2013 Stafford Speedway SK Modified® Season in Review
Stafford Springs, CT — The 2013 SK Modified® season has been one the most competitive seasons in recent memory at Stafford. Three of the current top-5 drivers in the SK Modified® standings are also in the top-5 of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. Doug Coby and Ryan Preece currently are 1-2 in both the Stafford SK and NASCAR WMT standings while Ted Christopher is fourth in the SK standings and fifth in the NWMT points.
The 2013 season began with Preece immediately establishing himself as a championship contender with the #40 Sullivan and Sons / JG Poulin Drywall Pontiac. In the first five races of the season Preece had three wins and a second to go along with a 17th place finish. Much like the first five races of the year Preece’s 2013 has been a season of feast or famine. Preece has a division leading 6 wins in the first 12 races, but he also has four finishes of 14th or worse. Preece has led the standings for much of the 2013 season but he is currently six points behind Coby in the chase for the championship.
Coby has yet to win a race with the #15 Johnson Motorsports Chevrolet, but he has been the most consistent driver in the SK Modified® ranks this season. Outside of a 20th place finish in the second race of the year, Coby has not finished lower than 9th in any other start and his 7 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes lead the division. Coby’s consistency has him currently sitting at the top of the SK Modified® standings with Preece right behind him.
Woody Pitkat began the year by switching teams from the #89 now driven by Rowan Pennink to the #27 Gunsmoke Stables / James Paige Plumbing and Heating Chevrolet. Like Coby, Pitkat has also yet to reach CARQUEST Victory Lane this season but he has been among the front runners every Friday night. Pitkat’s 7 top-5 finishes are tied with Preece and Coby for the division lead. Pitkat has been knocking on the door to victory lane with 4 podium finishes and like Coby he is hungry and determined to knock that door down. Pitkat currently sits third in the standings, only 18 points behind Coby.
Ted Christopher is currently tied with Danny Cates for fourth place in the standings, 44 points behind Coby. Christopher is the defending SK Modified® champion and he is going for what would be his 9th championship this season. Christopher’s two wins this season pushed his career SK Modified® total to 100 victories and his 100th win came in the Coors Light 80 on July 19th. If not for several mechanical issues and getting caught up in a couple of wrecks, Christopher could easily find himself at the top of the standings rather than his current position of fourth.
Danny Cates currently sits tied with Christopher for fourth place in the standings and he has avoided a sophomore slump in his second season of SK Modified® competition. Cates drove the #26 Lindon Tree Service Chevrolet to his first Stafford victory on May 31st and he has 4 top-5 and 9 top-10 finishes in the first 12 races.
Other drivers who have recorded feature victories this season include Eric Berndt, Rowan Pennink, and Keith Rocco.
In the chase for the SPAFCO Rookie of the Year honors, Joey Cipriano got off to a fast start to take the early season lead, but he missed several races and Zach Aszklar has taken over the lead of the rookie standings. Cipriano has returned strong with four consecutive top-10 finishes and he is right on Aszklar’s heels in a duel that will be sure to go all the way down to the wire at the season ending CARQUEST Fall Final.
With the top-10 drivers in the SK Modified® division separated by 102 points, the final 7 races of the 2013 season promise to continue delivering excitement and drama all the way to the CARQUEST Fall Final. Who will be crowned as champion is anyone’s guess, but with each of the top contenders having endured some misfortune the key will be who can minimize their bad luck over the final races of the year.
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