Vin Esposito Looking Forward to Racing for SPAFCO Rookie of the Year Honors in Stafford’s Late Model Division
Stafford Springs, CT — After racing in the Late Model ranks at Waterford Speedbowl for the past 9 seasons, Waterbury native Vin Esposito will make his first foray into Late Model competition at Stafford Motor Speedway for the 2015 season. Esposito joins Richard Duranti and Stu Fearn as registered rookie drivers for the upcoming NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season and he is ready to try to win the SPAFCO Rookie of the Year award and the record $1,100 bonus that comes with winning the award.
“The last time I was a rookie was in 2005,” said Esposito. “I don’t usually try to race for rookie status because if there’s a young kid that I’m racing against, I’d rather see them win because those awards don’t mean that much to me. But with $1,100 on the line that changes my whole thinking. When there’s that kind of dollars behind the Rookie of the Year award we’ll give it all we have to try to win the bonus.”
When the green flag comes out on the 2015 Late Model season during the 44th Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler on April 25-26, Esposito is hoping to avoid a repeat of his first appearance at Stafford behind the wheel of a Legend Car.
“I remember the first time I ran a Legend car at Stafford, I went down the backstretch on the mini-mile and I hit the brakes way too late and I went on into the grass and turn 4 of the oval,” said Esposito. “So if I can avoid doing that when I get out on the big track, we’ll be a lot better off!”
Esposito makes the move to Stafford after a new business decision prompted him to act on a feeling that he has had for quite some time.
“I’ve been going to Stafford, Thompson, Waterford, and Danbury to watch racing since I was a kid and I’m 51 years old, going to be 52, and I decided that before I’m all done racing, I wanted to try out Stafford,” said Esposito. “My wife and I just opened a new company called Not Just a MailBox and we make custom mailboxes and posts. We have a showroom in Danbury and you really need to be open on Saturdays so we decided to close the store on Friday and I went out and bought a couple of old G chassis style cars and I’m working on converting them over to the Stafford rules. One is going to be our primary car and the other car will be a roller if we have a bad night, which I’ve been around racing long enough to know you almost always have at least one bad night. We’re going to give it a shot at Stafford.”
Esposito has won previously at Stafford, winning a Legend Cars feature back at the Fall Final in 2001. While Esposito is hopeful to find his way to NAPA Victory Lane this season, he knows that he faces several unknowns that will only be solved with time on the racetrack.
“We’re planning on running the full season at Stafford and our main goal is to be competitive,” said Esposito. “It’s going to take some time to get the car dialed in and also for me to get good at going around the track. I think being able to drive the same car every week is the key. A lot of guys like to throw a lot of stuff at their cars trying to make them better and a lot of times I think all you really need is seat time. People don’t realize how much of a factor seat time can be. I’d like to eventually get into the top-5 this season because you always want to be racing with the top cars. I would say our expectations are high, but they’re also realistic. I’d love to be able to say ‘We’re going to come out and win the Sizzler’ but chances are that’s not going to happen. But that won’t stop us from coming to the track and trying like heck to do that.”
Esposito will have his first opportunity to test himself out against the Late Model competition with the 44th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on April 24-26. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available. All tickets are good for both Saturday and Sunday admission. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 44th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler, or to order tickets, 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