Jeremy Sorel Wins SPAFCO SK Light Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — For Westfield, MA native Jeremy Sorel, the 2014 SK Light season at Stafford Motor Speedway couldn’t have turned out any better than it did. Making his debut behind the wheel of an open wheeled modified car with his #77 Bill’s Repair Service Chevrolet, Sorel claimed two pieces of hardware in the same season by winning the track championship and the SPAFCO Rookie of the Year title. Sorel’s double matched Michael Gervais, Jr. in 2009 and Matt Galko in 2010 as rookie drivers who have also gone on to win the SK Light track championship in the same season.
“This season was great,” said Sorel. “A lot of satisfaction came from just knowing that in our rookie year we were able to compete with guys who have been racing here a long time and gain their respect. I think a lot of guys liked racing with us and that was an awesome feeling to have their respect.”
Normally a rookie driver would only have to contend with a new car to get used to, but Sorel not only had a new car to get used to, but he had to learn the Stafford half-mile track as well. Sorel also had the challenge of getting himself acclimated to an open wheel modified car after racing a full bodied Late Model at the third of a mile Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.
“One of the biggest changes was the contact area was a lot different,” said Sorel. “With the modified, if you go bumper to bumper with someone, it usually pushes the guy forward in front of you. Whereas in the Late Model, if you touch somebody’s bumper you usually spin them out, so that was a big difference. The other big change was the driving style between the two cars. With the Late Model you had to be real easy on the throttle because there’s a lot less grip and there was more power and a lot more weight on the car. With the SK Light, you want to get back in the throttle as soon as possible and use the tire stagger to help you turn up off the corners. I would say the SK Light is more of a finesse car, which I really enjoyed, while the Late Model was more of a big, heavy car.”
Not only did Sorel find the car and style of racing to his liking, but he also relished the comradery that was found in the Stafford Paddock Area this season, and he is looking forward to enjoying the friendly confines of the Stafford paddock area next season.
“The modifieds are a lot of fun to drive and these are the cars to drive up here,” said Sorel. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere around the track this season racing in the SK Light division. Everyone comes to win at Stafford, but guys are a lot more friendlier and would help you out where at Hickory, guys were a lot more cutthroat. We love racing the modifieds and we’ll definitely be back next season. We just have to decide over the winter if we’re going to return to the SK Light division or move up to the SK Modified® division.”
For the season, Sorel recorded 2 wins, 13 top-5, and 16 top-10 finishes in the 18-race SK Light Modified season. For winning the 2014 SPAFCO SK Light Modified Rookie of the Year Award, Sorel will take home a $700 bonus from SPAFCO, which will be paid in $100 increments for the first 7 races of the 2015 season that Sorel attends. Sorel will officially be crowned as the 2014 SPAFCO Rookie of the Year at the 45th Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 21 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor.
Tickets to the 45th Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony are $45 per person and can be ordered by calling the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or by downloading an order form fromwww.staffordspeedway.com and returning the form to the track office. 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