2008 CARQUEST
TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER
NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR EVENT NOTEBOOK
Stafford Motor Speedway
The 37th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will represent race 2
of 16 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on their 2008 schedule of
events.
Total posted awards for the 36th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net
Spring Sizzler is $94,676.
Donny Lia is the defending champion of the CARQUEST Tech-Net
Spring Sizzler.
The Sizzler victory was the first of 6 wins for Lia last
season as he went on to win the championship.
As of April 23, 2007, Stafford Motor Speedway has received 37
entries for the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
Mike Stefanik leads all Whelen Modified Tour drivers with 19
career victories at Stafford Motor Speedway. Other WMT drivers who have
filed entries for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler that have won at SMS
include Reggie Ruggiero (9 career wins), Ted Christopher (8 career
wins), Rick Fuller (5
career wins), Ed Flemke, Jr. (3 career wins), Todd Szegedy (3 career
wins), Jamie Tomaino (1 career win), and James Civali (1 career win).
Mike Stefanik also leads all Whelen Modified Tour drivers
with 14 career Coors Light Pole Positions at Stafford. Other drivers
entered into the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler who have won multiple Coors
Light Pole Positions at Stafford include Reggie Ruggiero (7 poles), Rick
Fuller (3 poles), Ted
Christopher (2 poles), Chuck Hossfeld (2 poles), Todd Szegedy (2 poles).
Drivers with a single Stafford Coors Light Pole include Eric
Beers, Ed Flemke, Jr., Matt Hirschman, Carl Pasteryak, and Jamie
Tomaino.
4 former Spring Sizzler winners have submitted entries for
the 37th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. They are Mike Stefanik (4
wins), Rick Fuller (3 wins), Ted Christopher (3 wins), and Reggie
Ruggiero (2 wins).
Matt Hirschman holds the Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour track qualifying record of 18.009 seconds -
99.950mph. Hirschman set this mark during Coors Light Pole Qualifying
for last year’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
Rick Fuller holds the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler 200-lap race
record of 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 35 seconds at an average speed of
79.382mph. Fuller set this record during the 1992 running of the race.
Whelen Modified Tour Coors Light Pole Qualifying will
commence at 1:30pm on Saturday, April 26. Qualifying will consist of two
consecutive green flag laps. The faster lap will determine qualifying
time and starting position. The fastest 28 cars from time trials, will
earn starting positions in Sunday’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. The fastest
qualifier will draw to determine a redraw of the top 6, 8, or 10 cars.
Four provisional starting positions based on 2007 WMT owner and driver
point standings. A past champion’s provisional is also available to make
up the 33-car starting field.
The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will mark the first of
four appearances by the Whelen Modified Tour at Stafford Motor Speedway
in 2008. The WMT returns on May 23rd for the TSI Harley-Davidson 150,
August 8th for the N.E. Dodge Dealers 150, and September 28th for the
CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend.
Last year’s Whelen Modified Tour winners at Stafford Motor
Speedway were Donny Lia (Spring Sizzler, TSI Harley-Davidson 150), Ted
Christopher (N.E. Dodge Dealers 150), and Mike Stefanik (CARQUEST Fall
Final 150).
The CARQUEST Spring Sizzler will mark the 87th NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour event to be held at Stafford Motor Speedway and 491st
event overall since the series’ inception in 1985.
Richie Evans won the first Whelen Modified Tour event held at
Stafford Motor Speedway - the April 14, 1985 Tech-Net Spring Sizzler.
2007 TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER RECAP
Matt Hirschman was the Bud Pole winner for last year’s
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler. Hirschman’s pole time was 18.009 seconds -
99.950mph, which set a new Stafford Motor Speedway track record.
Donny Lia is the defending champion of this event. Lia’s
margin of victory last year was .13 seconds over Todd Szegedy. Lia
started the race in the 8th position, and led the race twice for a total
of 27-laps.
2007’s top-ten finishers were: (1) Donny Lia, (2) Todd
Szegedy, (3) Jerry Marquis, (4) Mike Stefanik, (5) Zach Sylvester, (6)
Tony Hirschman, (7) James Civali, (8) Matt Hirschman, (9) Jimmy Blewett,
and (10) Jamie Tomaino.
