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04/11/2014 |
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JIMMY
ZACHARIAS TO PILOT "OLE BLUE" #3
AT NAPA AUTO PARTS SPRING SIZZLER |
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 When
the green flag falls on the 43rd Annual NAPA Auto
Parts Spring Sizzler, there will be a familiar car
in the lineup with a new driver behind the wheel.
Jimmy Zacharias, the Candor, NY native and 3-time
Chemung Speedrome Modified Track Champion, will take
over the driving duties of one of the most famous
modified cars in "The Greatest Race in the History
of Spring". The #3 "Ole Blue" owned by the Boehler
family, will have Zacharias as the newest driver to
handle the reins of the famous ride.
"I'm pretty excited to be able to drive a famous car
that's had so much success in previous years in
modified racing," said Zacharias. "My dad had called
them and they were talking about Thompson and we
were going to use their number 3 for points. They
got to talking a bit and we put a deal together for
me to get behind the wheel of the car."
The Boehler "Ole Blue" #3 has been to victory lane
at the Spring Sizzler in 1972 with Fred DeSarro and
then again in 2004 with Jerry Marquis behind the
wheel. Zacharias is relatively new to both the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Stafford, but he is
hopeful that he will have a solid run in the #3 Cape
Cod Copper machine.
"I ran the MRS race a couple years ago at Stafford
and I feel like I picked things up pretty quickly
during that race," said Zacharias. "Hopefully we can
have a good run. I've come a long way with my
driving ability and I have some great people behind
me and with their knowledge and equipment on the 3
team, we should be pretty good. This will be my
first time driving a car on the Tour other than my
family owned car. I'm going to treat it like I'm
driving my own car, take care of the equipment, take
care of everyone around me, and do the best I can.
There's a little extra pressure with the success the
3 car has had but hopefully I can fulfill that and
be just as good. A win or a top-5 finish would be
nice but with this being our first race together and
me being new to this, hopefully we can finish
somewhere in the top-10."
While Zacharias has limited experience at Stafford,
he is confident that the knowledge and experience
that the Boehler team has will trump his relative
inexperience at Stafford and they can have a good
finish in the Sizzler.
"I think it's going to take patience; don't wear
myself out, don't wear the car out, and don't put
ourselves into a bad position to take ourselves out
of the race and try to be there at the end," said
Zacharias. "Qualifying is going to play a part, you
always want to start the best you can. But it's not
about where you start, it's where you finish. You
have to be there at the end and hopefully stay away
from any havoc that happens during the race. A win
would mean the world to me in our first race
together. It would be the biggest win of my career.
You always go to the track thinking you can win and
it would be nice to put ourselves into that position
and have the team work well together and make the
right calls. It definitely helps having all the guys
on the team being around modified racing for so long
and hopefully it will be a good combination putting
them together with my driving skills."
The 2014 NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler gets
underway Friday, April 25 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 26 with Coors
Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour
cars, along with heat and consolation races for
Stafford's weekly divisions and the NorthEast Mini
Stock Tour. Saturday will wrap up with feature
events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, DARE
Stock, and NEMST divisions. The Sizzler continues on
Sunday, April 27 with the NAPA Auto Parts 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.
For more information on the 43rd annual NAPA Auto
Parts 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 11, 2014 |
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