Dana DiMatteo Scores First Ever Legend Cars Track Championship at Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — The 2014 season at Stafford Motor Speedway marked the return of weekly Legend Cars racing for the first time in 20 years and for the first time ever, Stafford crowned a Legend Cars track champion. That championship winning driver turned out to be Dana DiMatteo and the #76 Manafort Brothers / Island Cove Marina team.
Both Dana and his brother Cory DiMatteo were the class of the Legend Cars field this season. They finished 1-2 in the opening race of the season with Cory beating Dana to the checkered flag, but Dana won the next race to take over the point lead and he never relinquished that lead for the remainder of the 2014 season.
In 11 races this year, DiMatteo posted 8 podium finishes, including 2 victories, and he didn’t finish lower than 8th in any of his starts, which gave him a commanding 50-point margin over his brother after the final checkered flag of the year.
“It’s very exciting any time you can close out a track championship any year,” said DiMatteo. “This is number three between Waterford and Stafford so I’m happy about that and it’s nice to finish things out since I think we led since the first race of the year. All in all it was a good year for us. I have to thank Manafort Brothers, Island Cove Marina, my Uncle Jon Manafort, my Dad, my brother, my Mom videotaping every week, FK Rod Ends, Sign Pro, Team Drop Zone, J & J Racing, and NAPA for jumping on board with Stafford this season.”
DiMatteo and his #76 coupe both have roots in the Legend Cars that goes back to his Uncle Jon winning races on the Stafford mini-mile back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. DiMatteo and his brother Cory actually raced the very same cars that Jon and Justin Manafort used back then to win races and he says that the family connections definitely gave him a boost over his competition with the Legend Cars returning to Stafford.
“The cars out of our stables have won here in the ‘80s and ‘90s and to win again with the same technology really means a lot,” said DiMatteo. “I’m following guys like Jags Palmer, Jon Manafort, and Justin Manafort. They all knew how to get around this place pretty good. It was a little insight here and there every week and we picked up more and more and at the end of the year we were running the fastest laps we ran all year and it really showed up. Technology goes a long way especially if you’re hitting on something. Especially on a short track like Stafford, if you have good drive off the corners here, you’re going to be pretty good.”
With the Legend Cars returning to Stafford for the first time in 20 years, the DiMatteo brothers took advantage of the experience they had behind them to be the class of the field this season. But with other drivers having a full season under their belts to build a notebook and get a better feel for the Stafford Mini-Mile, look for the field of Legend Cars to be even stronger and more competitive in 2015.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web atwww.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR