Adam Gray Clinches 2013 Late Model Championship at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — For Belchertown, MA native Adam Gray, the 2013 Late Model season at Stafford Motor Speedway was a season that most racers only dream about. Gray’s year got off to a somewhat rocky start with a flat tire leaving him with an 18th place finish in the season opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler race. But in the 16 races that followed, Gray finished on the podium every Friday night with 6 victories among his podium finishes to clinch the championship one week before the CARQUEST Fall Final.
“It’s been the dream season,” said Gray. “Starting the first week the way we did we figured another top-5. I could never imagine that it would have ended this way, I’m speechless. I couldn’t have done any of this without my Mother and Father, Leon Chartier, James, Wilmont, Mike, Walt, Alan, my father’s whole crew, and all my sponsors, Meadows Motor Car, Land’s Auto Repair, Hawley’s Auto Body and Repair, OJS Construction, Trackside Motors, Pizza Shoppe, Barrco, Gregg Orlen Construction, and Perry’s Auto Parts.”
Gray’s early season misfortune left him with a 34-point deficit to the top of the Late Model standings. Both Woody Pitkat and Tom Fearn got off to strong starts and by the end of May, Gray was still 34 points out of the lead, but he had climbed his way up to fifth in the standings. At the end of June, Gray was right behind Fearn in the race for the championship and he took the points lead for the first time following the July 5th feature. Once Gray was in the point lead, he would keep that lead all the way through the Sept. 13th feature where he clinched the championship with a third place run.
“After that first race, we kind of assumed that we were out of it more or less and we were on the lets get wins and podiums deal,” said Gray. “Our mindset was to win races. We tried to do everything right this winter to get the car where it needed to be to contend for a championship. We felt good about the car but none of us would have ever dreamt about having the finishes that we had this season. Honestly we’re still looking at each other saying that we can’t believe how good of a run we’ve had this year.”
Heading into the final race of the 2013 season, Gray has posted 6 wins and 16 top-5 and top-10 finishes in 17 starts for a miniscule average finish of 2.9. Gray leads the Late Model division in all three categories his amazing performance helped him to finish second in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division 2 national championship standings behind Ricky Martin from Raceway Park.
Gray will officially be crowned the 2013 Late Model track champion at the 44th Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 22, 2013 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor.
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