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02/01/2013 |
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SILK SET FOR
WEEK OF RACING IN FLORIDA
2011 Whelen Modified
Champ To Compete At Daytona, New Smyrna |
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winters in Connecticut can be long, and the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour offseason even longer, which is
why Ron Silk and TS Haulers Racing eagerly
anticipate the opportunity to hit the race track in
Florida during 2013 Speedweeks.
The 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champions, Silk
and the No. 6 crew will participate in the inaugural
UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track Daytona
International Speedway, Feb. 18-19. They’ll follow
that up with by participating three nights at the
World Series of Stock Car Racing at
recently-NASCAR-sanctioned New Smyrna Speedway.
“We’re racers,” Silk said of the team’s motivation
to head to Florida. “It’s been a long time since the
[2012 season finale] World Series and we just want
to get back on the race track. It’s nice to get away
from the weather up here for a few days and get some
racing in.”
Silk, from Norwalk, Conn., is locked into the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour feature at Daytona by virtue of
his race wins during the 2012 season. Drivers that
won touring series races and championships in 2012
are locked into their respective features in
Daytona. All others must qualify through heat races.
Following their 2011 championship campaign, Silk and
the TS Haulers team won the 2012 opener at Thompson
(Conn.) International Speedway and the NASCAR Whelen
Modified-Whelen Southern Modified Tours combination
race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but were not
able to repeat as champions. The No. 6 team turned
in a very solid attempted title defense, however,
with nine top-five finishes and six races led during
the 14-race schedule to finish third in the
standings.
Turning the page to 2013 with championship
aspirations once again, the No. 6 team will utilize
the UNOH Battle At The Beach as a jumpstart to the
season. They aren’t going to limit themselves to
just the events at the .4-mile course at Daytona,
however.
Team owner Ed Partridge has taken his TS Haulers
Racing program to New Smyrna many times through the
years, and they’ll return to the banked half-mile
once again to compete in the Tour-Type Modified
division after the UNOH Battle At The Beach.
“Ed likes to go racing – everyone on the team likes
to go racing,” Silk said. “Pretty much anytime there
is a race, Eddie wants to go racing in it, so that’s
a lot fun.
“We’re going to go to Daytona on Monday and Tuesday,
and then run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at New
Smyrna.”
Partridge’s No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet, with Tom
Grasso returning as crew chief, is one of 22
combined entries received so far between the NASCAR
Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours
for the UNOH Battle At The Beach. Including Silk,
six of those are also registered to participate in
the New Smyrna World Series.
BATTLE
NOTES:
MSR To Field Two Cars: Mike Smeriglio Racing
has filed two entries for Daytona. The team’s
regular driver – 2003 tour titlist Todd Szegedy –
will pilot the primary No. 2 Ford while Steve Park
is entered as a teammate in the No. 20 Ford. Szegedy
carries 17 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
victories to Daytona while Park’s résumé includes 16
tour triumphs, the last coming in 1996 before he
moved on to the upper levels of NASCAR racing. Both
drivers do not have locked-in positions will need to
race their way into the UNOH Battle At The Beach
feature through the qualifying races.
Battle Events: The Whelen Modified events
will be just one facet of the inaugural UNOH Battle
At The Beach. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Late Models will have qualifying races and a 150-lap
feature on Monday, Feb. 18 while the action on
Tuesday, Feb. 19 will include a similar schedule of
qualifying races and 150-lap races for both the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours and NASCAR K&N Pro
Series. All three features are non-points races.
Event Coverage: All three UNOH Battle At The
Beach features will be carried live on SPEED.
Further event coverage will be officially announced
in the coming days.
Additional Info: For more information, please
visit
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
Grandstand and garage admission can be secured via
the website or by calling 1-888-PITSHOP. |
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Source: Jason Cunningham / NASCAR
Posted: February
1, 2013 |
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