Matthews Moves Up to SKs

The 2009 SK Modified rookie class at Stafford just got a little bit bigger... And a bit more decorated.

Chris Matthews becomes the fifth former SK Light competitor to make the jump to the SKs this offseason, and the second past champion to move up (Joe Allegro, Jr being the other SK Light champion to graduate).

The car that Matthews will be driving will be a car that was previously run by Todd Owen.

The Welcoming of the LLM Spec Engine

From earlier this week (read as: Tuesday), there's news from the Limited Late Model division.

Andrew Durand's going to make the switch this season to the new spec engine package available for the Limiteds. He'll also be changing the body style to the new Mid-American NGB style with a New Era win.

Business Expo in May

Throughout the month of May, Stafford has decided to host their own business expo.

Sponsors of any Stafford competitor, track sponsor, and/or track advertising partner are allowed to come on down to the track during any Friday night in the month of May (excluding the 22nd for some reason) to promote their business.

Out of all of the sponsors that set up shop on the midway that evening, one business will get to ride in the pace car, start the race, and award the winner their trophy at the end.

There are some catches.

• Sponsors can only have up to three attendees set up and work the display.
• Displays must be up no later than 4:30pm.
• In the event of rain, the event will be held during the next week's event. Again, this is sans the May 22nd event.
• RSVP by April 29 by reading the link found at the top of the post.

More on Rocco's Meet With the Governor

In regards to a past entry I wrote this month...

Stafford has a piece up on their site about Keith Rocco going to the state capital to meet with Jodi Rell. The story, if you don't remember, has Rocco being honored for his achievements last season (SMS SK champion, Connecticut champion in the Whelen All-American Series, and fourth overall in the national standings) by the Governor.

I know, not much to discuss about this. Sorry about that. I promise I'll have more stuff coming. Lack of patience, I guess.

Sizzler Open Practice

You know the start of the racing season at Stafford's coming when there's an open practice for the Spring Sizzler coming up.

The open practice this year will take place on Appril 18 -- that's a Saturday. In the event of rain, the date will be the very next day; April 19.

Entrance for the practice is $25, and if you have a season pit pass, it's already covered. General admission stands will not be open.

The track opens at 10:00am, and practice runs from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

Ticket Prices Increasing SOON

Read as "after Monday". So you really only have about two or three days to save money for season tickets.

Monday is also the last day you have an opportunity to follow Stafford's convienient Buy Now, Save Later plan (pay half of the ticket price by Monday and the other half on or before April 9).

16 Days and Counting...

Until the first event on Stafford's calendar occurs. I know. The days get longer, and so does the feeling of waiting.

At the end of the month -- March 29 -- the first of two spring swap meets will take place with the spring motorcycle swap meet.

Really, though, at least this means that the racing season's closer than it was when I first posted the countdown.

Just a Few More Tidbits

A few more stories from the short track presswire while we're all waiting for that stubborn cold weather to shuffle right on out of here...

+ There will be another two-car team in the SK Modifieds this season. Brett Gonyaw will be in one Bob Parker machine (#84), while Willie Hardie will be in the other (#48).

+ Keith Rocco's accomplishments this past season turned quite a few heads, including Governor Jodi Rell's. Today, Rocco earned a distinction from Rell. A statement from Rell can be found at the Hartford Courant's racing blog.

+ Sean Foster's looking for a ride. Sponsorship is not a problem. He's just looking for any team that needs a driver for the season. His race plans are open: Race anywhere and anything.

A Few More Headlines

Two pieces of news to help keep this month of March moving (because you know what they say -- in like a lion...)

+ In these tough economic times, Stafford is going to help lighten the load a slight bit when it comes to paying for the season ticket package. Before March 16, pay half of the price of whatever package you want to buy, and then before April 9, pay the other half. Once both halves are sent to Stafford, the pass will be processed and in the mail for you to use.

+ According to Stafford's site, the SK Modified 100 is the third "longest continuously running event" at the track, only behind the obvious Spring Sizzler and Fall Final. The 2009 edition of the SK 100 will be the 36th annual event, and since 2004, it has been sponsored by Coors Light. I say that because they'll be the sponsor of this year's race as well. Their partnership with SMS started in 2000 when they sponsored the inaugural SK Modified 150 and awarded $150 in contingency money. In 2004, the company moved affiliation to the SK 100, where it has been a staple ever since.

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...

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.

Welcome Back, Matt Gallo

The last time Matt Gallo was seen racing at Stafford, it was two years ago, and he was in the SK Light class. Last year, he was seen racing SK Modifieds at Waterford (winning on 9/13).

But Gallo's returning to Stafford in '09. He'll be bringing the Guida's Dairy #77 back to the half mile, but as part of the SK Modified rookie class.

Chalk up another driver who factored in the spec motor as part of the reason why they wanted to make the move up into the SKs. He also says that the competition is also something he's looking forward to.

It's also the same chassis that he had in the car when raced in the SK Lights. The team is also making another car for him as a backup.

8/7 WMT Race Gets Name Brands at Discount Prices

Okay, well... Maybe that's just a play on words. Either way, the Whelen Modified Tour race in August has picked itself up a sponsor.

It's now going to be called the 19th annual Town Fair Tire 150.

Stafford's partnership with Town Fair Tire doesn't just start with this race in the summer. They've been partners for ten years now, beginning in 1999. The marriage first started with the Pitstopper, then moving to billboards and midway displays. Two years ago, they sponsored Summer Heat and presented contingency bonuses to the SK Modified and Late Model divisions. Last year, they sponsored the Summer Blast-Off fireworks display.

Off of the track, they're the sponsor of NASCAR: New England on NESN.