Ted Christopher led the most laps in last year’s race. He led
85 of the race’s 200 laps. Other lap leaders included Jerry Marquis, who
led 43 laps, Donny Lia, who led for 27 laps, Tony Hirschman, who led for
26 laps, Mike Stefanik, who led for 11 laps, and Todd Szegedy, who led
for 8 laps.
Time of the race was 1 hour, 48 minutes and 48 seconds, at an
average speed of 55.147 mph. There were 14 caution periods for 76 laps.
6 drivers exchanged the lead on 11 occasions. 16 of 33 cars finished on
the lead lap.
TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER RACE HISTORY
The Tech-Net Spring Sizzler is the longest continuously run
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event in the country.
This will be the 37th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
presented by CARQUEST. The first Spring Sizzler was held in 1972 and was
won by Fred DeSarro.
22 different drivers have won the CARQUEST Spring Sizzler.
Multiple CARQUEST Spring Sizzler winners include Mike Stefanik (1989,
1990, 1997, 1998), Richie Evans (1975, 1976, 1985), Maynard Troyer
(1977, 1978, 1979), Rick Fuller (1992, 1999, 2000), Ted Christopher
(1988, 2002, 2003), Mike Ewanitsko (1994, 1995), Reggie Ruggiero (1987,
1993), and Greg Sacks (1982, 1983), and Single race winners include Fred
DeSarro (1972), Ed Flemke (1973), Bugsy Stevens (1974), Geoff Bodine
(1980), Bob Polverari (1981), Jimmy Spencer (1984), Brian Ross (1986),
Jeff Fuller (1991), Jan Leaty (1996), John Blewett, III (2001), Jerry
Marquis (2004), Tony Hirschman (2005), Doug Coby (2006), and Donny Lia
(2007).
2008 CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER
NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES EVENT NOTEBOOK
NASCAR New England - SMS’ own in-house television program,
will return for its fifth season. NNE will return to NESN beginning in
late June and will run for 10 weeks.
All NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature events will be
green flag laps only, caution laps will not count towards the feature
total. SK Modified® features will regularly be 40-laps, Late Model
features will be 30-laps, SK Light Modified features will be 20-laps
long, Limited Late Model features will be 20-laps, and DARE Stock
features will be 15-laps.
Last year’s Tech-Net Spring Sizzler feature winners were
Lloyd Agor (SK Modified), Zach Sylvester (SK Modified® 21 Means 21),
Corey Hutchings (Late Model), Ryan Posocco (Late Model 16), Chris
Matthews (SK Light), Rick Lanagan, III (Limited Late Model) and Jeff
Jolly (DARE Stock).
Ted Christopher is the defending Stafford Motor Speedway SK
Modified® champion. Ruocco drove to 2 wins, 16 top-5, and 19 top-10
finishes to outpoint Woody Pitkat by 34 points for the championship.
Corey Hutchings is the defending Late Model track champion.
Hutchings won the championship in his rookie season at Stafford, and he
scored 2 wins, 14 top-5, and 19 top-10 finishes to outlast Jim Peterson
by 28 points in a season long point battle.
Chris Matthews is the defending SK Light track champion.
Matthews scored 6 wins, 17 top-5 and 18 top-10 finishes en route to a
dominating championship season that saw him out point Josh Sylvester by
a whopping 152 point margin.
Sean Foster is the defending Limited Late Model track
champion. Foster took home 4 wins, 16 top-5, and 17 top-10 finishes to
take the championship by 50 points over Rick Lanagan, III.
Norm Sears is the two-time defending DARE Stock track
champion. Sears drove to the DARE Stock track championship with 2 win,
13 top-5, and 16 top-10 finishes to take the title by 28 points over Dan
Flannery. This season, Sears will attempt to join both Phil Rondeau and
Ryan Posocco as the only drivers in Stafford history to win three
consecutive track championships in any division.
195 total number requests have been submitted for the 2008
racing season at SMS. 56 numbers in the SK Modified® division, 46
numbers in the Late Model division, 32 numbers in the SK Light Modified
division, 24 numbers in the Limited Late Model division, and 37 numbers
in the DARE Stock division.
