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04/19/2012 |
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RYAN PREECE
LOOKING FOR REPEAT OF SIZZLER SUCCESS FROM ONE
YEAR AGO IN WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR AND SK MODIFIED® DIVISIONS |
One
year ago, a victory in the SK Modified® feature
event during CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
Weekend sent Ryan Preece on a path that would lead
him to his first career championship. Preece hopes
to repeat his winning ways of one year ago in this
year’s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend, not
only in the SK Modified® division, but in the Whelen
Modified Tour behind the wheel of the #16
Diversified Metals Ford.
Preece took over the controls of the #16 car for the
final race of the 2011 season, scoring the pole
position and leading 36 laps before a late race spin
left him 26th in the finishing order. Preece kicked
off his 2012 season in grand style by winning the
pole again and leading 86 laps before a crash
relegated him to a 16th place finish. In 2 starts
thusfar with the #16 team, Preece has 2 pole
positions and he has led 122 of 327 laps, but those
results haven’t translated into good finishes as
Preece has an average finish of 21.0 in those two
events. Despite his misfortunes, Preece is excited
about his prospects for this year’s CARQUEST
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, where he hopes to better
his career best finish of third in the Sizzler.
“We’ve had a few seconds and thirds at Stafford, so
hopefully a win will be coming our way very soon,”
said Preece. “Ever since I started racing on the
Whelen Modified Tour, I always wanted to drive the
#16 car, so getting into this car has been a dream
come true for me. The team is very established, the
crew is great, and we’ve jelled together really well
and we have a lot of fun together. We have great
support from Diversified Metals, Flamingo
Motorsports, Sanderson/MacLeod, American Lamp
Recycling, and R+B Enterprises, and we everything we
need to win the Sizzler, we just have to be in the
right position at the end of the race. If we are
leading towards the end of the race, we’ll be in a
good spot, and if we’re second, we know we have to
make a pass on the high side and get the job done.”
While Preece does have one career victory at
Stafford, a win in the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler would be extra special to Preece as he would
join his grandfather Bob Judkins as Spring Sizzler
champions.
“Winning the Sizzler would really mean a lot to me,”
said Preece. “My grandfather has won the race and I
remember winning the August race at Stafford and how
that felt, I can only imagine what a great feeling
it would be for me if we could win the Sizzler this
year.”
In addition to trying to win the Sizzler, Preece
will begin defense of his Stafford SK Modified ®
track championship by trying to repeat his Sizzler
victory of one year ago in the 40-lap SK Modified®
division with his #40 J.G. Poulin Drywall sponsored
machine.
“We’re in really good shape with the SK,” said
Preece. “The car is just as good as it was last
year, and we have everything that we need to win
races with CD Chassis and Pettit engines and our
great sponsors Hitchcock Pool Water, J.G. Poulin
Drywall, Sullivan and Sons, and American Lamp
Recycling.
We were able to win the SK race at the Sizzler last
year and we hope we can win it again. We almost did
the double at the World Series and it would be
pretty cool if we could win both races at Stafford.
The cars are so close now that it’s hard to win on
both the Tour and in the SK’s, but we’re going to
have a lot of fun trying to win both races. I’m very
fortunate to be associated with the teams I’m with
right now and I’m looking forward to Stafford with
both the 16 and 40 cars.”
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
19, 2012 |
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