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11/14/2013 |
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AN END OF AN
ERA AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY |
 Stafford
Motor Speedway announced today that the CARQUEST
Auto Parts era has come to an end. It has been a
storied history spanning over 28 years that began as
a contingency sponsorship in 1985 and developed into
an elite partnership that brought many firsts to
Stafford Motor Speedway.
In 1989 CARQUEST brought the NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour back to Stafford after a brief hiatus, then
went on to sponsor 45 Whelen Modified Tour events at
the famed ½ mile including the annual Tech-Net
Spring Sizzler and the CARQUEST Fall Final. They
were instrumental in the return of the NASCAR Busch
North Series to the track. In 1996, the auto parts
giant played a significant role in the track's
longest event, the CARQUEST 300 that was televised
by ESPN.
The partnership produced CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday,
The Big One, which saw Bobby Santos take home the
largest short track payday in New England history,
as well as the now famous CARQUEST Pit Parties and
most recently the CARQUEST Champions for Charities
events.
In the latter part of 2012 CARQUEST Auto Parts
merged with Advance Auto Parts but thanks to Rich
Pallai, Vice President of Marketing, Stafford was
able to continue the sponsorship through 2013.
Recently, Advance Auto Parts took on another
direction and decided to eliminate local Motorsports
involvement, thus closing the book on the CARQUEST
era at Stafford Motor Speedway.
"The CARQUEST relationship grew far past that of
just a sponsorship," said Mark Arute, C.E.O. of
Stafford Motor Speedway. "It became more of a
friendship. CARQUEST will no longer have a presence
at the Speedway but we will always value the
friendships and memories developed through our
partnership. They will last a lifetime."
Arute singled out the contributions of CARQUEST's
Rich Pallai.
"Rich has an abiding passion for short track racing
and that passion will always be part of Stafford's
legacy and continued success," said Arute.
For more information, 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: November
14, 2013 |
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