Out Like a Lamb

March is known to come in like a lion, and out like a lamb. We're almost at the end of the month and are less than four weeks away before the Spring Sizzler, and there's more news to report on.

+ 2010 will mark Ed Flemke, Jr's 20th attempt to win the Sizzler. It's been two decades worth of ups and downs. But inspiration can be found in a seven-time NASCAR champion and 20 attempts at the Daytona 500.

+ For Frank Cardile, the plan for this season is simple: Get to victory lane. He's been close before, but hasn't made it there. The plan this year is to win.

+ Another sponsor has re-upped in the form of The Davidson Company. They will be part of the SK Modified contingency program, tacking on a cash bonus to the winner of every SK feature this season.

And if you want to know... There is an entry list available for the Whelen Modified Tour and the big spring race. Yes, it's a short list right now. Two drivers as of early Wednesday morning.

More Driver News

It's 70 degrees in March and I'm looking to book it. Not before I give you the following pieces of news.

+ Richie Pallai, Jr moving up. He'll be competing on the Whelen Modified Tour after three full seasons in the SK Modified division. He'll still race in both the SK 100 and SK 150 later in the season (and possibly other dates), but his plan is to do a full WMT schedule.

+ Adam Gray, the Late Model Rookie of the Year in '09, wants to build on the success in his first season at Stafford.

+ Tom Fearn has himself a new car for the new season. He will be running a tube car (that I don't know what it is, sorry).

Of Driver News and Other Things.

I was thinking of when I should post the following stories, only because the winds were a son of a something else this past weekend. And on Tuesday, the winds are no more and I'm able to post without a problem. So with that being said, here are some stories for you.

+ Wade Mattesen is out of the #20 SK Modified (school and career), and in his place? Jeff Baral.

+ Ryan Posocco has four Late Model championships to his name. Last season, he just missed out on number five (by twenty points). This season, it's attempt two. Will this be the year for number five?

+ Your sponsor news of the time frame comes from Sunoco, who have renewed their contingency sponsorship. (Okay, it's New England Racing Fuel. Sunoco brand.)

There's also a little bit about the Spring Sizzler. Just a little bit of history in regards to it.

A Post of Practices, Swap Meets, and National TV

+ There are events coming up! The 2010 season at Stafford is right around the corner. In fact, the first event is in a couple of weeks. On March 28, the spring version of the motorcycle swap meet will kick off the calendar of events. And then the second swap meet (Ty-Rods auto) will be on March 11.

+ The first actual racing event will take place on April 17, as practice for the Spring Sizzler kicks into gear. This is a closed practice; only the paddock area will be open. Five straight hours of practice from 1-6pm EST. In the event of rain, the practice will be held on April 18.

+ And then the weekend after the closed practice is the big weekend. It's the 39th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler! The Whelen Modified Tour will be running a 200-lap main event, and Stafford's five weekly divisions will also be on hand. There's a schedule, but it's still bare bones. April 23 (Friday) is an open practice. If you're in the Stafford area and are looking to get a preview of what everyone's paint schemes are or who made a move up to a new division, you can head to the track on that day and check it out. General admission grandstands will be open as usual, and you don't have to pay a cent to check it out.

+ In other news, it looks like the Whelen Modified Tour's getting some television exposure. Welcome Versus (nine races, partnered up with the WSMT; those with DirecTV may still be in the dark) and Speed (five races). Speed's coverage will be tape delayed and aired as a one-hour show. Air dates and races for those planning to watch on Versus haven't been finalized yet.

More News in March

Happy Monday. Here's a pair of news stories from this past week that are of SMS interest.

+ CBYD (or "Call Before You Dig") is renewing their sponsorship for '10. They are the sponsor of the tech center, and will also be advertising in the Pitstopper and on the backstretch.

+ Dillon Moltz will be pretty busy after the Spring Sizzler. After the Late Model feature that Sunday, he'll take part in a developmental driver program where one of twelve drivers in the US will get the opportunity to drive in the ARCA Pocono 200 on June 5.

And if you want season tickets, the next price bump is March 16.

In Like a Lion...

Well, hello March. Nice of you to show up on such short notice. With the start of the month here, that means we're a little less than two months away from the Spring Sizzler and the 2010 season at Stafford.

As previously stated, I'm deeply sorry that I have been slacking in posting news stories for you guys over the past month. Tonight, however, I'm going to be backtracking through the last month of news stories and will be giving you all of the news from February.

Driver Stories (done in bullet form)
Enjoy stories about...
+ Jeff Malave
+ Bo Gunning returning to the track
+ The Village Springs team looking to reverse bad luck
+ Corey Hutchings and Woody Pitkat joining forces in the Late Models
+ Dan Avery teaming with Ted Christopher
+ Michael Bennett
+ Carla Botticello
+ Dan Flannery

Other News
You have articles on Village Springs renewing sponsorship, and Valvoline renewing contingency sponsorship in the SK Modified division.

And I shall be back the next time more stories are posted. I promise that this time, I'll give them to you on time.

Lack of Posts

Sorry for what seems like a lack of posts around here lately. Winter and I don't get along. I promise I'll be doing a megapost in the next couple of days -- perhaps as early as tomorrow night. Stay tuned.

February News Post

Another month and another batch of news stories (from the last few days). Enjoy.

+ Josh Sylvester is returning to the track in 2010, teaming up with the Silberman team.

+ The newest member of the Davidson Racing team is Matt Galko. It's his first time driving a SK Light, but it's not the first time he's driven an open-wheeled car.

+ Ted Christopher has 107 career wins at Stafford, but he's looking to pick up a few more wins in the upcoming season and in seasons beyond.

+ Family Ford has returned, and will provide a second safety truck for the upcoming season.

+ SMS has officially launched a Facebook page. It's been up since Monday. If you're a Facebook user, I advise that you go check it out.

Another News Post

So much news coming out of the Stafford newswire over the course of the last few weeks! Since the last entry I posted last night, a few more stories were released. Here's what we have.

Don't miss the 51st annual Frank Maratta Auto Show at the CT Expo Center, February 5-7. Stafford will have a booth featuring Jim Peterson's Late Model. And as a bonus, there will be a huge autograph session on Saturday night (6-7pm) with pretty much a dozen drivers from a couple divisions.

In driver news, Adam Skowyra is moving up to the SK Modified division for 2010.

In sponsor news, TSI Harley Davidson is renewing their sponsorship for the Memorial Day WMT race. It's still going to be a 125-lap event.

Only 92 days and change until the Spring Sizzler gets here...

January News Megapost

Okay, considering that I failed in promising you a post-Christmas and pre-2010 entry, consider this one of the longest news posts ever. (Second to the Fall Final megapost back in September.) Categorized by topic, of course.

Driver News
You have driver stories on Brian Chapin, Todd Owen, and Kevin Gambacorta.

Sponsor News
Town Fair Tire will be back to sponsor the August 8 race featuring the Whelen Modified Tour.
CARQuest also renews affiliation, in the name of the CARQuest Belts and Hose Pit Party.
Reliable Welding and Speed also joins suit, renewing as the sponsor of the Rookie of the Year award.

Though I promise you that the actual categories aren't as long as you thought they were, I promise you that it's a good number of stories posted.

And if you haven't looked at the site on a daily basis, I encourage you to take a look throughout the winter. SMS is having an anniversary of the history of the track and the Modifieds, with each day leading through the winter bringing us closer and closer to the modern day. Though as of this post, they're still stuck on '72.

Also, if anyone hasn't noticed yet, SMS has put up a yellow pages link with all of the other useful navigation tools.

Your Pre-Christmas News Semi-Megapost

We're only a few hours until Friday, the day of Christmas. As a gift to you, the faithful reader, I'll be giving you a few pieces of news as a part of one megapost. Enjoy the following stories.

+ The SK Light rookie class is getting younger. Even though six of the eight rookies currently signed up for the season are fifteen and sixteen years of age, they are not going in without experience and good equipment. Five of the cars were previously driven by current and former racers, with two cars being championship-winning machines.

+ Casagrande Motorsports will be expanding. Originally a one-car team in past years, 2010 will come with a two-car team, as Kyle's brother Cory will be entering the mix.

+ In other news, Family Ford of Enfield is supplying yet another truck to the track. This time, it's a 2011 Super Duty F-150, and it will be the official safety vehicle for SMS.

And that's it for now. From my family to yours, have a very safe Christmas. See you with one final entry before 2010 arrives.

More Modifieds at Stafford in '10

It's official. There will be yet another touring series coming to Stafford in 2010. The Modified Racing Series (formerly the True Value Modified Series) will be making its track debut on September 10, when they take to the track for the first annual Shark Cycle Modified Racing Series 100.

Yes, they are the same modifieds that have raced at Waterford and Thompson on occasion. No, not all of the names are going to be new to you. Besides the MRS regulars, be on the lookout for a few "outsider" faces in pretty much whomever wants to race from the SK Modified division.

Hey... I'm all for this kind of thing. Before these guys signed on to race at the half-mile this season, you were looking at just the Whelen Mods coming into town for four races, and that was pretty much the only time a touring series was coming this season. Variety was very much needed in a situation like this. And since fans and drivers of this division have asked, you will be getting it.

Should be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Ticket Packages for 2010

And here's your third of three parts. Let's just crank these out now before I do anymore forgetful damage.

Along with the news about the banquet and the schedule, Stafford also announced information regarding their season ticket packages. And while most things in life probably got more expensive as time went on, these prices haven't moved a bit. Yes, all of the prices of last season have moved to this upcoming season as well. For 23 weeks in the season (including one Tuesday), you will enjoy the comfort of short track racing without having to pay any more than you have to. Hey, it pays for itself.

The best value of them all is, of course, the paddock pass plan. If you buy your pass right now, before the 15th of December, you will save 52 percent over what you'd normally spend over the course of the season if you didn't.

Ticket prices increase on December 16 and March 16. After May 7, you're out of luck.

All of the necessary information regarding season ticket information is up at the Stafford site right now.

Can You Pencil Me In? Schedule's Out!

