Nick Salva Ready to Challenge for Stafford SK Light Championship with T.S. Haulers, Mr. Rooter, and J.G. Poulin Drywall Sponsorship
Stafford Springs, CT — After finishing second in the 2014 SK Light points standings at Stafford Motor Speedway, Prospect, CT native Nick Salva is ready to challenge for the championship once again in 2015 with some new sponsorship on his #98. Salva welcomes back J.G. Poulin Drywall while adding T.S. Haulers and Mr. Rooter Plumbing as sponsors for his 2015 campaign.
“Eddie Partridge is going to help us out with T.S. Haulers, Vinny Beedle is going to help us with Mr. Rooter Plumbing, and Mr. and Mrs. Poulin are coming back with J.G. Poulin Drywall,” said Salva. “I ran a couple of races for Vinny last year and he’s coming on board with us this year. I’ve known Eddie since I was 5 years old and Bo [Gunning] drove for him in the past so it’s an honor to have him on the car this year. I also have support from Del’s Vinyl and Siding and Northeast Racecars and I can’t wait to get started again.”
The 2014 season was a coming out party of sorts for Salva. Salva began racing at Stafford in the DARE Stock division in 2009 and he scored his first win in 2010 before moving into the SK Light division in 2011. But until the 2014 season, Salva had never driven a full season. He made the most of his first full time season, scoring his first two career SK Light feature wins and he was second only to eventual champion Jeremy Sorel in top-5 and top-10 finishes for the season. After finishing second in the points, Salva only has one more spot to climb in the standings and he feels confident that 2015 can be his year to do just that.
“We were happy with how things went last season,” said Salva. “Obviously we came up just shy of the championship, but to have 2 wins and finish second in points is some very good momentum for us in 2015. We’ve made some improvements to the car, I’ve improved as a driver, and hopefully we’ll be able to go at it just as strong as we did last year. I think last year we should have had at least one more win that we did, but that was my fault making some rookie mistakes. I think we’ll be able to top that this year but I’m sure my other competitors will have other thoughts about us winning more than 2 races. I’m pretty confident we’ll have a good car again. We’d like to win more than 2 races and I’d like to run for a championship.”
In addition to his new sponsors coming on board the #98 for the 2015 season, Salva has also moved into a new shop, which should help he and his team better prepare his cars.
“We just moved to a new shop in Wallingford so we’ll have more room to work on the car,” said Salva. “We were doing the car out of my house so it was pretty cramped in the garage. I have a phenomenal crew working on the car, Bob Buffinton is my crew chief, I have Tom and Bo Gunning, Paul, Big Jim, Henry, and Bob’s brother George helping us out.”
While Salva has been itching to get back on the track and get racing again, he has been keeping his racing skills sharp by heading to On Track Karting.
“I’ve been ready for the season to start as soon as the 2014 season ended,” said Salva. “I could race year round and never get tired of it, I can’t get enough racing. The folks at On Track Karting have gotten to know my name pretty well by now because whenever I get the itch to do some racing, I go down there. They have a new circle track and it’s great for helping you keep up on your senses and staying sharp. I’ve never had as much fun as I had racing on that circle track. You turn about 7 second laps and it’s a blast to race.”
Salva will need to stay sharp as there has been some movement in the driver market since the conclusion of the 2014 season. Defending champion Jeremy Sorel, as well as feature winners Branden Dion and Tyler Hines will all be making the move up to the SK Modified® division while a former champion, Tony Membrino, Jr., returns to the SK Light ranks this season. With returning veterans and an excellent crop of rookie drivers, the race for the championship should be wide open this season.
“I saw Tony, Jr. is coming back so it should be fun to race with him,” said Salva. “I know a lot of guys moved up to the SK’s this year so I think the competition will be more wide open than it’s been in the past. I think it could be a toss up as to who is going to be competitive and running up front every week.”
The 2015 SK Light season will kick off as part of 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