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MAX ZACHEM
LOOKING TO DRINK THE MILK
AT NAPA SPRING SIZZLER |
 The
2017 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season kicked off
in Myrtle Beach and Preston, CT native and driver of
the #20 Lu-Mac’s Package Store Chevrolet Max Zachem,
opened with a fifth place finish. Zachem is looking
to continue his momentum at the 46th Annual NAPA
Spring Sizzler® on Sunday April 30. Stafford has not
been one of Zachem’s best tracks in his short
career, but with a top-10 finish in all four
Stafford races last season, Zachem is confident that
he can get a top-5 finish or even a win in the
prestigious Sizzler®.
“Stafford is one of my hardest tracks,” said Zachem.
“I think we can improve on our finishes at Stafford
this season and be in the top-5 in each race. Steve
Lemay, who was Bobby Santos’ crew chief, has come on
board with us and he’s been a great help with my
driving and the car setups. Everything as a whole
package has made the race team that much better. I
think we can get a top-5 finish or even drink some
milk in victory lane. We have a shot for it, I
believe our team is the best it’s ever been, and
we’ll have something to show to everyone this year.”
Zachem began last season with a pair of career best
second place finishes and he parlayed that early
season momentum into a 5th place finish in the
points standings in only his second full season on
the Modified Tour. Zachem is looking to replicate
that early season momentum this season while being
more consistent with his race finishes to make a run
at the championship.
“A good finish early on gives you momentum to start
the year off and to get yourself going on a good
note,” said Zachem. “We started last year on a good
note with a couple of top-10’s and a couple of
second place finishes at Waterford and Thompson. The
key for us is to be consistent every race to be able
to compete with guys like Coby, Preece, and
Bonsignore. Those guys don’t make mistakes and we
can’t make any mistakes in order to be able to
compete with them. We’re shooting for the
championship, I want to be the guy to dethrone Doug
Coby and all of the big teams.”
Zachem has yet to win during his first 35 starts on
the Whelen Modified Tour but with a new car and spec
engine under the hood of his #20 machine, Zachem
feels like he is primed to break out this year.
“Myrtle Beach was the closest we’ve ever been to
winning,” said Zachem. “If we had a couple more laps
down at Myrtle, maybe we would have had a shot at
it. Overall I think going back to tracks that I’ve
been to and have a lot of laps at, I’m really
excited for this year. We’re all in this season with
Lu-Mac’s Package Store, East End Statuary, John
Holland and New England Race Fuels, Cliff Nelson,
Bruce Bachta, and Steve Lemay and our entire race
team. We’re ready to go racing!”
At 200 laps long, the NAPA Spring Sizzler®
represents the longest race on the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour calendar and teams will have to take a
slightly different approach when it comes to pit
strategy. Zachem would also like to increase his
chances of a good finish in the Sizzler® with a good
qualifying effort. Zachem’s previous best Stafford
qualifying effort was 11th at last year’s NAPA Fall
Final and he has yet to qualify in the top-10 in any
of his 9 previous Stafford NWMT starts.
“Qualifying is huge and I think qualifying is going
to be more important than ever this year with the
competition begin the highest it’s ever been,” said
Zachem. “Fourth was my highest qualifying position
this past week at Myrtle Beach and we’re just trying
to improve our whole package in order to be able to
go for the championship. The biggest thing I’ll have
to get used to is with the spec engine we’ll have to
pit for fuel, which will change our pit strategy. I
think you have to run the first 150 laps as a trial
by fire and try to get the car as close as you can
so that you can really go for it in that last 50-lap
run. I always try to compare a certain track that
we’re going to, for instance, with Stafford it’s a
40-lap SK Modified® race, the last 40 laps are
important, or at Waterford a 35-lap SK race the last
35 laps are important. You know you can charge to
the front in that amount of time, you just have to
have the car set up ready to go and be committed to
go at the end of the race. The Sizzler® might be a
bit of an unknown for us this year with having a new
car and the spec engine, but luckily we have Steve
Lemay to help us out and I think we can have a
really good run.”
The “Greatest Race in the History of Spring,” the
46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®, takes
the green flag on April 29-30. Tickets are available
and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets
are priced at $40.00 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. Tickets are good for both Saturday and
Sunday admission. All ticket prices include 10% CT
Admission Tax. Discount Tickets will be available at
all 71 participating NAPA Auto Parts stores
beginning on Monday April 3rd. For a full list of
the 71 locations throughout Connecticut,
Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont,
please call the speedway office or visit us on the
web at
www.staffordmotorspeedway.com/participating-napa-auto-parts-stores.
For more information or to order tickets for the
46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®, 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:
March 25, 2017 |
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