Nick Salva Looking to Make MArk in Stafford’s SK Light Modified Division in 2012
Stafford Springs, CT — After several seasons in Stafford’s DARE Stock division, Nick Salva is ready to make the move into the SK Light Modified division. As Salva makes the move into the open wheel ranks for the first time in his career, he has help from a face that is very familiar to modified fans at Stafford. Salva’s uncle is none other than 3-time SK Modified® champion Bo Gunning and it was a call from Gunning that led to Salva’s landing in the SK Light division for the 2012 season.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the modified division and I came home from work one Sunday and my Dad told me to call Uncle Bo,” said Salva. “I called Bo and he said that he had a car that was just sitting around and he asked me what I had planned for the 2012 season and we decided to put an SK Light car together.”
The car that Salva will drive during the 2012 season will be a familiar sight to the fans of Stafford’s early days of SK Modified® racing as the car will be numbered #98 and painted in the same scheme that Gunning had on his #98 car in 1983 when he won the first of his three SK Modified® championships at Stafford.
“The car will have the same paint scheme that Bo had on his first championship winning car,” said Salva. “It brought him a lot of luck, so hopefully it will bring me some luck too. Having the number 98 on the car means a lot to me, it has a lot of history at Stafford with Bo. Every time I see my name and that number in the team listing on the Stafford website I have to pinch myself.”
While Salva won’t make the season opening event, his plans are to race the remainder of the 2012 schedule and pick up on the momentum he established while racing in the SK Light feature event during last year’s CARQUEST Fall Final. Salva started last in the 22-car field and he ran as high as 10th in the #31 car before finishing 14th after his power steering failed.
“We have a few odds and ends left over to convert the car from an SK to SK Light,” said Salva. “We should be ready to go around the end of May or early June. We bought Kyle Spencer’s engine and everything on the car was relatively new and straight, so we feel like we have a good shot at doing well this year. We’re going to bring the car to John Jensen and check the front clip and we’re looking forward to having some fun this year. The Fall Final last year was my first time in a modified and we got as high as 10th before we lost the power steering a couple of laps from the end and I had to settle for 14th. All in all, it wasn’t a bad start for our first time out.”
In addition to good equipment, Salva has a three-time champion to lean on for tips on how to get around Stafford the fast way as well as his crew chief Bob Buffinton and his father, Tom Gunning.
“It’s great to have someone like Bo as a mentor,” said Salva. “Last year at the Fall Final we went from about 1.5 seconds off the pace up to 8th or 9th in the practice session for the SK Lights, and that was after just talking with Bo about how I was driving the car. Bob Buffinton, my crew chief, he’s been around for a while and he really knows his stuff and my Dad has been around just as long as Bo has. Bo is probably more excited about the season than I am, so we’re really excited about the season.”
The 2012 SK Light Modified season will kick off with the 41st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27-29. Tickets for the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are available and on sale now through the SMS 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 will be priced at $42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
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