Dave Comeau Ready to Transition From DARE Stocks to Limited Late Models and Chase R.A.D. Automachine $1,000 Rookie Bonus at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — After winning the inaugural R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year honor for the DARE Stock division in 2013, Stafford Speedway driver David J. Comeau is ready to race for a second R.A.D. rookie title as he makes the move into the Limited Late Model division for the 2015 season. Comeau’s rookie title in 2013 was worth a $400 bonus to the Palmer, MA native and if he can once again be the top rookie in 2015, he will take home a $1,000 bonus from R.A.D. Automachine.
“That’s great,” said Comeau. “Winning Rookie of the Year is definitely an achievement that I want to stride for. Two years ago I won the inaugural R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year award in the DARE Stocks and I was really proud of that. I really want to win that again in the Limited Late Models.”
While Comeau has his sights set on winning the R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year honors next season, it was almost a goal that never came to fruition. Originally Comeau’s plan was to sell his DARE Stock at the end of the 2014 season and get out of racing. But some encouragement from both his wife and crew members changed Comeau’s mind and he decided keep racing, and make the move up a division into the Limited Late Model ranks.
“I put the car up for sale and I was going to be done but then we started getting some activity on the car and my wife told me that she didn’t want to sell the car,” said Comeau. “Mary told me how much she liked going to the track to support me every week and all the friends she had made with other driver’s wives. So that got me to thinking about moving up to the Limited Late Models and things went from there. I wasn’t too sure about making the move up but the crew guys all gave me a vote of confidence that I was ready to take the step. My deciding factor was that I asked my crew guys Kevin, Kris, and Barry Fluckiger and Matteo if they would help me out in 2015 and they said they’d definitely be there for me. That when I knew I wanted to make the jump up to the Limited Late Models. Kris and Kevin helped me out so much this season, especially after we wrecked and had to put a new front clip on the car. We got that job done in one week and they were in the garage with me every night after working their regular jobs to help me get that finished. They were always there for me and I really look up to them because they’re genuine guys who love racing and helping out fellow racers. I’m very lucky to have them on my team. Plus I’ve made a lot of friends the past 2 seasons and if I had quit I would have really missed them all.”
Comeau will once again carry his familiar lime green paint scheme on his #8; which has championship pedigree in the Limited Late Model division. Not only does Comeau have a car with a great history behind it, but he got a head start on learning about the differences between a DARE Stock and Limited Late Model machine.
“I think I kind of branded myself with the lime green,” said Comeau. “Everyone has been asking me if I was going to change the color or not. When I originally started racing in the DARE Stocks, I looked at the cars online and I saw the majority of the cars were black or white and I wanted the car to be different so I found some ‘70’s Sublime Mopar Green. I bought Josh Wood’s 2013 championship car. Don Wood knew I was interested in moving up and I really wanted a turnkey race car since I’m not familiar with the cars. Donnie said he would put the car together for me. They originally changed Josh’s car over to a second Late Model for this past season and they converted it back to a Limited Late Model for me. I went to Donnie’s shop every night and helped them out and learned about the parts and pieces on the Limited Late Model. The car is done and it’s already at my house and ready to go. All I have to do is paint it and put my stickers on it.”
When Comeau came to Stafford for the 2013, he was not only a rookie in the DARE Stock division, but he was a rookie in racing. Having never before sat behind the wheel of a racecar, Comeau has proved to be not only a quick study, but very quick in going around Stafford Motor Speedway. Comeau’s rookie season netted 8 top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes that saw him finish 5th in the final points standings. Comeau was also the winner of the Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock Shoot-Out that season. Comeau’s followed up his rookie campaign with two feature wins to go along with 10 top-5 and 16 top-10 finishes as he improved to fourth in the final points standings. Now Comeau faces another tough challenge in moving from the DARE Stock division into the Limited Late Model ranks.
“It’s going to be a new group of guys that I’m racing against,” said Comeau. “I had really got used to the drivers that I was racing within the DARE Stocks with knowing who was going to do what and the type of driving style each driver had. The Limited Late Models look like they’re a great group of guys to race with and I think the learning curve with the standard transmission and more horsepower will be the biggest challenge for me next season. We’re going to try like to heck to win a race but since I’ve never driven one of these cars before I’m not sure if we can win a race. I hope to be competitive, especially with the team that I have behind me and I really want to win the R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year again.”
In addition to his familiar lime green paint scheme and #8, Comeau will carry the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance on the hood of his car for the third consecutive year. Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin and lungs, and Comeau’s 6-year old daughter Hannah is affected by TSC.
“We’ll have the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance back on the hood again and we’re going to step up our efforts for fundraising and raising awareness,” said Comeau. “We’ll have a link to our team website where people can make contributions. Anyone making a contribution will get their name on a sign inside my racecar that is in direct view of my on board camera and then I edit and publish the videos with a thank you to everyone who made a contribution.”
With a championship winning car underneath him, Comeau will certainly be a driver to watch in the race for the R.A.D. Automachine Rookie of the Year and the $1,000 bonus that goes with winning that award.
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