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04/12/2012 |
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WHELEN
MODIFIED TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING CAR OWNER
BOB GARBARINO TO SERVE AS GRAND MARSHAL OF
CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER |
Stafford
Motor Speedway has announced that championship
winning Whelen Modified Tour car owner Bob Garbarino
will serve as the grand marshal of the 41st Annual
CARQUEST TECH-NET Spring Sizzler. Garbarino has
fielded an entry for every Spring Sizzler except for
the 1981 race, and he will send the Whelen Modified
Tour field on its way for this year’s 41st annual
edition of “The Greatest Race in the History of
Spring” with the most famous words in motorsports,
“Drivers start your engines.”
“It’s a honor that Rich Pallai from CARQUEST Auto
Parts and Mark and Lisa Arute asked me to do this,”
said Garbarino. “Stafford is my home track and I’ve
had a car racing at Stafford ever since they paved
it in 1967. I’ve been through the good times, the
bad times, and everything in between, and I’ve seen
the good, the bad, and the ugly at Stafford. It’s
one of the old tried and true facilities, and anyone
who can get a win at Stafford should feel pretty
good about themselves. I’ve done a lot of things in
racing, but this will be a first for me. I don’t
know what I’ll feel like at that moment, but I’m
sure it will be a special moment for me when I look
back on it.”
While Garbarino has had such drivers as Leo Cleary,
Bugsy Stevens, Ed Flemke, Sr., Ken Schrader, Geoff
Bodine, Brian Ross, Satch Worley, Tim Connolly,
Robbie Summers, Chuck Hossfeld, and Jerry Marquis
behind the wheel of his #4 Mystic Missile throughout
the years, it wasn’t until recently that Garbarino
was able to collect a Sizzler trophy or a Whelen
Modified Tour championship. Donny Lia gave Garbarino
his first Sizzler victory in 2007 and Lia also gave
Garbarino his first WMT championship that same
season.
Lia won the championship again in 2009 for Garbarino
and Bobby Santos, III was the 2010 Whelen Modified
Tour champion behind the wheel of Garbarino’s car.
Santos is the defending champion of the CARQUEST
TECH-NET Spring Sizzler, but Garbarino’s car will
once again have Lia as its pilot for the 41st
edition of the Sizzler.
“We’re excited about having Donny back in the car,”
said Garbarino. “Donny is a proven guy and he’s
always up on the wheel, no matter if it’s the first
lap or the last lap. Bobby did a great job for us,
there’s no problems there. I think Bobby is the kind
of driver that could really make it big if given the
right opportunity. We have a pretty good notebook at
Stafford that we’ve built up over the years, and the
key is to not repeat any mistakes you made in the
past. Every year I have a meeting with the guys in
the back of our hauler and I tell them to look
around the pits and that there’s no one that can
stop us from achieving our goals. The only ones who
can stop us are standing right here in this hauler.
All the guys are pumped up this year and we have our
sights set at the top. I don’t expect that we’ll
fall short of our expectations and hopefully things
will go our way this year and we can win the Sizzler
again with Donny behind the wheel.”
The 2012 CARQUEST TECH-NET Spring Sizzler gets
underway Friday, April 27 with a practice session
for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The practice
session will be open to the public at no charge.
Action continues on Saturday, April 28 with Coors
Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour
cars, along with heat and consolation races for
Stafford’s weekly divisions. Saturday will wrap up
with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late
Model, and DARE Stock divisions. The Sizzler
continues on Sunday, April 29 with the CARQUEST
Belts & 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 $38.50 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 will be priced at $42.00 for all ages. All
ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. As
always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking
with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 41st 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
12, 2012 |
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