2014 Stafford Motor Speedway Limited Late Model Season Preview
Stafford Springs, CT — Much like Stafford’s DARE Stock division, the race for the Limited Late Model season crown will be wide open in 2014. Defending champion Josh Wood has made the move to the Late Model division and DJ Burnham, who won 2 races and finished third in the points standings last year, has moved to the open-wheeled SK Light division.
Leading the returning Limited Late Model drivers is David Arute, who won 4 times to tie with Wood for the division lead in that category. Arute finished second to Wood by the closest of margins in the final points tally of 2013, only 2 points or one position on the track, behind in the chase for the championship. Other multiple feature winners from 2013 that will be back on track this season include Austin Bessette, who won 3 races as a rookie last season, Albert Saunders, who won twice, and single feature winners Andrew Hayes, Jesse Hinze, and Duane Provost.
Of the 8 drivers who won a race last season, 4 were first time winners in the Limited Late Model division. Bessette, Hayes, Provost, and Albert Saunders were all first time winners and the likes of Joe Nogiec, Cliff Saunders, Chris Cook, Glenn Bartkowski, Kelsey Rottino, Brian Clement, and Paul Arute will look to add their names to the list of Limited Late Model feature winners this season.
Cliff Saunders was set to make 2013 his debut season of Limited Late Modelcompetition, but mechanical issues left him competing for much of the year in the DARE Stock division, where he had won the championship in 2012. Albert Saunders also ran into mechanical troubles, which sidelined him for the final 3 races of the 2013 season. In 2014, the Saunders brothers will look to make their mark as they were consistently fast in the open practice held on April 12th.
Although he won 3 times in his rookie season last year, Bessette finished 6th in the points and he will need to improve his consistency in order to be a championship contender. Hinze and Hayes finished fourth and fifth in the standings last season and if they increase their consistency, they will be among the contenders for the championship.
The Limited Late Model rookie class will see Kelsey Rottino move up from the DARE Stock ranks. Defending DARE Stock champion Dave Secore is signed up for the Limited Late Model division, but he will be taking a year off from racing. The third and final member of the Ltd. Late Model rookie class is Robert Bloxsom, III, but fans won’t see him on track in competition until the 2015 season. Bloxsom is a 14-year old rookie from Stratford who will only be on track for practice sessions in 2014 season as he prepares to make his full fledged debut in 2015 when he is old enough to compete in the division.
With two of the top-3 drivers from last season moving on to higher competition combined with a mix of experienced and hungry drivers, the only certainty for the 2014 Limited Late Model season is there is a lot of uncertainty as to how the season will play out. One thing for certain is the excitement level should be off the charts this season as everyone will be fighting to etch their names into the record books as a track champion.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com. To view the Sizzler event schedule or to order tickets online, please CLICK HERE.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR