Eric Berndt Looking To Get 2013 Season On Track With Strong Finish In 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
Stafford Springs, CT — For Cromwell native Eric Berndt, the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season got off to a less than desired beginning. Berndt qualified 18th of 29 cars and he finished last after oil issues sidelined him after only completing 38 of 150 laps. But if there is one track that can get Berndt and the #46 Cape Cod Aggregates / North End Auto Parts team back on track, it is Stafford Motor Speedway.
Berndt has 2 career pole positions in his NWMT career with one of those poles coming at Stafford. While Berndt has yet to win a NWMT race, he nearly took his first checkered flag in the 2010 TSI Harley-Davidson 125, but a late caution erased his lead and he was a sitting duck on older tires and finished the race in sixth place. With his knowledge of Stafford from his SK Modified® experience, Berndt is looking forward to getting his 2013 season back on track.
“I like our chances going to Stafford,” said Berndt. “We’ve qualified well there in the past and we want to be able to solidify our position and get a top-5 or top-10 finish in the Sizzler. I think we should have a good car and a good shot at achieving that goal as long as nothing stupid happens to us. We just need to be there at the end. Three years ago in the May race, I think we led all but about 20 or 25 laps in that race. The caution came out around lap-105 of 125 and we were on old tires. We had some oil issues at Thompson with our backup engine, so we’re coming to Stafford with one of my family engines in the #46 and we’re looking for a good finish.”
While Berndt has come close to winning a Whelen Modified Tour event in the past, he knows he has a good chance at getting his first win at Stafford and says that first win would mean the world to him.
“Not only winning my first race, but to win it at Stafford would mean a lot to me,” said Berndt. “Stafford is pretty much the only track that my kids come to when I’m racing the Tour car, so to have my kids and my family at Stafford if we could win the race would just be awesome.”
When it comes to extra distance racing, Berndt knows what it takes to reach victory lane with an SK Modified® 100 win to his credit at Stafford as well as several extra distance wins at other area tracks. With the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler being 200-laps in distance rather than the usual 150-laps, things could play right into Berndt’s hands to be a contender for the checkered flag.
“We stay with pretty much the same setup on the car as we would use for a 150-lap race,” said Berndt. “The key is to have a strong car and make sure you’re there for the last 40 or 50 laps of the race. I would say anytime after lap-75 is when you’ll see guys coming into the pits for tires. You might even see some guys come in real late to bolt on tires, but I’m not sure if that will be the way to go or not. Hopefully we can qualify well and have a good strategy as the race unfolds on Sunday.”
Berndt is one of several drivers that will be pulling double duty this weekend and he is looking forward to the SK Modified® feature as he is the most recent Stafford feature winner, taking last year’s CARQUEST Fall Final checkered flag.
“We’re just finishing the car up, we have a few more things to do and we’re hoping we can start this season just like we ended last season,” said Berndt. “We really fought it out the first half of the year with a built engine, which was down about 20hp to the spec engines. I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference, but once we switched to a spec engine in late August, it really picked things up for us. We have a pretty good plan going into the season, and if things go according to our plan, we should have a really great season this year.”
The 2013 CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler gets underway Friday, April 26 with a practice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions and the NE Mini Stock Tour with the general admission grandstands open to the public at no charge. Berndt and the rest of the NWMT field will get their first taste of on track action on Saturday, April 27 with a practice session in the morning and then the race for the Coors Light Pole Position begins at 2:30pm. Also in action on Saturday will be heat and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions as well as the Northeast Mini Stock Tour. Saturday will wrap up with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, DARE Stock, and NE Mini Stock divisions. The Sizzler continues on Sunday, April 28 with the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party from 11am-12noon followed by Stafford’s SK Modifieds® and Late Models joining the Whelen Modified Tour in feature action.
Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at 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 priced at $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