The "Return From Hiatus" Linkage Post

I have decided to end the hiatus from this blog, and with perfect timing - we are about one week away from kicking off the 2011 season at Stafford. Spring Sizzler weekend is almost here. I still have to take care of some last-minute things (which happens frequently), so let's get the week-before-Sizzler links from the track's site up. Shall we? Cliff Notes, version.

+ Ole Blue wll be leading the Whelen Modified Tour around the track during the pace laps.

+ Bob Potter will be giving the command to start engines for the WMT event.

+ Shark Cycle is coming back to sponsor the September race for the Modified Racing Series.

+ Call Before You Dig is returning as not only a track partner, but as a contingency sponsor for the SK Modifieds.

+ Another part of the Champions for Charities spotlght series: This time, focusing on Richie Pallai, Jr.

It's... Storylines!

After a week without anything, we're doing these stories in Cliff Notes form.

+ The next season ticket deadline? March 15. After that, the prices are going to rise again.

+ The swap meets are coming on April 3 and 10. They're the first events on the 2011 schedule.

+ Here are driver stories on Shayne Prucker and Richie Pallai, Jr. The story on Pallai is an external link from the American College Hockey Association.

The Abridged Weekly Linkage

Okay, I'm on a tight schedule. Here's the week that was (last Friday's links) from Stafford.

+ Next part to the Champions for Charities series, about Todd Szegedy.
+ 6/19: Racing Against Cancer track walk.
+ Lincoln Technical Institute is now a sponsor of the June Modified Racing Series event.
+ Your "before the Sizzler" coverage begins as well.
+ Gunsmoke Stables is a new contingency sponsor for the SK Lights.
+ Stafford's online totals almost hit 700,000.

More News

Another week, and another set of news stories for you. Let's get to them.

+ There are going to be a ton of Subarus at Stafford in June. After spending the last five years at Wachusett Mountain, the Wicked Big Meet is coming to Connecticut. This is America's largest Subaru enthusiast festival.

+ Ryan Preece's career in a SK Modified continues in 2011 as he'll be running the full season in the division.

+ Bobby Santos, III wants to improve on last year's Spring Sizzler finish. It was a second-place run in 2010 - this year, he wants the win.

+ Speaking of Santos, part four of twelve about the Champions for Charities drivers is about Santos. His charity is the USAC Benevolent Fund.

Late Week Newslines

Let's get these news stories from the Stafford site out of the way before Friday gets here.

+ Starting with the sponsorship news, the Town Fair Tire 150 in August will remain the Town Fair Tire 150. The company renewed their sponsorship for the August race involving the Whelen Modified Tour.

+ Part three of twelve in the Champions for Charities spotlights came on Friday. This week's driver spotlight was about Donny Lia.

+ Welcome the newest SK Light rookie: Sara Locascio.

+ After four years in the SK Light division, Heather DesRochers is moving up to the SK Modifieds. Steve Greer has provided the engine.

Wednesday Night Linkage

Okay, family issues have kept me from doing this batch of linkage. So let's get that done now, okay?

+ First order of business - sponsorship news. TSI Harley-Davidson has renewed their sponsorship for the Memorial Day race (this year on 5/27). For the 21st time, the Whelen Modifieds will be racing in the TSI Harley-Davidson 125.

+ Eric Berndt will be racing on the Whelen Modified Tour on a full-time basis in 2011, teaming up with Bob Katon, Jr.

+ Earl Pelletier is going to team up with Steve Greer this upcoming season. He hopes having support will help him win a few races.

+ And finally, part two of twelve is up in regards to the Champions for Charities drivers. Driver number two being profiled is Ted Christopher. His charity is the Connecticut Brest Health Initiative.

Friday News and... Well, News

Another week, and another set of notes for you. These will be done the same day the links are put up on the site this time, as I refuse to wait until the last minute.

+ More semi-sponsorship news: Your safety trucks will once again be provided by Family Ford of Enfield.

