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4/3/2009
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STAFFORD MOTOR
SPEEDWAY KICKS OFF 2009 SEASON WITH
38TH ANNUAL TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER PRESENTED BY CARQUEST |
With the spring season fast approaching, yet another season of NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series competition is set to kick off at Stafford Motor Speedway with
the 38th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Presented by CARQUEST, scheduled for
April 24-26, 2009. “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” will
officially begin Stafford’s 51st year of hosting weekly NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series events.
The Tech-Net Spring Sizzler is the oldest and longest running race
on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. The Sizzler tradition began in
1972 as the idea of Dick Berggren, Lew Boyd, and Bruce Cohen as a way to
hold a prestigious race in the springtime during a time period where
prestigious races always took place in the fall. After Fred DeSarro won the
initial Sizzler in front of a standing room only crowd of over 10,000, Jack
Arute, Sr. bought the rights to the race from Berggren, Boyd and Cohen in
1973, and it has since become the signature event of the Connecticut
half-mile, with some of the greatest names in modified racing tasting the
fruits of victory.
Since the inaugural Sizzler in 1972, 22 different drivers have won
the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with 8 drivers winning the race multiple times.
Of the 22 Sizzler winners, 8 drivers have won a Whelen Modified Tour
championship. In 2003, NASCAR released a list of the top-10 modified drivers
of all-time, and of those 10 names, 8 were Sizzler winners: Richie Evans,
Mike Stefanik, Geoff Bodine, Tony Hirschman, Bugsy Stevens, Fred DeSarro,
Jimmy Spencer, and Reggie Ruggiero. Other drivers who have driven to Sizzler
victories include Ed Flemke, Maynard Troyer, Bob Polverari, Greg Sacks,
Brian Ross, Ted Christopher, Jeff and Rick Fuller, Mike Ewanitsko, Jan
Leaty, John Blewett, III, Jerry Marquis, Doug Coby, and Donny Lia.
Last year, Ted Christopher won his fourth career Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler to join Mike Stefanik at the top of the Spring Sizzler winners list.
Maynard Troyer, Richie Evans, and Rick Fuller each have three Sizzler
victories, while Greg Sacks, Reggie Ruggiero, and Mike Ewanitsko are all
two-time Sizzler winners. Troyer’s three Sizzler victories came
back-to-back-to-back, the only driver in Sizzler history to win the race
three times in a row.
This year’s 38th Annual edition of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will
feature six divisions of racing, with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
headlining the weekend’s festivities. Stafford’s five Whelen All-American
Series divisions, SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light Modified, Limited Late
Model, and DARE Stock, will all make their 2009 season debut.
The 2009 Tech-Net Spring Sizzler gets underway Friday, April 24
with apractice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The practice session
will be open to the public at no charge. The paddock area opens to
Stafford’s weekly teams at 9:00am with practice running from 12 noon to
7:00pm.
Action continues on Saturday, April 25 with spectator gates opening
at 10:00am. Racing begins at 1:30pm with Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the
Whelen Modified Tour cars. Following time trials will be heat and
consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions, with feature events for
Stafford’s SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions wrapping
up the day’s events. The SK Light and Limited Late Model feature events will
each be 20-laps while the DARE Stock feature will be 15-laps.
The Sizzler continues on Sunday, April 26 with spectator gates
opening at 10:00am. Stafford’s famous CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party will
run from 11:00am to 12 noon with feature racing beginning at 1:00pm.
Stafford’s SK Modifieds® will take to the track first for a 40-lap feature
event. The Whelen Modified Tour 200-lap Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will take
the green at approximately 2:30pm, and Stafford’s Late Models will conclude
the weekend with a 30-lap feature event.
Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on
sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult
general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5
and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved
seating is priced at $38.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway
offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 38th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler®, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track
office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com.
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Source: Scott Running
/ Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted: April
3, 2009 |
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