The SK Modified division had 7 different winners in 20 races
last season:
Woody Pitkat (8), Keith Rocco (4), Frank Ruocco (3), Ted Christopher
(2), and Lloyd Agor, Bo Gunning, and Zach Sylvester.
The Late Model division had 10 different winners in 20 races
last season:
Ryan Posocco (5), Tom Fearn (3), Scott Foster, Jr. (2), Corey Hutchings
(2), Dillon Moltz (2), Woody Pitkat (2), and Michael Bennett, Scott
Cook, Mike O’ Sullivan, and Jim Peterson. Posocco’s five wins last
season moved him to the top of the Stafford Motor Speedway all-time Late
Model feature winners list with 28 career wins, 4 more wins than Jim
Peterson, and five wins more than Chuck Zentarski, who was the previous
record holder with 23 career wins.
The SK Light division had 8 different winners in 20 races
last season:
Chris Matthews (6), Glen Reen (5), Brit Andersen (3), Josh Sylvester
(2), and Joe Allegro, Jr., Matt Gallo, Glenn Griswold, and Alan Provost.
The Limited Late Model division had 6 different winners in 20
races last season:
Rick Lanagan, III (8), Andrew Durand (5), Sean Foster (4), Bill Davis,
Joey Ferrigno, and Michael Nadeau.
The DARE Stock division had 15 different winners in 20 races
last season:
Carla Botticello (2), Bill Dunn (2), Dan Flannery (2), Jeff Jolly (2),
Norm Sears (2), and Steve Berardi, Megan Bienkowski, Jim Brice, Dean
Casagrande, Matt Chiarizio, Rob Lawrence, Kyle Nosal, Duane Provost, Tom
Stirk, and Don Wood.
2007 FINAL SK MODIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS T-5 T-10
1 TED CHRISTOPHER 864 +34 20 2 16 19
2 WOODY PITKAT 830 -34 20 8 14 18
3 KEITH ROCCO 670 -194 20 4 8 12
4 CURT BRAINARD 664 -200 20 0 3 15
5 KERRY MALONE 650 -214 20 0 5 13
6 FRANK RUOCCO 642 -222 20 3 8 12
7 JEFF MALAVE 602 -262 20 0 8 10
8 BRAD HIETALA 592 -272 19 0 5 12
9 TODD OWEN 590 -274 19 0 9 10
10 ZACH SYLVESTER 510 -354 20 1 4 7
2007 FINAL LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS T-5 T-10
1 COREY HUTCHINGS - R 856 +28 20 2 14 19
2 JIM PETERSON 828 -28 20 1 15 18
3 WOODY PITKAT 766 -90 20 2 12 16
4 TOM FEARN 702 -154 20 3 7 15
5 RYAN POSOCCO 680 -176 20 5 9 13
6 TOM BUTLER 676 -180 20 0 5 14
7 SCOTT FOSTER, JR. 560 -296 19 2 5 10
8 JIM MAVLOUGANES 540 -316 16 0 7 11
9 MARK LEWIS 483 -373 16 0 2 8
10 SCOTT COOK 482 -374 19 1 3 8
2007 FINAL SK LIGHT MODIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS T-5 T-10
1 CHRIS MATTHEWS 890 +152 20 6 17 18
2 JOSH SYLVESTER - R 738 -152 20 2 11 16
3 BRIT ANDERSEN 710 -180 20 3 11 12
4 GLEN REEN 694 -196 19 5 11 13
5 RAYMOND GRASSETTI - R 650 -240 20 0 6 12
6 GEORGE NOCERA, JR. - R 618 -272 20 0 6 12
7 CHRIS BAKAJ - R 602 -288 20 0 3 11
8 MARK BAKAJ - R 586 -304 20 0 7 10
9 JOE ALLEGRO, JR. - R 580 -310 20 1 6 9
10 ALAN PROVOST - R 548 -342 19 1 3 9
