’s even better. The SK Light is still going to be our first priority, but I’m pretty excited to get this opportunity now because this might be the only opportunity I have to drive an SK car. Of course we want to win the race, but we have to be realistic about our goals and a top-10 finish would be perfect for us. The motor in the car is a little bit older and hasn’t been refreshed in a while, but we’re going to give it all we have to try to get a top-10 finish.”
Not only will Galko be racing for a championship and making his debut in the SK Modified® division, but he will be racing to try to attract some sponsorship for the 2011 season. Galko will no longer have sponsorship from the Davidson Company and he and his team are not sure what the future will hold for them if they can’t find sponsorship.
“We don’t know what we’re going to be doing for next season,” said Galko. “We’re losing all our sponsors after this season and we need some sponsors if we want to race next season. Hopefully we can have a good run and open some eyes at the Fall Final and we can get someone to come on board with us for next year.”
After winning the SK Light championship last season, Galko is in a great position to score a repeat championship. He currently leads Joey Cipriano by 36 points, meaning that all Galko has to do to secure the championship is finish 18th or higher in the final 20-lap feature, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1st. Last year’s CARQUEST Fall Final saw Galko clinch the championship in grand style by winning the Fall Final feature, and he says that he and his team are focused on winning the race again.
“If we can get to the front, we’re going to try to win the race,” said Galko. “Last year was great and we’d like to be able to repeat last year by winning the Fall Final race and the championship. But you have to be smart and if we can’t win the race, then we’ll try to ride around in the top-5. You never know when or where trouble is going to come from, you always have to have your eyes open. We feel pretty confident with how we ran last Friday night and we’re going to be going over every nut and bolt on the car this week to make sure nothing is wrong with the car.”
The 39th Annual CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend kicks off on Friday, Sept. 30 with pit gates opening at 12:00pm with a practice session running from 2:00pm to 6:30pm for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The General Admission grandstands will be open to the public at no charge for the practice session. The G.A. Grandstands will open at 2pm.
Action continues on Saturday, Oct. 1 with Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour cars at 2:15pm, followed by heat and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions. Saturday’s events wrap up with feature events for Stafford’s SK Light Modified, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions.
The CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend continues on Sunday, Oct. 2 with the famous Stafford CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party kicking off the day’s activities from 11:00am to 12:00pm, with the final SK Modified® and Late Model feature events of 2011 being accompanied by the Whelen Modified Tour 150-lap CARQUEST Fall Final. Tickets for the CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend are available and on sale now at the Stafford Motor Speedway Box Office.
Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult General Admission, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 & under are free. Reserved seating is $38.00 for all ages. All tickets cover both Saturday and Sunday admission to the Fall Final. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783.
For more information, or to order tickets, 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