CARQUEST Auto Parts & Stafford Speedway Begin 27th Consecutive Year at Partners in Racing
Stafford Springs, CT — When the green flag is unfurled for the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at Stafford Speedway on April 28 & April 29, it will mark the beginning of the 27th consecutive season that CARQUEST Auto Parts and Stafford have been partners in racing. CARQUEST Auto Parts is practically synonymous with Stafford Speedway and the relationship between the two is one of the longest running associations anywhere in motorsports.
Throughout its 27-year association with Stafford Motor Speedway, CARQUEST has strived to bring to race fans new and exciting events. The 2012 season at Stafford will see a familiar event with a brand spanking new format as the CARQUEST Extreme program that features the ISMA Supermodifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds, will move from Tuesday to Saturday. The Saturday, June 30 CARQUEST Super Saturday program will mark the first time since Stafford changed their weekly format from Saturday nights to Friday nights in 1977 that a regularly scheduled event will be hosted on a Saturday at Stafford Speedway.
"At CARQUEST, our goal is to bring fans an exciting racing experience," said CARQUEST V.P. of Marketing Rich Pallai. "We decided to spice up our ISMA Supermodified show and bring Saturday night racing back to Stafford. We think the Saturday night setting will make for a more exciting show not only for the race fans, but for the drivers as well."
Along with the ISMA Supermodifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds, CARQUEST Super Saturday will see the return of the CARQUEST Champions For Charities race. The Inaugural Champions For Charities event paired past and present open wheel champions with a charity of their choosing, which culminated with the drivers squaring off against one another in a special 15-lap race using Wild Thing Kart Senior Outlaw machines. Last year's Inaugural CARQUEST Champions For Charities race raised over $44,000 for charity and the race was won by Keith Rocco after a thrilling duel for the race lead with Jon McKennedy in the closing laps.
Some of the drivers for this year's edition of CARQUEST Champions for Charities include 3-time NEMA Midget champion Randy Cabral, 2-time Pro-4 Modified Limited champion Stan Mertz, 2009 Spring Sizzler SK Modified® champion Richie Pallai, Jr., 2006 Whelen All-American Series Regional champion Woody Pitkat, 2011 SK Modified® champion Ryan Preece, 2006 SK Modified® champion Frank Ruocco, 2011 Whelen Modified Tour champion Ronnie Silk, 2010 Whelen Modified Tour champion Bobby Santos, III, 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion Todd Szegedy, and 8-time ISMA Supermodified champion Russ Wood. Stafford Motor Speedway is still in the process of sending out invitations to the CARQUEST Champions for Charities event and the full field will be announced shortly.
In addition to the newly formed CARQUEST Super Saturday event, CARQUEST Auto Parts is also the title sponsor of the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27-29, the CARQUEST SK 150 on July 20, and the CARQUEST Fall Final on Sept. 28-30. CARQUEST has been the biggest supporter of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition at Stafford, sponsoring 39 of the 90 Whelen Modified Tour events held at Stafford since 1989, meaning that CARQUEST has sponsored nearly half of all WMT events at Stafford since the 1989 season.
CARQUEST Auto Parts is a premier supplier of replacement products for all makes of automobiles. With over 3,000 locations throughout North America and 18,000-customer service associates, CARQUEST is ready to serve all your automotive needs. To locate your closest CARQUEST please refer to the store locater found at www.carquest.com.
Tickets for the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 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 $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available. All ticket holders are entitled to participate in the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party.
For more information on the 41st annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler®, 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