Speedway EXPO Pictorial

Here are some of the pictures I took while I was at Speedway EXPO today. Yes, they're more Stafford-centric, with a looksee into the future.

Keith Rocco's SK Modified.

Ted Christopher's SK Modified.

Norm Sears's Limited Late Model.


Jay Goff's SK Light.

The #92 Late Model. Currently on Stafford's site, the driver is TBA.

The Late Model that Ted Christopher will be driving for a few races this season.

Okay, so this was from the Lime Rock Park display. But this was cool looking.

SMS Display Info for Speedway EXPO

With Speedway EXPO set for this weekend at the Big E fairgrounds (West Springfield), Stafford announced which cars were going to be on display for the three-day event.

A total of six cars will bet set up for show spectators.

SK Modifieds: Ted Christopher, Keith Rocco
Late Models: Dillon Moltz
SK Lights: Jay Goff
Limited Late Models: Bill Davis, Norm Sears

They'll also have all of the necessary schedules and forms available, and officials will be there to answer questions regarding rules for the '09 season.

Times for the show are as follows.

Friday: 5pm -- 9pm
Saturday: 10am -- 9pm
Sunday: 10am -- 5pm

Pit Parties, Belts, and Hoses

When April and the Spring Sizzler roll around, the Sunday afternoon pit party will be in good hands. CARQuest and Stafford announced Tuesday that CARQuest Belts and Hoses will continue to sponsor the pit parties at the beginning and end of the season.

CARQuest and Stafford first joined forces in 1985 when CARQuest signed on as a track sponsor. In the last 23 years, the company has sponsored numerous races and events throughout the seasons.

A Do-It-Yourself LLM Entrant

The era of "do-it-yourselfers" in NASCAR is like a dying breed. These days, you have engine builders and chassis builders suppling the parts needed to race teams. This season, one driver won't need the help of a builder. Keith Minchella will be competing in the Limited Late Models, though with friend Vincent Balboni, they'll have everything built themselves.

Advantage? Building everything yourself saves money. And they'll have more knowledge about what's going on with the car.

Minchella had been registered to race in the 2008 season, but work obligations and his daughter racing in the kart series on Mondays changed those plans.

He's also raced all over New England, including Riverside, Thompson, Waterford, and Monadnock. But this season will be his first at Stafford.

Hey, Look... A Lot of News!

Yes, kids. Instead of a bunch of posts this weekend, here's one huge weekend post to get you through the Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend.

+ Contingencies are being renewed everywhere. There's the Davidson Company (1st place in the SKs in memory of Dave Rowe), Valvoline (1st place in SKs), and Bosch (top-3 in SK Lights).

+ Spec engine rules for the Limited Late Models have been released. To go along with this, Stafford will be allowing a new body type for Limiteds to go along with the new engine package. They'll also be adding T/A Engines to help out.

+ Well wishes go out to Scott Foster, Jr, after a snowmobile accident earlier this month. Internal injuries and six hours of surgery over last weekend is the report. Get well soon.

RoTY Program + Reliable Welding and Speed = 8 Years' Sponsorship

In 2002, Reliable Welding and Speed (owned by SK Modified driver Brad Hietala and wife Linda) joined forces with Stafford and started sponsoring the track's Rookie of the Year program. $700 and $500 in prize money was awarded to Tucker Reynolds, Jr (SKs) and Mark Lewis (Late Models).

2009 will mark year number eight in the Rookie of the Year program, with the Hietalas and Reliable Welding and Speed yet again on board.

The names that have won Rookie of the Year at Stafford since the sponsorship came into play have been familiar yet famous, especially in the SK Modified division. Both Woody Pitkat (2004) and Keith Rocco (2005) are past winners; both of which have been in contention to win the national championship for the Whelen All-American Series. Rowan Pennink (2006) found his way onto the Whelen Modified Tour, finishing 8th overall in the standings last season.

Nearly $11,000 has been awarded to nineteen different drivers since 2002. Four new winners will be added to the list when the season comes to a close this year, with another $2,200 going to the winners of each rookie class.

20 Years Removed and Still Eager to Race

To say that one of the newest entrants into the SK Light division is rookie is stretching the truth a bit. While John Montesanto hasn't raced a modified before, he has, however, had experience racing at Stafford before. Even though Late Models aren't exactly modifieds, this former competitor is ready to jump into the waters known as open-wheeled racing after a hiatus of near 20 years.

The decision to return to racing at Stafford came last year. Montesanto and team visited the track frequently, scoping out the competition and to hopefully get a car in the process. They ended up getting a car through Gary Bienkowski, who owned the #38 for the past two seasons. (That car finished sixth in the standings back in '07, and three finishes on the podium before a crash put the car out of commission last year.)

Post-Groundhog Day News

Some form of sickness kicked my arse last week. Feeling a bit better this week (and month), I'm giving myself a clean bill of health. On that note, two pieces of news to sink your teeth into as we're subjected to six more weeks of winter -- shadow or not...

+ The Memorial Day weekend event with the Whelen Modified Tour will not be losing its sponsor this year. TSI Harley Davidson has renewed its sponsorship with Stafford. For three years between 2005 and 2007, they sponsored a Camping World East Series race; last year, they tagged their name to the May WMT race (which, if you can remember, was run after hours because of a little rain squall).

+ In Rookie of the Year news, the Late Model division gains another open wheeled graduate. From the SK Light fields of '07 and '08, Alan Provost is moving on up to the land of the fendered machines. He will be joining a bright cast of characters as a contestant for the Late Model Rookie of the Year crown in '09. This will be Provost's first season of racing something that does not have open wheels. His racing resume includes Mod Lights at Whip City and go-karts.

Not really a piece of news, but something of interest for racing show fans: Frank Maratta's Auto & Cycle Show is this weekend. If you're looking for a preview of what you might expect to see at some of the short tracks around here, head over to the CT Expo Center in Hartford. Don't know if I'm going to this one. It's still hockey season, and I'm juggling around a schedule this weekend that doesn't look all that busy this. Who knows? This blogger could show up.

Only 81 days and change until the Spring Sizzler rolls around, and I'm positive that there'll be more news rolling around in the future. Stay tuned.