Ed Flemke, Jr. Looks to Carry Winning Momentum to Spring Sizzler at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Stafford for the first of four visits during the 2008 season, Ed Flemke, Jr. finds himself in an unfamiliar position. Flemke won the season opening race for the first time in his career and he sits atop the championship standings as he readies for the 37th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. Flemke and his Gary Teto owned team look to carry their winning momentum into Stafford. “I’ve never in my life won a season opener, usually I never finish the first race” said Flemke. “All the guys on the team work so hard during the winter to get the car ready and winning showed that all the hard work does pay off, which can be a contagious thing for the race team and really give us a boost for the season. If you start off the season with trouble in the first race or two, it can take you the entire rest of the season to try to dig yourself out of that hole from the start, so this is definitely a good start to the year for us.”
Flemke will look to add his name to the Stafford record books as a Spring Sizzler champion, an honor that has been bestowed upon 22 different drivers, including his father. Flemke, Sr. nearly won the inaugural Sizzler in 1972 before a faulty water pump eliminated him from contention after dominating the event. Flemke, Sr. came back to Stafford the following year with another dominating performance that enable him to take the trip to victory lane that had eluded him one year earlier. The Sizzler winners list reads like a who’s who of Modified racing and should Flemke add his name to that list, it would be a huge personal accomplishment to join his father as a Sizzler champion.
“It would mean a lot to me to be able to win the Sizzler and join my dad,” said Flemke. “I’m always compared to him and he set a very high standard to measure up to. At the same time, you can’t put too much pressure on yourself, you just have to take things as they come. I remember one year I was racing at Stafford and it happened to be my father’s birthday. I came to the track that night and I had it in my mind that I was going to lap the field that night. Then I went out and I think I ended up hitting everything except the pace car. That situation repeated itself a few years later, and I took a whole different approach. I didn’t say anything to anyone all night long leading up to the race and I ended up winning the race that night. Dad always told me you win some, you lose a lot, and the rest get rained out. I think if you take that attitude with you, things tend to work out.”
Flemke’s win at the season opening event also places him atop the chase for the 2008 Whelen Modified Tour championship, a position that Flemke has never occupied at season’s end in any division throughout his racing career. Flemke has twice finished second in the points standings, in 2004 behind Tony Hirschman, and again in 2006 behind Mike Stefanik. Flemke hopes to follow in the footsteps of Donny Lia, who used a Sizzler victory last year to propel himself to five more wins and the 2007 championship.
The championship is the number one thing in racing right now, it’s the goal of everyone at the start of the season,” said Flemke. “We look at the points and see where we’re at, but my dad always told me that if you get enough wins that the championship will take care of itself. I’ve never won a championship in my career in anything, so winning a championship this year would be a great personal achievement. It would definitely put an exclamation point on my career instead of a period. If my racing career ended today, I’d be proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish and I’d like to think that my dad would be too.”
Flemke and the Whelen Modified Tour take to the Stafford half-mile for the first time on Saturday, April 26 for practice and Coors Light Pole Qualifying. The Whelen Modified Tour cars along with cars from Stafford’s five weekly divisions will be on hand from 11am-noon on Sunday, April 27 for the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party with the 200-lap Tech-Net Spring Sizzler hitting the track at approximately 2pm.
Tickets for the 37th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring,” are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 26, and Sunday, April 27 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 25 practice session open the public free of charge. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of free parking with overnight weekend parking available.
For more information, 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