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TIMMY SOLOMITO
EXCITED
FOR NAPA SPRING SIZZLER WITH NEW TEAM |
After
qualifying 15th and finishing 8th in his very first
NAPA Spring Sizzler start last season, Islip, NY
native Timmy Solomito is looking forward to
returning to Stafford with a new team. Solomito
takes over the driving duties of the #16 Diversified
Metals / R.B. Enterprises car that Ryan Preece drove
to two Stafford wins as well as the 2013 Whelen
Modified Tour Championship.
“This is huge for me,” said Solomito, “The guys
working on the car are great and everything else is
the same with the exception of me as the driver. So
far the team has been great, the guys are helping me
through things that are new to me and we’re taking
things one step at a time. I come from the quarter
mile at Riverhead so I’m still new to the bigger
tracks. That makes things a little tougher for us
with my learning curve, but they have great setups
for the car and great advice for me, that’s all
helping to speed up the learning curve. We had a
strong finish at the Icebreaker and hopefully we can
carry that over to the Sizzler.”
Last year was Solomito’s first NAPA Spring Sizzler
start, driving the #75 car owned by Wayne Anderson.
Solomito qualified mid-pack with a 15th place
effort, but he drove his way up to 8th at the
checkered flag. Timmy is hoping to build on that
experience and continue to develop behind the wheel
of the #16 car in this year’s Sizzler.
“Finishing in the top-10 always gives you a little
extra boost, especially with all the talent is out
there,” said Solomito. “We’re hoping to repeat on
last year’s run and hopefully gain a few more spots.
We were as high as 6th last year and we got bounced
back a couple spots towards the end and finished
8th. It would be nice to crack the top-5 and get a
little extra confidence when we come back to
Stafford later in the year. Stafford is a drivers
track and for us to qualify 15th and pick up 7 spots
and finish 8th was a pretty big accomplishment for
me.”
In the last three Sizzlers with Preece at the wheel,
the #16 car has qualified on pole and recorded 2
top-5 finishes. With such a good track record behind
them Solomito is confident that he can put in a
qualifying lap, run among the leaders throughout the
race, and be in position to race for the win at the
conclusion of 200-laps.
“The experience of Sly as the crew chief and the
whole team behind me gives me a lot of confidence. I
think we can qualify around top-5 or top-10 and
maintain that position throughout the race,” said
Solomito. “We just have to take things lap by lap
and stay out of trouble. You have to take it easy at
the beginning of the race to be there at the end as
well as give the guys good feedback on what the car
is doing so we can adjust on the pit stop for the
last half of the race. A big part of our strategy
will be to finish races and usually when you’re
running in the top-5 or top-10 you have a good
finish. We’re hoping to run up front, learn a lot,
have a solid day and bring home a solid finish.”
Solomito and the #16 team will kick off their NAPA
Spring Sizzler weekend with practice and Coors Light
Pole Qualifying on Saturday, April 25th as part of
the 44th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler. The
200-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler will run on Sunday,
April 26 at approximately 3:15pm following the NAPA
Pit Party from 11am-12noon and the SK Modified® and
Late Model feature events beginning at 1pm. 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 is priced
at $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor
Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking
available. All tickets are good for both Saturday
and Sunday admission. All ticket prices include 10%
CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 44th 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 17, 2015 |
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