Former Late Model Rookie Of The Year Robert Palmer Returns To Stafford Speedway For 2013 Season
Stafford Springs, CT — Robert Palmer, who was the 1996 Late Model Rookie of the Year at Stafford Motor Speedway, will return to Stafford in 2013, driving in the SK Light Modified division. Palmer has not raced at Stafford since the 2000 season, when he ran a handful of SK Modified® feature events. Despite the long layoff, Palmer is excited about returning to Stafford to race on Friday nights.
“I love racing at Stafford, it’s the premier place to race, and I love the history at Stafford,” said Palmer. “I’m excited to be racing in the SK Light division because I think it’s the fairest division there is. I like that everyone has the same crate engine and I like the cost controls Stafford has with its rules for the SK Lights. I got started racing at Stafford in the Late Models in 1996, and my first win was in my rookie year. We ran Late Models for two years at Stafford and then moved up to the SK Modified® division where we raced a couple of times. After Stafford, I ran SK’s at Thompson for a few years, but you really need a lot of money if you want to be competitive. I went back to Late Models for a few years, and then I stopped racing. I was talking things over with my wife this winter and we made the decision to come back to Stafford to race.”
Palmer began his Stafford career in fine style driving for Championship Late Model team owner Bob Gaumond, winning a race and finishing 6th in the points standings in his rookie Late Model season of 1996. Palmer followed that up with a 2 win season in 1997 while finishing 10th in the Late Model standings. While Palmer hasn’t taken a lap around Stafford since the 2000 season, he feels confident that his track knowledge combined with the car he purchased will enable him to be competitive right out of the gate at the 2013 CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
“Our number one goal is to be competitive right from the start, and I think we can do that,” said Palmer. “I think we have everything we need in place, we just need to find a little extra sponsorship. We bought a beautiful Troyer chassis that was a Southern Modified car that was driven by Junior Miller and then Andy Seuss. The car has really good history behind it, Junior won a championship with it, so we have high hopes. It’s a new car, we’re going to have a new engine, and I haven’t forgotten how to get around the track, so I think we can be there right from the start and it would be nice if we could pull off a win or two this year.”
No driver can be successful without some good support, and Palmer has the very best in support from his wife Kate.
“One of my strongest supporters is my wife Kate, and I can’t thank her enough for being there for me,” said Palmer. “I remember our very first date was a Friday night at Stafford. We sat and watched some pretty good guys like Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher go around the track and I told her then that racing was something I wanted to do. She told me that I was on the wrong side of the fence, and she is the one who really helped to push me to the racing side of the fence. She is a very smart woman and she’s always been there for me.”
Palmer will look to get his #45 to the front of the pack for the very first time in 2013 during the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 26-28, 2013. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” may be ordered by calling 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 $42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 42nd 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