Quartet of Former NAPA Spring Sizzler Winners Highlight Early Entry-List
(Stafford Springs, CT)—With the 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® just over a month away from taking the green flag at Stafford Motor Speedway, the entry list is taking shape. Stafford has received 24 entries thus far with four former race winners in the forms of Doug Coby, Matt Hirschman, Woody Pitkat, and Ronnie Silk highlighting the early entry list. Coby, Hirschman, Pitkat, and Silk represent 7 Sizzler® wins between themselves with Hirschman (2022), Pitkat (2015), and Silk (2023) each holding one Sizzler® victory while Coby leads all active drivers with 4 career Sizzler® wins (’06, ’12, ’16, 19).
For the 2024 edition of the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring”, Coby has joined forces with the Lawney Tinio-owned #44ma team that has won the Sizzler® twice before (2013, 2014) with Bobby Santos, III as the driver. Coby’s 4 Sizzler® victories ties him with Mike Stefanik for second place on the all-time Sizzler® winners list, trailing only Ted Christopher, who won the Sizzler® a record 6 times. But the former race winners aren’t the only talent already signed up for the NAPA Spring Sizzler®.
The entry list is full of former race winners and track champions at Stafford. Among the 24 drivers currently signed up for the NAPA Spring Sizzler®, 9 of them have won a track championship at Stafford with those 9 drivers accounting for 17 total Stafford track championships. Keith Rocco leads the former track champions with 4 SK Modified® titles (2008, 2010, 2017, 2020) with Todd Owen (2021-2023 SK Modified®) and Woody Pitkat (2006, 2012 Late Model, 2013 SK Modified®) each holding 3 track titles. George Bessette, Jr. (2018 Street Stock, 2023 SK Light), Doug Coby (1998 Late Model, 2000 ProStock), and Ronnie Williams (2018-2019 SK Modified®) all have 2 championships to their resumes with the remaining championship drivers each having a single title to their name consisting of Noah Korner (2016 Legend Cars), Marcello Rufrano (2018 SK Light), and Teddy Hodgdon (2019 SK Light).
In addition to the former track champions, 17 of the 24 drivers entered into the NAPA Spring Sizzler® have previously won a feature event at Stafford. The 17 drivers have combined to win a total of 365 feature wins with Woody Pitkat and Keith Rocco accounting for 164 or just short of half of the 365 wins between themselves as Pitkat has 83 career Stafford wins and Rocco has 81 career Stafford victories. Other drivers entered into the Sizzler® who have won previously at Stafford include David Arute, Anthony Bello, Bessette, Michael Christopher, Jr., Coby, Eric Goodale, Matt Hirschman, Hodgdon, Korner, Jon McKennedy, Owen, Rufrano, Chris Pasteryak, Ronnie Silk, and Williams.
Drivers entered who are still in search of their first Stafford victory include Buddy Charette, Nick Halkowicz, William Lambros, Joey Mucciacciaro, Jr., Jacob Perry, Brian Robie, and the #7ny car owned by Tommy Baldwin that has yet to announce who will be behind the wheel for the NAPA Spring Sizzler®.
The 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28. Saturday, April 27th 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 Speedway PR