Stafford Motor Speedway To Offer 2016 Season Preview At Frank Maratta Auto Show / Race-A-Rama
Stafford Springs, CT — With the 2016 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season drawing closer to dropping the green flag, Stafford Motor Speedway is geared up for what will promise to be a blockbuster year. The Connecticut half-mile track will offer race fans a sneak preview into the season at the Frank Maratta Auto & Race-A-Rama show, which will be held at the Big E in Springfield, MA from Feb. 26-28.
Stafford’s booth will be filled with the #99 SK Modified® car of defending SK Modified® track champion Rowan Pennink, the #75 SK Light of David Arute, the DP Motorsports owned #28 Limited Late Model that will be driven by Bryan Narducci, the #12 DARE Stock of Alexandra Fearn, and the #25 Legend Car of Brett Crowther.
Defending SK Modified® champion Rowan Pennink and the #99 NAPA Van Wickle Auto Supply team have been on a roll since the middle of the 2014 season. They won 5 times in the second half of the 2014 season and they followed that up with 6 wins in 2015 to go along with 17 top-5 and 19 top-10 finishes. Pennink dueled with Ryan Preece for much of the year in the chase for the track title and Pennink ended up beating Preece to the championship by a 10-point margin at season’s end.
Stafford’s SK Light division will be represented by newcomer David Arute and his #75 DP Motorsports machine. Arute got his feet wet in the SK Light division last season with 7 starts at the Waterford Speedbowl and he made one start at Stafford in the NAPA Fall Final Feature. Combined between his Waterford efforts and his Stafford start, Arute recorded 7 top-10 finishes in his 8 starts. With 11 wins in Stafford’s Limited Late Model division over the past 4 seasons, Arute is well primed to tackle the challenge of his rookie season in the SK Light ranks.
Stafford’s Limited Late Model division will be represented by the #28 car formerly driven by Arute that will see Wild Thing Karts graduate Bryan Narducci taking over the driving duties. Narducci began his racing career at age 9 and in 7 seasons of Kart racing, he has accumulated nearly 40 feature wins. The 15-year old has won at Woodstock, Claremont, Pomfret, and Stafford and he will be looking to carry that success over to the Limited Late Model ranks in a car that Arute took to victory lane 11 times over the past 4 seasons.
Stafford’s DARE Stock division will be represented by the #12 SAFCO Foam entry of Alexandra Fearn. Fearn is also a Wild Thing Karts graduate and the 2016 season will be her fourth year in the DARE Stock division. Fearn got her first DARE Stock win in 2014 and she has added three more wins since then for a total of 4 wins. Last season she finished sixth in the points standings despite missing two races due to school commitments and she will be a strong contender for the track championship in 2016.
Stafford’s Legend Cars will be represented by the #25 Crowther Racing machine of Brett Crowther. Crowther finished the 2016 season with 16 top-10 finishes and a 6th place finish in the points standings. The Legend Cars will race around Stafford’s mini-mile for 14 of the 22 scheduled events during the 2016 season.
Stafford officials will also be on hand to answer any questions about rules, as well as processing any paperwork, such as number request forms, NASCAR license applications, team profile sheets, and minor release forms.
Stafford Motor Speedway will kick off its 2016 racing season with the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 22-24, 2016. The NAPA Spring Sizzler will feature the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the 200-lap Sizzler, with Stafford’s five weekly divisions and the Northeast Mini Stock Tour all in action. Tickets for the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler are on sale now and can be obtained by calling the speedway office at 860-684-2783 or by stopping by the office in person. Tickets for “The Greatest Race In the History of Spring” are priced at $38.50 for Adult General Admission, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted FREE when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is available for $42.00.
Be sure to stop by the Frank Maratta Auto Show / Race-A-Rama booth for a sneak preview into the 2016 season at Stafford Motor Speedway, or contact the front office at (860) 684-2783 or visit us on the web atwww.staffordspeedway.com for more information.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR