Fran Siana Returning to Dare Stock Division at Stafford Speedway with a Purpose to Find Victory Lane
Stafford Springs, CT — After 7 seasons away from the DARE Stock division at Stafford Motor Speedway, Springfiefld, MA native Fran Siana will make a comeback for the 2013 season. Siana ran in the DARE Stock division from 2002-2005 with his best season coming in 2004, when he won 2 races and finished 7th in the points. From 2006-2011, Siana competed in the SK Modified® division, with his only full season coming in 2007 when he finished 17th in the points standings with 3 top-10 finishes. Siana is hoping to return to his winning ways in the DARE Stock division when the green flag is waved at the season opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27 & 28.
“I’m a little nervous about coming back, it’s been a while since I was on the track,” said Siana. “But at the same time, I’m really excited about coming back and we’re hoping that we can make multiple trips to victory lane this year. We won 3 races in 2004 and 2005 and then I ran some races in the SK Modified® division. I finished 304th in the national Whelen All-American Series points standings in 2007, which I thought was a pretty good accomplishment for me, but I felt like I could be more competitive and more of a threat to win in the DARE Stock division.”
As Siana chases after his first Stafford victory since 2005, he will be racing with a purpose. Should Siana find his way into CARQUEST Victory Lane this season, it is sure to be an emotional experience.
“I was all done with racing, and my mother was the one who convinced me that I needed to give it another try and have some fun,” said Siana. “She was living down in Florida and she was going to move back up here to watch me race. I bought a car at the beginning of August and got it ready for the Fall Final. Before she could get up here and see me race, she got sick and she passed away at the end of August. If I win this year, it would mean the world to me because my mother was my sole motivation to get back into racing.”
And Siana has a great car to help steer him towards CARQUEST Victory Lane. Siana purchased the car that was the former #00 car that helped Tony Membrino, Jr. to win the 2010 DARE Stock track championship. After going through the entire car, Siana is confident that he has a car that he can take to the top step of the podium on any given night.
“I think we have some good equipment and I feel like we can be a threat to win in every race,” said Siana. “I have Mike Gentile helping me out with the car and Leon Chouinard doing my motor, so I have the same crew that I had back in 2004 and 2005. You need to feel comfortable in the car, so we took the car apart and put everything back together with a new drivetrain. I had a nice sitdown with John Berardi about doing the transmission, and I came away from that conversation with a good feeling. I think it will take me a couple of practice runs to get back into the swing, but it shouldn’t take too long, it stays with you even after you’ve sat out a while. Our goal for this year is to win more than one race and obviously we want to be there at the end of the year with a chance at winning the championship.”
Siana will be driving his familiar #54 but he is currently in search of sponsorship for his car.
“We need help, we don’t have any sponsors so far,” said Siana. “It’s my hope that we can put together some strong showings in the first couple of races and that will help us find someone who would like to put their name on a great racecar.”
Siana begins his mission to get back into CARQUEST Victory Lane with the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 26-28. 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