Dave Etheridge Still in Search of First VMRS Win in Shark Cycle 80 at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Valenti Modified Racing Series driver Dave Etheridge is still in search of his first win and the Shark Cycle 80 at Stafford Motor Speedway might be his ticket to victory lane. Etheridge is a former ProStock regular at Stafford and he has come close to victory lane on several previous occasions at Stafford. Etheridge looked like he might cruise to victory in the VMRS 80 held earlier this June at Stafford with his #34 American Powder Coating Chevy, but a late race caution erased his large lead and he ended up finishing third. Etheridge is confident that he will be able to have another strong car and be a contender for victory once the green flag is dropped on the Shark Cycle 80 this Friday at Stafford.
“Ever since we’ve got this new car from SPAFCO and working with Kenny [Barry], we’re inching closer to it,” said Etheridge. “We just have to get the car so it’s better at the end than it has been. The car came off the track at Stafford in June and we haven’t run it since so we’ll make some small adjustments to it and hopefully we can have the same results. We had about a straightaway lead and I’ve seen a couple races go green to checkered. It seemed like that was the way the race was going and we put everything we had into the race but the car started getting a little free and that was our downfall. We couldn’t get into the corner and the 9 car [Tommy Barrett] was coming hard at the end of the race. Since then we’ve talked with Kenny about the car and I think we’ve figured out what we need in the car with the chassis setup and hopefully we’ll be in good shape.”
In addition to making changes on his chassis setup, Etheridge will also change his race strategy in order to avoid his car going away in the final laps.
“I’m probably going to try to exercise a little more patience this time and do what the 9 car did last time at Stafford,” said Etheridge. “I don’t like to do that but riding around in the middle of the race will be the key to try to save the right rear tire a little for the end of the race. We feel confident that we’ll have a good run. I can’t say it will be a winning run because there’s a ton of tough competition out there but if we can be there at the end and get another top-5 finish, it would be like a win for us. If we were able to win, that would be huge for us and we’d have a big party out in the parking lot afterwards. The last time I won in a modified was at Riverside in 1999, so a win is our goal. Racing part-time may be our biggest downfall because we’re not up on everything with the tires and all that stuff, but I think our best chance to win will be at Stafford.”
Tickets for the August 30th Shark Cycle 80 are available and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $27.50 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 will be priced at $30.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the Shark Cycle 80, 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