Former SK Light Champion Tyler Barry to Challenge For SK Mod Rookie Honors in 2024 at Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—After racking up 3 wins and the 2022 championship in 3 seasons of SK Light competition at Stafford Speedway, Griswold, CT native Tyler Barry will make the move into the SK Modified® division for the 2024 season. Barry will have his sights set on capturing NAPA Rookie of the Year honors with his #18 Pro Systems Integration team as well as trying to continue his streak of winning 1 race per season that he began with his SK Light debut in 2021.
“The goal is to win Rookie of the Year and to get the car going good,” said Barry. “For myself, I’d like to win a race this season but I know it’s real hard to win an SK race. I know we have the speed in the car and it should be pretty quick, so if we can get a night where everything falls just right for us, we might be able to get a win. A top-10 or top-15 finish in the points would be spot on for where we want to be but I’d like to finish in the top-10. We have a good car, a good team, and good knowledge behind me so we should be pretty good, but I don’t want to expect too much going into the season. We have a lot of good sponsors coming back with us; Pro Systems Integration, Canterbury Mini Storage, Swanzey Meat Market, the Grimala Family, John Sanford Plumbing And Heating, Stebbins Stump Grinding, Lathrop Vending, T.A.S. Construction, Motorsports Nation, Spafco Race Chassis, and Spearpoint Auto. I also have to thank my crew, first of all, my Mom and Dad, Bill, Chris, Mark and Tyler Alkas, Dave, Rob, Mike, Dave, and Brian and Brian.”
Over the winter months, Barry and his father Ken, a former driver who also owns and operates Spafco Race Chassis, have been working on putting a new SK Modified® car together that Barry hopes will help to make his transition from SK Light to SK Modified® a bit easier.
“I’m really excited for the season,” said Barry. “My Dad and I built a new car together over the winter that we’re trying some new things with to see if we can make the car even faster. It might take a week or two for me to get comfortable with the car but we’ll be renting the track before the season starts so we should be able to work some things out and we’ll have the car I ran a couple times at Stafford and raced at Waterford last year as a backup car if we need one. I’m real confident with this car and hopefully, we can be pretty fast and we can stay consistent. Being consistent and staying out of trouble is the biggest part, especially if you’re racing for points.”
Barry has shown himself to be a quick study by winning the SK Light championship in only his second season and he will be leaning on his SK Light experience plus the handful of SK Modified® and Open Modified starts he’s made to aid in getting himself up to speed sooner rather than later.
“I’m hoping with my about dozen races of SK experience plus the open modified races that I’ve run that the move shouldn’t be too bad and we can get into the swing of things pretty quickly,” said Barry. “My Dad already knows the maintenance part of SK racing so that shouldn’t be too bad and I think I’ll be able to adapt fairly quickly. I’ve already learned it’s a big difference between the SK Light and SK Modified® divisions and I’m hoping I can adapt to the way that they race and I can earn the respect of all the other SK drivers like we did in the SK Light division.”
The first SK Modified® feature event of the 2024 season will be held as part of the 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler®, set for April 27-28. The NAPA Spring Sizzler® kicks off on Saturday, April 27th, and will consist of two 40-lap NAPA Duel qualifying races for the Open Modified division. The 40-lap races will each pay $3,500 to win and will set the field for Sunday’s NAPA Spring Sizzler®. Stafford’s Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions will complete Saturday’s racing program with qualifying and feature racing.
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Sunday, April 28th will play host to the $20,000 to win 52nd NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®. Filling out Sunday’s racing card will be qualifying and feature racing for the SK Modified® and SK Light Modified divisions along with last chance qualifiers for the NAPA Spring Sizzler®.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR