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RYAN PREECE
LOOKING TO CONTINUE SUCCESS
IN NAPA AUTO PARTS FALL FINAL 150 |
With
the 2015 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season drawing
ever closer to its conclusion, fans are in the midst
of one of the closest championship races in series
history. Ryan Preece currently leads Woody Pitkat by
a single point and Doug Coby is third in the
standings, 25 points behind Preece. Only twice
before in the 30-year history of the NWMT has the
championship race been won by a single digit margin
with Tony Hirschman beating Steve Park by 3 points
in 1995 and Mike Stefanik beat Reggie Ruggiero by 6
points in 1989. Preece has won two races in a row at
Stafford and he finished third in the NAPA Spring
Sizzler and he is looking for his third consecutive
win with the #6 T.S. Haulers, Inc. team at Stafford
to boost his championship effort.
“So far this season I haven’t settled and what’s
kept us in the points chase is winning races, so
that’s what we’re going to try to keep on doing,”
said Preece. “If we go out there and just try to
finish races, that’s not going to win us the
championship. I feel like Stafford has definitely
been our strong track this season. We led a lot of
laps at the Sizzler and finished third and then
we’ve won the other two races. But at the same time,
Woody has been strong at Stafford and Doug has been
strong. I think we have a pretty legitimate shot at
having another strong run and Tommy [Grasso] has a
good setup for Stafford, hopefully we can continue
down that path.”
Preece has not only been strong in the Whelen
Modified Tour races at Stafford but also in
qualifying. Preece won the CBYD 150 in August
despite qualifying 15th, and he won the TSI
Harley-Davidson 125 in June after qualifying second.
While of those events were impound races where
drivers had to qualify with their race setups in the
car, Preece will be looking for a repeat performance
of the NAPA Spring Sizzler, where he qualified on
pole on Saturday and raced to a third place finish
on Sunday.
“We can go for a fast lap on Saturday rather than
tightening the car up and hoping for the best,” said
Preece. “The strategy will be to lead a lap, lead
the most laps, and try to win the race. Taking
advantage of the bonus points and winning races is
what’s going to win the championship. I’ve never
really been a points racer. I try to not do anything
stupid but it’s all about winning and that’s all you
can do. The bonus points have been key for us.
Without the bonus points, I don’t know if we’d be
where we are.”
Preece and Pitkat have been running the full SK
Modified® schedule at Stafford this season whereas
Coby has not run any SK Modified® events this year.
Despite the extra seat time, Preece doesn’t think
that experience gives him or Pitkat a leg up over
Coby when the Tour comes to Stafford.
“I don’t really think it gives us an advantage,”
said Preece. “I think Doug, Phil Moran, and the
whole 2 team just haven’t had the luck that Woody
and myself have had this year. It seems like between
Doug, Woody, and myself, we’ve all had three
different types of seasons and these last couple of
races are going to be crucial. All we can really do
is keep on doing what we’ve been doing all year
long.”
The Whelen Modified Tour cars will qualify for the
NAPA Fall Final 150 on Saturday, Oct. 3rd before
hitting the track for 150 laps on Sunday, Oct. 4th.
Saturday’s racing card will also feature heat and
consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions
along with feature events for the SK Light, Limited
Late Model, DARE Stock, and Legend Cars divisions.
Sunday’s action kicks off with the NAPA Pit Party
from 11am-12noon with the SK Modifieds® taking the
green flag at 1pm followed by the Late Model and
Whelen Modified Tour feature events. Tickets for the
43rd Annual NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend 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. All NAPA Fall Final tickets
are good for admission on both Saturday and Sunday
and ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
Visit your local participating NAPA Auto Parts Store
for discount ticket offers.
For more information on the 43rd Annual NAPA Auto
Parts Fall Final Weekend, 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:
September 17, 2015 |
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