+ The weekend of the 28-30 is the Frank Maratta Auto Show at the Connecticut Expo Center. Keith Rocco's SK Modified will be on display throughout the weekend. On Saturday night, there's going to be a Stafford Speedway autograph session featuring some of the drivers. The session will be from 6-7pm.

+ And this is also part one of what I believe is a 12-part feature on the Champions for Charities drivers. The first driver to be profiled is Keith Rocco. His charity is the Connecticut chapter of the Make-a-Wish foundation. His goal is to raise $8,500 and make one kid's wish come true.

Another News Link Post

After a week of minor chaos, I'm back with the news stories from last Friday. Yes. Things were that crazy. I apologize.

+ I'll start with the sponsorship news for you. CARQuest Auto Parts is coming back for year 26. They will once again be the elite corporate sponsor of all things Stafford. The 26 straight years between the two gives them one of the longest partnerships in motorsports.

+ Brett Gonyaw took a one year break from racing at Stafford, working as a crew member for a pair of SK Modified teams. In 2011, he will be back behind the wheel of an SK Modified, as he drives the #21 that was driven by Josh Sylvester in 2010.

+ Back last month, I had mentioned how multiple drivers from the Senior Outlaw division of the Wild Thing Kart Series were making the jump to the SK Light division. One of those drivers is Jesse Ruocco, son of SK Modified driver Frank Ruocco.

A Few Friday Notes...

Well, the first full week of 2011 is nearly over. With a new calendar year comes a new bunch of headlines.

+ The final power rating list is out. Power ratings, for those who don't follow it, is a system to determine just who is the best driver during any given season. The ratings are determined in the final manner: Only top ten finishes count. For each win a driver earns, they get 100 points. (If a driver finishes seventh in a feature, they will earn 70 points.) Those points that they accumulated over the course of the season are divided by the total number of features in a division, giving them their power rating. If a driver raced in two divisions, they will be on the list twice (example: Woody Pitkat raced in both the Late Models and SK Modifieds; he gets on the list for his SK power rating and his Late Model power rating). The best driver this season was Keith Rocco, with a 78 rating.

+ Tony Membrino, Jr wants to race in the SK Light division, but he needs sponsors to help move the plan forward. If he gets sponsors, expect a #44 in the division this upcoming season.

+ There are big plans in the work for Steve Greer. Not only is he going with CD Chassis equipment, but he is also going to be teaming up with Earl Pelletier and Joey Cipriano.

+ Next month, there is an indoor midget race happening in Providence next month. They call it the Coffee Cup - which is appropriate, considering the event is in the Dunkin Donuts Center. A few Stafford drivers will make the trip to Rhode Island to race in the event. Ted Christopher and Woody Pitkat are expected to be part of the field.

Pre-2011 News

Hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas. 2011 is coming up quick, and there's news to share.

+ RallyCross is coming to Stafford. The parking lot is going will be quite busy on January 15 and 16 as the Engraving Awards and Gifts RallyCross and the Eastern States RallyCross Challenge Championship takes place.

+ In the "drivers moving up" department, Cory Casagrande is moving up from DARE Stocks to Limited Late Models, while Dylan Kopec will be racing in the SK Lights after winning the Senior Outlaw championship in the Wild Thing Kart Series last year. Kopec is not the only driver from the division to jump up to Friday nights, as there are three other drivers from the Senior Outlaws who are also joining him.

+ The third page I linked to in the last story includes more about the Champions for Charities event. The names of those who are going to be racing Senior Outlaws at the CARQuest Extreme Tuesday event will be announced sometime during the first week of January.

Champions for Charities

If you remember me talking about the schedule a few weeks back, I had mentioned something about a Champions for Charities event that was going to take place during the CARQuest Extreme Tuesday program.

Stafford put up the details of the event on the site today. I've linked to it here.

Here's what the event consists of:

During that night's schedule of events, 12-15 open-wheel champions (who were invited) will take to the track. They will pick a charity to represent and will start donating money to that charity of their choice. Stafford and CARQuest will give each driver/charity $3,000.

Each champion will be driving a Senior Outlaw from the Wild Thing Kart Series. On June 28, the drivers will qualify for the event with two eight-lap heats. This is where the donation factor comes into play. Because the more money a driver gets via donations, the better their chances are that they'll start on the pole for the heats. The two drivers who raise the most for their charities will be the two pole sitters.

After both heat races have finished, there will be a 15-lap feature. All races are done on the mini mile. The winner of the feature gets what the article calls a "champion's gift pack". There is a prize for the driver who raises the most money during the designated "fundraising period". That driver recieves also recieves a "racer's gift pack".

More information about this event will come in 2011.

I have nothing bad to say about any and all of this. Every year, there's always something different going on as part of the Extreme Tuesday event, and the 2011 edition should be pretty fun to go see.

Pre-Christmas News Megapost

This could possibly be the last post I make before Christmas, so let's make it a megapost. There's a lot to cover in this, so let's get right to it.

+ The big headline from last week: The banquet for the Whelen All-American Series, taking place last Friday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Keith Rocco was the star of the show, as he was honored for his record achievement; collecting a maximum 810 points to clinch the national championship.

+ This logo, over to the right here? Well, it's going to be used in the 2011 season as NASCAR celebrates 30 seasons of the Whelen All-American Series. Sorry for taking it off the website. Thought a visual would be helpful. I'll also paste the link here as well. Did you know that nine tracks have been partnered with NASCAR for all 30 years? According to the press release, Stafford is one of those tracks.

+ Award money has also been revealed from this past season as well. $30,575 was earned from contingency sponsors (finishing in the top-3 in features; etc) and Reliable Welding and Speed for the Rookies of the Year. Another $35,500 was paid out for post-season awards.

+ And closing this out on a jolly note, Santa is coming to town. Santa is Glenn Johnson, owner of Morrison and Johnson Automotive. I love the pictures of the sleigh.

With that, I'm going to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Stay safe. Stay dry. And if there's news before the new year, I'll be posting it.

Sponsorship Renewal News

The beginnings of the 2011 sponsorship renewals take place, as New England Racing Fuel has reupped their sponsorship for all contingency programs. They were one of the first companies to join the program, along with CARQuest back in 1999. 2011 will be year number 13 for the business.

Season Tickets and the Countdown is On

First off, doesn't that look amazing? Yes, I believe that was put up today. Or yesterday. I'm not positive. But either way, we have a countdown for the Spring Sizzler. I'd add 24 hours to the time you'll see on the front page of the Stafford site, in case you're a fan of someone who races in the Saturday portion of the show. Still... The countdown is on!

And now, let's get to the news that I was here to post about - season tickets. They're announced over at the site as well, with links and everything. But in case you didn't see the prices, I'm here to help. I'll have the links as well.

Word Doc - PDF

Those are the links for the gold seats, top row, and general admission season tickets. Everything else will have the links along with the prices.

Gold Chair Back (section G, rows 1 - 12)

Top Row (main grandstand)

Before 12/15: $345

12/16 - 3/15: $375

3/16 - 5/13: $400

General Admission

(both grandstands; everything not already covered)

Before 12/15: $295

12/16 - 3/15: $325

3/16 - 5/13: $345

Kids Club Membership (PDF)

Before 12/15: $50

12/16 - 3/15: $60

3/16 - 5-13: $75

Season Paddock Pass (Word Doc - PDF)

(can be updgraded to include general admission seat)

Before 12/15: $400 (+$45)

12/16 - 3/15: $450 (+$50)

3/16 - 5/13: $500 (+$50)

The prices in parentheses are what you add if you are planning to upgrade your paddock pass to sit in a general admission seat.

Here Ye, Here Ye

I think this says it all. At some point in time Friday, all information in regards to the 2011 schedule and season tickets will be put available. Which means be on the lookout for a few entries in regards to all of this. I'll do a little schedule preview, with what I like and what I don't like. Almost like a season preview, but without who I think will win the championships this year.

The information about the season tickets is pretty much straightforward. Few opinions, more news there.

Champion Stories and Champion Ceremonies

Don't have a lot to talk about, but it feels like a lot. Let's get to it. The other three champion stories are up on Stafford's site. All posted on Friday. Just as I thought they were going to be.

SK Lights - Limited Late Models - DARE Stocks

And information about the awards ceremony in November is also up. No real explaination needed.

More Fall Final News

It's a wet and rainy Friday afternoon. The practice that was scheduled for today has been cancelled because... Yeah, you guessed it. That doesn't stop me from delivering three more pieces of news for you.

+ The grand marshal will be Bob Alderton, a Regional Manager for CARQuest Belts and Hoses. Not only will he be giving the command to start engines, but he'll be doing a few laps on a Harley before the Whelen Modified Tour race begins.

And these other two don't have links, but they're on the front page of the Stafford site.

+ The honorary starter is Kyle McGowan, a fourth generation starter from Wall Stadium. He has also flagged for the North-South Shootout and events at Atlantic City.

+ And the trophy girl for the weekend is second grader Madison Kretschman. She was the state's finalist at the All American Girl Pageant back in August (Little Miss division, national finals).

Coming Down the Stretch

It's the final Friday night of racing tomorrow. Whatever we get tonight (and it's still coming) probably won't hinder what happens in less than 24 hours. On top of all that, it's time for the weekly articles, straight from the Stafford site. Enjoy, and I'll be back with the weekly article from what happened in the final regular night of racing.

+ The national championship that was decided a few weeks ago is not the only national championship that is awarded on a yearly basis. I didn't know that there are five divisions. (I knew there were at least two a few years back.) In the Division III championship race, Tommy Barrett is currently the leader of said division going into this weekend's racing, ahead of two guys from All American Speedway. He has 553 points against Christopher Lambert's 499. Other SK Light drivers who are in the top-10 of the Division III points: Matt Galko (4th; 493), Joey Cipriano (6th; 469), and Erica Santos (10th; 434). The division points page (which is found here) has the standings from the other divisions still up for grabs as well - Stafford is represented quite nicely.

+ In Fall Final news, the CARQuest Belts and Hoses Pit Party will be giving out bags to the first 700 people to walk onto the track via the turn one entrance.

+ Speaking of the Fall Final, it seems as though the Whelen Modified Tour will have a good points race coming into the race. This week, they're at New Hampshire. But at the moment, the top three are separated by a mere 61 points.

+ Another close point race? The Late Model points race. Ryan Posocco once had a 48 point lead over Woody Pitkat. But two weeks can change everything. The current lead? Four points. This one will be going to the Fall Final to decide.

Thursday News and Links

Here is my attempt at getting something out before Friday afternoon, when this is the first weekend of the school summer vacation in some towns.

+ More on Ryan Posocco's milestone victory from last Friday night - his 40th career Late Model win.

+ Jim Peterson's season started off on the wrong foot, but after the last few races, the bad luck has been pushed right out the window.

+ There will be a show car from the Nationwide Series on hand tomorrow afternoon from 5-10pm. Click here for a picture advertisement.

Thursday News

This is what we call "the calm before the storm". When you wake up in the morning, you will be prepared for two days of racing action. There is some pre-weekend news for you before things get a bit crazy at SMS.

+ There's a very interesting trophy waiting for the winner of the May 7th Late Model 100. What is it? It's a hood from a passenger car that will be airbrushed by students from Lincoln Tech Institute. If you'd like to take a look at it, it will be on display at their booth on the midway before the evening's event gets going.

+ On the second week of racing action, welcome Darrell Yarborough Nationwide Insurance to the contingency list. They've hooked up with the SK Light division, giving $50 to the third place finisher in each race on the schedule.

+ Spend $59 on events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and/or zMAX Dragway, and get a $10 voucher to get into your favorite local short track. NASCAR affiliated.

+ And for those of you who are going to vote on the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year, please look at the following image (courtesy of the Stafford website):