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02/19/2011 |
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40TH ANNUAL
CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER TO KICK OFF
STAFFORD SPEEDWAY’S 53RD SEASON OF NASCAR WEEKLY RACING |
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 With
the spring season fast approaching, yet another
season of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
competition is set to kick off at Stafford Motor
Speedway with the 40th annual Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler Presented by CARQUEST on April 29-May 1.
“The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” will
officially begin Stafford’s 53rd season of hosting
weekly NASCAR racing.
The race began its long and storied history as the
brainchild of Dr. Dick Berggren, Lew Boyd, and Bruce
Cohen as a way to hold a prestigious race during the
spring at a time when all the major races were held
in the fall.
The inaugural Sizzler in 1972 featured an overflow
crowd of 11,500 race fans who saw Fred DeSarro take
the checkered flag and $2,200 from a then modified
record purse of $15,000. Ed Flemke had taken the
lead on lap-7 and he held the lead until a faulty
water pump eliminated Flemke from the race on
lap-70, stripping him of a near certain victory and
allowing DeSarro to win.
Following the success of that Inaugural Spring
Sizzler, Jack Arute, Sr. purchased the rights to the
race from Berggren, Boyd, and Cohen, and it has been
the premier event at Stafford ever since. CARQUEST
took title sponsorship of the race in 1995 and the
race became the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler prior to the
30th Annual edition of the race in 2001 to promote
CARQUEST’s Tech-Net Professional Auto Service.
Some of the greatest names in modified history have
tasted the fruits of victory in Stafford’s signature
event. Since the inaugural Sizzler in 1972, there
have been 22 different winners with 8 drivers
winning the race multiple times. Of those 23 Spring
Sizzler winners, 9 drivers have won a Whelen
Modified Tour championship. Ted Christopher,
Stafford’s all-time winningest driver with 110
career feature victories, leads all drivers with 6
career Sizzler wins. Mike Stefanik has won the
Sizzler 4 times, while Maynard Troyer, Richie Evans,
and Rick Fuller each have 3 wins, and Greg Sacks,
Reggie Ruggiero, and Mike Ewanitsko have each won
twice. Those who have won the Sizzler once include:
Fred DeSarro, Ed Flemke, Bugsy Stevens, Geoff
Bodine, Bob Polverari, Jimmy Spencer, Brian Ross,
Jeff Fuller, Jan Leaty, John Blewett, III, Jerry
Marquis, Tony Hirschman, Doug Coby, and Donny Lia.
The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler has also had a
great deal of storied finishes. Richie Evans won the
1975 Sizzler using 10 inch Late Model Sportsman
tires, Geoff Bodine returned to Stafford from North
Carolina to record his final Stafford victory in
1980, Greg Sacks won twice in a row including
pitting for tires and coming back through the field,
Reggie Ruggiero pitted twice and won in 1987, the SK
Modified® cars took center stage in 1988 with
Christopher winning the race, and Jerry Marquis
returnedthe Len Boehler owned Ole Blue #3 to Spring
Sizzler Victory Lane in 2004 for the first time
since DeSarro won the inaugural Sizzler in 1972. But
perhaps the greatest Sizzler story of all-time was
the 1981 Spring Sizzler that came down to a
side-by-side duel between Bob Polverari and Richie
Evans.
Evans had set a new track record in qualifying and
took the early lead until he had to pit for fresh
tires, handing the lead over to Maynard Troyer.
Troyer stayed out front until lap-71, when a clutch
issue allowed Polverari to take the race lead. Evans
had worked his way back through the field to move
into second place behind Polverari when the caution
came out with only four laps to go. Polverari and
Evans dueled side by side for the final four laps of
the race with Polverari taking victory by inches
ahead of Evans in what many will recall as the
greatest Spring Sizzler finish in history.
The 40th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
will see Ted Christopher attempt to add another
chapter to the pages of Sizzler lore. For 31 years,
Troyer had been the only driver to record three
consecutive Spring Sizzler victories. Richie Evans
(1975-1976), Greg Sacks (1982-1983), Mike Stefanik
(1989-1990, 1997-1998), Mike Ewanitsko (1994-1995),
Rick Fuller (1999-2000), and Christopher (2002-2003)
have each won the Sizzler twice in a row, but were
unable to win a third consecutive time. Christopher
began another CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
winning streak with a win in 2008 and his victory in
last year’s Sizzler matched the Troyer mark of 3
wins in a row.
Christopher will attempt to become the first driver
to win four consecutive CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring
Sizzlers when the green flag falls on this year’s
40th Annual edition of “The Greatest Race in the
History of Spring”.
The 40th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
gets underway Friday, April 29 with a practice
session for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The
practice session will be open to the public at no
charge. The run for the Coors Light Pole position
gets underway on Saturday, April 30 with time trials
for the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat
and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly
divisions. In the 31 Spring Sizzler events run since
1980, the fast qualifier has gone on to win the race
only 7 times. Saturday will conclude with feature
events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, and
DARE Stock divisions. The Sizzler concludes on
Sunday, May 1 with the CARQUEST Belts and Hose Pit
Party followed by Stafford’s SK Modifieds® and Late
Models joining the Whelen Modified Tour in feature
action.
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 40th 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: February
19, 2011 |
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