2007 FINAL LIMITED LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS T-5 T-10
1 SEAN FOSTER 846 +50 20 4 16 17
2 RICK LANAGAN, III 796 -50 20 8 14 14
3 KEVIN GAMBACORTA 784 -62 20 0 8 17
4 ANDREW DURAND 738 -108 18 5 11 13
5 CHARLIE NEWMAN 720 -126 20 0 10 15
6 BILL DAVIS 698 -148 20 1 11 13
7 JOEY FERRIGNO 680 -166 19 1 9 14
8 MICHAEL NADEAU 610 -236 20 1 6 11
9 DARRIN HAVANEC 600 -246 20 0 3 11
10 PAUL CONTE 578 -254 -268 0 2 13
2007 FINAL DARE STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS T-5 T-10
1 NORM SEARS 716 +28 20 2 12 15
2 DAN FLANNERY 688 -28 19 2 11 13
3 CARLA BOTTICELLO 660 -56 20 2 8 14
4 JIM BRICE 656 -60 19 1 6 12
5 BILL DUNN 628 -88 19 2 8 12
6 JEFF JOLLY 618 -98 20 2 7 11
7 TODD LaPORTA 614 -102 20 0 5 13
8 STEVE BERARDI 608 -108 20 1 4 11
9 VINCE GAMBACORTA 606 -110 18 0 6 12
10 MEGAN BIENKOWSKI 564 -152 20 1 4 10
2007 FINAL RELIABLE WELDING & SPEED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS:
SK MODIFIED® DIVISION
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS TOP-5 TOP-10
1 WADE MATTESEN 440 +8 18 0 0 6
2 RICHIE PALLAI, JR. 432 -8 18 0 0 6
3 FRAN SIANA 372 -68 18 0 0 3
4 SHELLY PERRY 208 -232 14 0 0 0
5 JIM SMITH 80 -360 11 0 0 0
6 RON D'ALESSANDRO 56 -384 4 0 0 0
7 DONALD DRISLANE 47 -393 3 0 0 1
8 BRYAN GHEDI 17 -423 1 0 0 0
9 STASH BUTOVA 12 -428 4 0 0 0
10 MICHAEL BENNETT 10 -430 4 0 0 0
LATE MODEL DIVISION
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS TOP-5 TOP-10
1 COREY HUTCHINGS 762 +418 18 2 12 17
2 DILLON MOLTZ 344 -418 11 1 6 7
3 DOUG BLOWERS, JR. 277 -485 17 0 0 3
4 MARK ST. HILAIRE 262 -500 15 0 0 1
5 DAVID ST. AMANT 103 -659 8 0 0 0
6 DENNIS GODBOUT 69 -693 4 0 0 0
7 KYLE NOSAL 60 -702 3 0 0 0
8 WALT WOSKO, JR. 42 -730 2 0 0 0
9 JOSH WHITE 24 -738 4 0 0 0
10 MARK KLINE 15 -757 1 0 0 0
SK LIGHT MODIFIED DIVISION
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS TOP-5 TOP-10
1 JOSH SYLVESTER 650 +66 18 2 10 14
2 RAYMOND GRASSETTI 584 -66 18 0 6 11
3 GEORGE NOCERA, JR. 544 -106 18 0 5 11
4 MARK BAKAJ 542 -108 18 0 7 9
5 CHRIS BAKAJ 540 -110 18 0 3 10
6 JOE ALLEGRO, JR. 488 -162 18 0 4 7
7 ALAN PROVOST 486 -164 17 1 2 8
8 HEATHER DesROCHERS 436 -214 17 0 2 5
9 KYLE SPENCER 432 -218 18 0 0 5
10 AARON GOFF 398 -252 15 0 2 5
LIMITED LATE MODEL DIVISION
POS DRIVER POINTS +/- STARTS WINS TOP-5 TOP-10
1 DAVID CAPRIATI 504 +74 18 0 0 6
2 PETER MARTIN 430 -74 16 0 0 4
3 LORI-JO RZESZUTEK 400 -104 17 0 1 5
4 JEFF HUBBELL 362 -142 17 0 1 2
5 BARRY THOMASEN 178 -326 10 0 0 2
6 SHAWN THIBEAULT 174 -330 10 0 0 0
7 JOHN HALL 48 -456 1 0 0 0
8 BRIAN CLEMENT 22 -482 1 0 0 0
9 JEFF POTTER 10 -494 1 0 0 0
10 PAUL JENSEN 4 -500 1 0 0 0
NEXT EVENT:
Friday, May 2, 2008
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series - Opening Friday Night - Main Events
7:30PM
