Whelen Mod Tour Stat Advance: Stafford
Analyzing The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler At Stafford
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will headline the racing action during CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler weekend at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 28. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:
Stafford Race Setup:
• Ted Christopher is not only the all-time winningest driver in Stafford Motor Speedway history, but he also possesses the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record for most victories in the Spring Sizzler with five.
• Mike Stefanik is one behind Christopher on the Sizzler win list with four, but he holds the NWMT record for total Stafford triumphs with 20.
• Reigning NWMT champion Doug Coby won three of the four races at Stafford last year, including the Spring Sizzler.
• Four of the previous eight winners of the Spring Sizzler have gone on to capture the season championship, including the defending race winner Coby.
AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
History
• The Stafford Springs Agricultural Park opened in 1870. The current race track was originally used for horse racing, which gave way to automobiles after World War II.
• Stafford Motor Speedway became a NASCAR track in 1959 and was paved in 1967.
• Stafford is one of nine tracks that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program in each of its now 32 years of competition.
Notebook
• The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has held 106 races at Stafford since 1985. The NWMT has run there every year of its existence, except for 1988.
• The 106 all-time NWMT races at Stafford rank second only to the 121 held at Thompson International Speedway.
• There have been 31 different race winners at Stafford, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories. Doug Coby is the defending race winner and he capture three of the four checkered flags at Stafford in 2012.
• There have been 40 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Ryan Preece set the track qualifying record in this event last year and was the pole winner in two of the four races there last year.
• The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler entry list features 12 drivers that have previously won at the track, including: Stefanik (20), Christopher (12), Coby (4), Bobby Santos (4), Todd Szegedy (4), Ed Flemke Jr. (3), Donny Lia (3), Jimmy Blewett (2), Chuck Hossfeld (1), Ryan Preece (1), Ron Silk (1) and Jamie Tomaino (1).
Stafford Motor Speedway Data
Race: #2 of 14 overall, #1 of 4 at SMS
Track Layout: .5-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 200 laps (100 miles)
• Banking/Turns 1 & 2: Nine degrees
• Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 7.5 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data
2012 Pole Winner: Ryan Preece, 100.424 mph, 17.924 secs.
2012 Race Winner: Doug Coby, 92.620 mph, 1:05:02
Qualifying Record: Ryan Preece, 100.424 mph, 17.924 secs., 4/29/12
ACTIVE CATEGORY LEADERS AT STAFFORD:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 20
2. Ted Christopher … 12
3. Todd Szegedy … 4
Doug Coby … 4
Bobby Santos … 3
5. Ed Flemke Jr. … 3
Donny Lia … 3
Poles
1. Mike Stefanik … 17
2. Donny Lia … 7
3. Ted Christopher … 4
4. Bobby Santos … 3
Ryan Preece … 3
Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 2,165
2. Ted Christopher … 2,083
3. Todd Szegedy … 801
4. Doug Coby … 518
5. Ed Flemke Jr. … 482
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 105
2. Mike Stefanik … 91
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 88
4. Ted Christopher … 80
5. Wade Cole … 46
SELECTED DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./TS Haulers Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, two poles and 33 top 10s in 101 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Has two wins, a pole, 13 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 28 career starts at Stafford Motor Speedway.
• Recorded top 10s in all four races at Stafford in 2012, including finishes of second and third in the final two events.
• Best career finish in the Spring Sizzler is fifth, recorded last year.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 25 top 10s in 47 career NWMT starts.
• Has a pole and five top 10s in 12 career starts at Stafford with a best result of sixth, which was recorded in last year’s Spring Sizzler.
Ted Christopher (No. 3 Silver Dollar Construction/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion, he has 42 wins, 24 poles and 176 top 10s in 322 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
• Has 12 wins, four poles and 43 top 10s in 80 career NWMT starts at Stafford.
• Has finished in the top five in 13 of the last 22 events at Stafford, and led laps in 11 of the last 24.
• Leads all NWMT drivers with five wins in the Spring Sizzler – one more than Mike Stefanik.
• Is a seven-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Stafford out of the SK Modified division and has a record 118 overall career feature wins at Stafford entering this week’s events.
Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
• The 2012 NWMT champion has seven wins, four poles and 56 top 10s in 131 career starts.
• Has four wins, two poles and 14 top 10s in 32 NWMT starts at Stafford.
• First NWMT career win came in this event in 2006. The defending Spring Sizzler victor, he won each of the first three races at Stafford a year ago, but came up short of the season sweep with a ninth-place finish in the Fall Final.
• Has six wins and 23 top 10s in 32 overall starts with the No. 52 team since the end of the 2010 season.
• Has 18 career feature wins and two division titles at Stafford in NWAAS action.
Chuck Hossfeld (No. 72 Jerry Gradl Motors Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, nine poles and 75 top 10s in 133 career starts.
• Has a win, three poles and 19 top 10s in 33 career Stafford starts.
• His best career Spring Sizzler finish was third in 2008.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Circle Track Magazine Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion. He has 16 wins, 16 poles and 64 top 10s in 128 career starts.
• In 32 career starts at Stafford he has recorded three wins, seven poles and 18 top 10s.
• Won the 2007 Spring Sizzler en route to the first of his two NWMT titles.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 42 top 10s in 89 career starts.
• Has 11 top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of second (twice) in 22 career starts at Stafford.
• One of those runner-ups came in this event in 2011.
Woody Pitkat (No. 79 Hill Enterprises/Coors Light Pontiac)
• Has 25 top 10s in 65 career starts with a best finish of second (twice).
• One of those runner-ups came in last year’s Stafford Fall Final, when he led a career-high 128 laps.
• Has nine top 10s, an average finish of 15th in 18 career starts at Stafford.
• Has 64 career feature wins at Stafford, where he has two Late Model division titles in NWAAS action.
Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
• Has five wins, 12 poles and 45 top 10s in 82 career starts.
• Has a win, three poles, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 22 career NWMT starts at Stafford.
• His Stafford win came in the August 2009 event. His best Spring Sizzler finish is second, recorded last year.
• In 16 races with Flamingo Motorsports he has two wins, seven poles, 11 top 10s and 10 races led.
• Was the 2011 NWAAS SK Modified division champion at Stafford, where he has six career wins.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Curb Records/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has eight wins, eight poles and 35 top 10s in 69 career starts.
• In a part-time role last season he won the final two races on the schedule, including the Stafford Fall Final.
• Has four wins, three poles and nine top 10s in 16 career starts at Stafford. He’s finished on the podium in eight of his last 11 races there, a run that includes all four of those wins.
• Was the Spring Sizzler runner-up during his title campaign and followed that with a win in the 2011 event.
Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, seven poles and 63 top 10s in 112 career starts.
• Has a win, two poles and 12 top 10s in 29 career starts at Stafford. His win came in the May 2011 event.
• Has that win and seven top fives in 12 Stafford starts since joining forces with the No. 6 team.
• Best finish in the Spring Sizzler was third during his 2011 title season.
Mike Stefanik (No. 22 Robert B. Our Co./Canto & Sons Paving Ford)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Holds NWMT records for most titles (seven), wins (73), poles (48), top fives (221) and top 10s (293).
• Leads all drivers with 20 wins, 50 top fives, 70 top 10s and 2,165 laps led at Stafford. Also has a tour-best average finish of eighth across 91 career starts there.
• Has won the Spring Sizzler four times, one behind Ted Christopher’s total. Three of those came during championship seasons of 1989, 1997 and 1998 while the other occurred in 1990.
• His last win at Stafford was the 2008 Fall Final, a span of 17 races.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Repair Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, nine poles and 106 top 10s in 168 career starts.
• Has four wins, two poles, 20 top fives and an average finish of ninth in 44 career starts at Stafford. Last win there came in August 2010. The average finish is second-best among active drivers behind Mike Stefanik.
• Has three career runner-up finishes in the Spring Sizzler, including his 2003 championship season.
• Has an average finish of 5.5 in his last eight mid-season races at Stafford, but his last seven starts in the Spring Sizzler and Fall Final events have averaged 19th.
UP TO SPEED:
• The 2013 season is the 29th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• The 2013 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
• The competition season began with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Feb. 19. The Modified feature was won by Steve Park.
• Mike Stefanik won from the pole in the season-opening Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on April 14.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR