2011 Rules Time

Yes, it's time that we get the annual rules post out of the way. This week, Stafford released the rules for the 2011 season. All divisions. Here are the links if you haven't checked them out already.

SK Modified
LM OEM Metric - LM XYG Tube
SK Light
Limited Late Model
DARE Stock

All rulebooks are in PDF form.

SK Motor Change in the Works

The news broke Saturday night, while Waterford was getting ready to hold their weekly event. It was mentioned that the top-three finishers in Friday night's SK race at Stafford were oh, so close to being disqualified. They kept their spots, but the controversy was already in place.

According to Courant's racing blog, changes are in the plans when it comes to SK Modified motors. It's about offset dowel pins. Teams will be able to use them for one more week - the upcoming June 4 race - but come the SK 100 on June 11, they'll be kicked out. The dowel pins, that is.

2010 Rule Changes

2010 will be a season of change at Stafford. Both in the literal sense and the figurative. The literal sense is implied in the rule changes for all divisions, which were released yesterday. Here's what's changing:

SK Modified
+ Spec engine allowed to run Sunoco Supreme gas
+ Clarification to intake manifold (spec and non-spec)
+ Rearview mirror rule adjustment
+ Roll bar rule updated (anti-intrustion plates and foot protection bar)

Late Model (XYG Rulebook)
+ B and C-engines allowed to run 2nd generation Edelbrock 2101 intake manifold
+ B and C-engines choose between Canton #85-060 or #85-065 carb spacer
+ All engines permitted to run Lobak or Kooks muffler and cowl air induction
+ B-motor converts spec oil pan and option of inspection plug

Limited Late Model
+ Age limit reduced: 15 YEARS OLD
+ Body measurements done with NGB or S2 templates
+ Non-spec engines allowed to run 2nd generation Edelbrock 2101 intake manifold
+ Both engines choose between Canton #85-060 or #85-065 carb spacer
+ Spec engines must have same overall weight and left side weight as non-spec engines
+ Spec engines permitted to run Kooks muffler
+ New gear rule for spec and non-spec engines

SK Light
+ Age limit reduced: 15 YEARS OLD
+ Engine exhaust rule updated (Kooks mufflers and SFI harmonic balancer)

DARE Stock
+ Age limit reduced: 14 YEARS OLD
+ GM ploy front fender permitted
+ Triple reinforced fiberglass roof permitted
+ New rule for battery location

All rulebooks are linked to their respective divisions.

In three of the divisions (those that don't require pit crews out on pit road), the minimum age has been dropped. As already stated, it's 14 for the DARE Stocks and 15 for the SK Lights and Limited Late Models. Should be interesting to see what happens.

Thursday News and Rumors

A few things on the docket on this beautiful Thursday afternoon.

+ We're trying to run the second of two Late Model 100s on Friday. The schedule's been up for a while now. The Late Models will close out the program. If you have a rain check from either the August 21 or August 28 program, feel free to use it.

+ According to the NASCAR Home Track's Twitter page, the new age limit for support and entry-level divisions at Whelen All-American Series tracks is 14. Will 2010 be the Year of the Youth Movement at Stafford? Only time will tell before we know for sure.

+ Finally, from the "rumor mill" files: Heard that Stafford is in the process of adding more races to the schedule. They'll be pushing back the Fall Final to Halloween weekend if that happens. If that happens, I've got two words for you. Bundle up.

SK 150 News

If I had to describe the rules and schedule in one word: Wow.

First off, the SKs are scheduled to be the last feature to go out for the night. So, yeah; technically, you're saving the best for last.

And then, there are some extra rules tagged onto the last feature of the evening.

The boys running technical inspection are not going to be easy with the weight of anyone going up and over the scales at the end of the night. So if you're too light or too heavy, you're probably getting punted to the tail end of the finishing order.

All yellow flag laps will count. Okay, easy enough. Not that big of a deal.

Unless something drastic happens to the tires that are on the car at the start of the night, everyone's going to have to race on four tires. If you get a flat or if the rim's damaged, you can fix it. Aside from that, you're not going to be able to get an advantage with fresh Hoosiers.

And then, there's the tire credit rule. No extra tire credits. Everyone's going to get one extra tire credit after the 150. Not that big of a deal, unless things start to get messy.

But yeah. I'm surprised that the 150 is the last feature of the evening. Wasn't expecting something like that to happen. Can't wait to see what goes down tomorrow night. (If the rain goes away!)

TC Says Adios to SMS SK Mods?

Well, this is interesting. After Friday night's SK Modified feature, it appears as though someone wants out.

After getting penalized for jumping a late restart, Ted Christopher pulled onto pit road and parked the car for the evening. So what's going on? He says he's done racing at the track on a weekly basis. Which, in my opinion, sucks. If I can say something like that.

The reason why Christopher's done weekly racing at SMS is because he says that Keith Rocco was hitting the breaks on the restart in question.

And for the record, I must not have been paying attention to the restart rules as well, because I hadn't heard of them changing anything about it in 2008. But apparently, that's the rule now. Really don't know where that one came from. Last I knew, they had a warning system and then you went to the back.

Yeah, I've Been Slipping...

But it's been a crazy last few days here. I've been incased in other things. I'm taking a break from NHL trade deadline silliness to post the following stories from the weekend and yesterday.

Let's start with the big news from yesterday. Jim Peterson's coming back. But instead of owning his own car like he's done in the past, he'll be teaming up with Joe Hamm to drive the #13 Late Model this season. The crew will be a mixture of Hamm's guys and Peterson's guys.

Meanwhile, in last month's news (that's always still important), the spec engine package for the Limited Late Models has been finalized. Base price is set at $3200, with upgrades at $1600. The final cost is $4800. And because I'm just in chaos mode and I don't do this kind of thing often, here are the upgrades for the spec engine, straight from Stafford's site.

Click on the image for a larger size.

I'll be back with more news when it unfolds. 53 days and counting until the Sizzler gets here...

Rules and Banquets

A few things for your Thursday evening:

Rules are now out for the rest of Stafford's divisions. Apparently, they weren't as hyped up like the Limited Late Models since the LLMs were the only ones to have their own press release.

Here are the links for the rest of the rulebooks:

+ SK Modifieds
+ Late Models
+ SK Lights
+ DARE Stocks

Also, if you're looking for the award banquet form, you can find it right here. You must RSVP by Halloween, or you have no shot of attending.

Other than that, I've got nothing else for you. Light news tonight, and more news when I see it. (Or when I find something interesting to talk about.)

Rulebook '09: Limited Late Models

The first of the five rulebooks for the 2009 Stafford season was released Friday. That rulebook belonged to the Limited Late Models.

They wanted to get the rules out as soon as possible. Getting them out before the 2008 season ended isn't a shabby idea. Like the press release says, having them out early gives teams plenty of time to fine tune the cars and get them race-ready in the spring.

Here's some of the new stuff that will be in the rulebook for the Limited Late Models next season:

+ Jacking bolts are to go on the front suspension.
+ The locale of the shocks are now on the outside of the frame rail.
++ Speaking of shocks, it's only Pro WB Series shocks.
+ Disc brakes are allowed on all four wheels.
++ You are allowed to use the XYG Tube metric snout.
+ Optional, but permitted: The use of a Ford 9" non-locking rear end.

You can find the rules in a .PDF file, found right here.

More news to come in the course of the next two weeks when it happens.

SMS Gets the Lucky Dog

Well, if there was ever a new rule to be enforced at Stafford Motor Speedway for the weekly divisions, it would have to be the lucky dog rule. If you don't already know what it is, let me explain it: It's literally the term for someone who is allowed to get their lap back after a caution.

But it's a slight precaution that comes along with this addition of the lucky dog.

To tell you the truth, it's a slight bit confusing in regards to the rule. I heard that if a driver spins out under his/her own power and has the entire field passes him/her under green, they fall a lap down. Just like the Sprint Cup, that driver can earn their lap back by not being a caution car when the caution comes out again.

Sounds kind of crazy, right? Well, I know that they've had problems with people spinning out and sitting in the spot they're in, so they're taking some action against it. Is it just a test with spinning out under green, or is this the only way someone's going to be able to get their lap back? I didn't hear anything in regards to this rule today, except for what the boys in the press booth said during the feature for the SK Lights. I guess time will eventually tell.

Weekly write-up to come sometime this week, of course. I just wanted to make sure this gets its own entry, however.

Modified Tire News

So... Stafford is changing the way the Modifieds run via tires. First and foremost, American Racer will not be supplying tires for the open wheeled machines in '08 -- that title will be held by Hoosier. The sizes and compounds will be 26.0/13.0-15 M45 for the left side and 27.0/13-15 M46 for the right side. SK teams will be allowed to buy two tires per week, while the SK Lights are only going to be able to buy one tire a week. They're going to be carrying some sort of serial scan number, so that those in charge of tire duty will know how many tires each team is getting. SKs will be allowed to have up to ten tires in their inventory, while the SK Lights will only get up to eight. This may change for extra distance races (SK 100, mainly), and it will be changed if one wants to practice and/or test. If this is the case (the testing/practicing), then only six tires will be the maximum for SKs, while the maximum is four for the SK Lights.

My take? This is kind of not something I was expecting, though I believe Waterford has teams on Hoosier tires to begin with and they have most of the rules (if not, a good number of them) that Stafford has set for the Modifieds. I would assume that this might help teams if they want to go back and forth between tracks each weekend, but this may or may not be the case. Either way, I'm willing to see how this will affect teams if it does.

Swearing by the [Rule]Book

The Stafford Motor Speedway's rulebook has already been tweaked, and the '08 version is officially available for your viewing pleasure. And it's a lot earlier than usual. Add in the fact that Stafford still has one swap meet to close out this season (and two swap meets at the start of next season), getting the rules out will help the drivers and crews get a jump during the offseason. Here are the changes that are taking place in '08. They're pretty minor and taken from the site. (Apologies, but as I read this, I'm not sure I could have put it into my own words. I did try. I really did.)