This is the second of three parts, and no, I don't think I'm going to finish this within the night. Consider these late ones Thanksgiving day treats.

So... What happened yesterday (Wednesday)? Was something finally released? Well, maybe it wasn't technically Wednesday, but it was this week that the 2010 Stafford schedule of events was released. And you're getting all of it (at least the special events) in a fine list form. Enjoy.

NOTE: This is always subject to change -- may it be rain or just something else.

April 23-25: 39th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
May 7: Bi-annual Late Model 100
May 28: 20th annual Connecticut Classic 125 (WMT date)
June 11: 37th annual Coors Light SK 100
July 6: CARQuest Extreme Tuesday (ISMA, NEMA, Pro-4)
July 23: 7th annual CARQuest SK 150
August 6: 20th annual Stafford 150 (WMT date)
August 20: Bi-annual Late Model 100
October 1-3: 38th annual CARQuest Fall Final

Fireworks nights will be June 18, July 2, and September 3. All kids (14 and under) will be admitted free to the June 18 show if they're with an adult.

Other important dates to remember:

March 28: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
April 11: Ty-Rods Automotive Swap Meet
June 27: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
July 24-25: 3rd annual 24 Hours of LeMons
July 31-August 1: USHRA Monster Jam
August 15: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
October 17: Ty-Rods Automotive Swap Meet
October 31: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet

The Banquet in a Nutshell

Part one in a three-part series detailing things that happened pre-Thanksgiving. All of which should be up by the end of the night.

I'll start with the banquet first, because I know that's pretty much the first thing that happened this week. A couple hundred people showed up to celebrate the season that was at SMS on Friday, November 20. They were also there to officially crown the five track champions and hand out a few more pieces of hardware.

The five track champions, which have already been discussed in earlier entries here, were...

+ SK Modifieds: Ted Christopher
+ Late Models: Jim Peterson
+ SK Lights: Michael Gervais, Jr
+ Limited Late Models: Andrew Durand
+ DARE Stocks: Don Wood

The track's Rookies of the Year (again, mentioned previously in an earlier entry) were...

+ SK Modifieds: Mark Bakaj
+ Late Models: Adam Gray
+ SK Lights: Michael Gervais, Jr
+ Limited Late Models: Dan Flannery

Moving onto all of the stuff that wasn't announced until the awards. Most Improved Driver winners for the year were...

+ SK Modifieds: Richie Pallai, Jr
+ Late Models: JJ Hill
+ SK Lights: David Webb
+ Limited Late Models: Dave Yardley, III

And as for the Most Popular Drivers? Well, they were...

+ SK Modifieds: Woody Pitkat
+ Late Models: Dillon Moltz
+ SK Lights: Heather DesRochers
+ Limited Late Models: Carla Botticello
+ DARE Stocks: Kyle Casagrande

And finally, the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year award went to John Berardi, who worked on both Don Wood and Stephanie Berardi's DARE Stocks this past season.

More to come later tonight. Part two of the three part Tueday event: The schedule notes. Stay tuned.

Rocco Released From Tour Ride

Keith Rocco's time in a Whelen Modified is officially over.

Back on Saturday, Ed Partridge and Rocco split ways. Nobody was at fault here. The reason was that the team would have had to start over again to make the car work for Rocco.

(Sorry for lack of story. The link included will tell you more. Been swamped with stuff again.)

The Schedule Takes Shape

With the calendar still on 2009, the 2010 Stafford schedule is taking shape. Only four definite events are on the schedule so far, and all of them have to do with the Whelen Modified Tour.

The four dates to circle on your calendar for next year (if you have one) are...

+ April 25 (Spring Sizzler weekend)
+ May 28 (a Friday)
+ August 6 (a Friday)
+ October 3 (Fall Final weekend)

That also tells you that the season will run once again from the last weekend in April to the first weekend in October. No word yet on when the rest of the 2010 SMS schedule will be released. When it does come out, I'll give you the important dates.

Rosters (Again) Taking Shape

Along with all of the new rules that are being implemented for the new season, there's also something else coming up. Driver rosters for the 2010 season are already coming into shape. Even though there's not a lot of drivers in each division's roster, we've got driver rosters and they'll be growing as the winter goes on.

2010 SMS Driver Rosters
+ SK Modified
+ Late Model
+ Limited Late Model
+ SK Light
+ DARE Stock

All rosters linked are organized by car number.

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.

Rookies of the Year

Well, I fail more than I already do. The following two articles were written up last month. I don't get to them until November gets here. Anyway... All on-track events at Stafford are officially over. (The last of the '09 swap meets took place on Sunday, and that was it for outdoor action until the spring of '10 gets here.) But there's one thing on the track's to-do list that hasn't been crossed off. That thing is the annual end of season banquet.

Last month, I gave you the stories for the five track champions and the state's Rookie of the Year. Now, I give you the track's Rookies of the Year. Enjoy.

+ SK Modifieds: Mark Bakaj
+ Late Models: Adam Gray
+ SK Lights: Michael Gervais, Jr
+ Limited Late Models: Dan Flannery