Spafco Race Chassis & Parts Returning as Sponsor Stafford Speedway Rookie of the Year Title
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that Spafco Race Chassis and Parts of Preston, CT will return for a second consecutive season to be the presenting sponsor of Stafford Motor Speedway’s Rookie of the Year awards for the 2013 season. Spafco Race Chassis and Parts will contribute $700 to the SK Modified® Rookie of the Year, and $500 to the Late Model, SK Light Modified, and Limited Late Model Rookies of the Year for a total of $2,200 in awards.
“Last year was our first time as a presenting sponsor at Stafford, and it was a great experience for us,” said Ken Barry, owner of Spafco Race Chassis. “It was nice for us to be able to give something back to the racers and we had a lot of fun throughout the season keeping track of the rookie standings from week to week. We’re happy to be the presenting sponsor of the Rookie of the Year awards again, and we’re looking forward to once again keeping track of the rookie points standing from week to week.”
With 27 rookie drivers signed up for the 2013 season at Stafford, there should be plenty of excitement as the rookie competitors chase after the SPAFCO Rookie of the Year bonus. Leading the way are Stafford’s modified divisions, with 7 drivers signed up for rookie status in the SK Modified® division, and 11 drivers signed up for the SK Light division. The SK Modified® division’s SPAFCO rookie class has several newcomers in Joe Williams, who has driven dirt modifieds for the past 12 years, and Rit Dulac, who has driven ProStocks, Late Models, Trucks, and K & N East Series cars in his career. The SK Modified® rookie class also includes four drivers who are moving up from the SK Light division; Dylan Kopec, who won 8 SK Light features last year, Joey Cipriano, who accumulated 7 wins in SK Light competition from 2010-2011, defending SK Light track champion Zach Aszklar will make the move up, and David Webb, who has 3 career SK Light wins.
Stafford’s SK Light division has 11 rookie drivers signed up for the 2013 season, the most rookie drivers of any division at Stafford this season. There are several young drivers who will be taking their first steps into open wheel modified competition after getting started racing in either go karts or quarter midgets. Paul Buzel, who will be sharing a car with his father George, Wesley Prucker, Sara Locascio, and Dylan Menditto all come from a background of karting and/or quarter midgets. Chase Dowling is making the move into the SK Lights from WKA and Legends car competition, Scott Allen is a former Monster Truck driver, Jason Lafayette has raced Mini Stocks, Strictly Stocks, Late Models, and the N.E. Truck Series, and Todd Douillard and Pete Lopuch round out the field of SK Light rookie drivers.
Stafford’s two full bodied divisions have smaller SPAFCO rookie classes than the two modified divisions, but there is the same amount of driver talent in both the Late Model and Limited Late Model rookie classes. The Late Model rookie class consists of defending Ltd. Late Model track champion Cory Casagrande as well as George Nocera, Jr., who nearly won two track titles in the Limited Late Model division, and Vince Gambacorta, who has DARE Stock and Limited Late Model experience at Stafford. The Late Model SPAFCO rookie class is rounded out by Michael Scorzelli, who is moving from the Late Model class at Thompson to Stafford, and Aaron Rathburn.
The Limited Late Model division SPAFCO rookie class will see the defending DARE Stock track champion Cliff Saunders make the move up along with his brother Albert. Austin Bessette is a third member of the Ltd. Late Model SPAFCO rookie class that is moving up from the DARE Stock division and R.J. Surdell, who was a crew member for many years at Stafford, will move from the crew side to behind the wheel for the 2013 season.
In addition to sponsoring the 2012 Rookie of the Year awards, Spafco will also once again be found in the Stafford paddock area every Friday night during the 2013 season with their parts truck.
SPAFCO Race Chassis is an award winning chassis and race car parts fabrication company located at #4 Route 165A in Preston, Connecticut. SPAFCO was born in 1988 and it has grown into SPAFCO Race Chassis and Parts. SPAFCO cars have claimed three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships and five Modified Racing Series championships, as well as numerous track championships and hundreds of feature victories across the northeast.
For more information about SPAFCO Race Chassis and Parts, you can contact them by phone at 860-887-2682 or by email at spafco1@yahoo.com. SPAFCO can be found on the web at www.spafco.com.
For more information, 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