The SK Modified® division will have aluminum bodies allowed, a new 11.5 to 1 compression ratio for all engines, and DART Heads, part number 10024266 will be permitted.

Stafford's Late Model division will be switching its body rule to the NASCAR A-B-C body rule. Other body changes include doors can be either steel or aluminum, fenders can be either steel or plastic, and the rear deck / trunk can be either steel or aluminum. The Late Model division will have the same 11.5 to 1 compression ration for all engines like the SK Modified® division and the DART Head 10024266 will also be permitted. Other engine changes include adjustments to the valve spring and crank rule as well as a header rule adjustment. DCA lower trailing arms, part number 17822, will be permitted, and a new shock package was introduced with KONI shocks part numbers #30-7325, #30-7436, #30-7647, #30-9325, #30-9436 and #30-9414 will be permitted.

Stafford's SK Light division has the fewest changes of the five weekly divisions. Like the SK Modified® division, aluminum bodies will be permitted, and No AP racing or any other brake caliper that exceeds a racer net of $265.00 will be allowed, and the crate motors will be held to a 9 to 1 compression ratio. Also, RaD Automachine has been added to the approved SK Light service center list, while Precision Automotive has been removed. RaD Automachine is based out of Ludlow, MA and can be contacted at 1-413-583-4414.

The Limited Late Model division will be joining the Late Model division by enforcing the NASCAR A-B-C body rule. For teams running the optional crate engine package, the minimum weight of the car has been lowered to 3,000 pounds and the left side weight has been increased to 54% while the traditional non-crate engine cars will remain at 3,100 pounds and 53% left side weight. Further rule adjustments have been made to the Battery, Trailing Arm, Shock, A-Frame, Track Width, and Wheelbase rules.

The DARE Stock division body rule has been amended to include the following: Rear of car must still maintain a stock appearance, stock will be determined by NASCAR Officials. The hood rule has been adjusted to read: A maximum of a two (2) inch non-functioning hood scoop is permitted as long as its part of the stock hood i.e. (Buick Grand National). A stock OEM harmonic balancer will be permitted and there are further adjustments to the piston / rod rule, the oil pan rule, the intake manifold rule, and the starter rule. DCA 17811 upper and DCA 17822 lower trailing arms will be permitted and UB MACHINE P/N 12-0809-5R and 14-0829-6L replacement A-Frames will be permitted. The sway bar maximum diameter will be 1.25 inches and the minimum roof height will be 51 inches.

And that's what's going on in Techland. Pretty self-explanatory, if I do say so myself. Changes flying all over the place. I wonder what's going to happen at the Spring Sizzler. Ah, well. We shall soon find out come April. For more information regarding the changes, it would be very helpful if you went over to the Downloads and Rules section of the track's site. Until next time, I bid you a safe offseason.

A Kaleidoscope of Information

Here is your one and only entry for the month of December, as things have taken over my holiday rush. (And I just installed a new computer monitor as the previous one in my room had blacked out for the final time.)

We start with the rules meetings that took place over the course of last month. For the most part, there were no major changes, but minor ones were implimented. To begin with, the SKs now have a 56 percent weight distribution for the left side of the car, moved up a percent from last season. Also, teams are allowed to make changes to the dog-ring and slider (high gear) on Richmond transmissions only. For the SK Lights, they will be using the same tires the SKs are using. Limited Late Models have an option this season: They can use the crate motor that the SK Lights use, or they can use a traditional non-crate engine. No matter what, a rev limiter is required.

The DARE Stocks have the most rule changes out of any division this year. From the track site:

Stafford's DARE Stock competitors will be required to race with a fuel cell bladder that is in line with the track's other four weekly divisions. Other changes to the DARE Stock rules: tourque converters less than 11 inches are not permitted; OEM brakes can be changed across different year, make, and model with stock components; a single adjustable proportioning valve is permitted in a location that is inaccessible from the driver's compartment; stock steering pumps and boxes may be interchanged from different years, makes and models; aftermarket steering pumps are permitted, aluminum steering pumps are not permitted, remote reservoirs are permitted. Also, the DARE Stock firewall rule has been revised to come into line with Stafford's Late Model and Limited Late Model firewall rule.

And that was what went down in the rules meetings. Now then, onto some fun business. NASCAR: New England will continue to run on the New England Sports Network (NESN) next esason. Time slots have not been set by NESN as of yet. When they come up with a time, I will tell you all about it. No need to fear.

Finally, YouTube user MarcandBryon have posted some more videos for you. There's seven of them on their page: The five champions' videos, a cute little interview session with numerous drivers, and a short commercial for 2007 season ticket sales. These are the same videos that are on the track's site, so if you don't usually check out the site, I encourage you to check out the videos that they've uploaded onto YouTube.