April 24--- The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will drop the green flag on its 36th annual running this weekend.  The race is the oldest continually run event on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, and no one has won the Spring Sizzler more times than 7-time and defending WMT Series champion Mike Stefanik of RI.

    When it comes to Modified Tour races at Stafford, no driver can boast a better record than Stefanik.  Stefanik is one of only six drivers to win the Spring Sizzler in consecutive years, and he is the only driver to have won consecutive Sizzlers more than once, winning in 1989 and 1990, and 1997 and 1998.  Since the Whelen Modified Tour’s inception in 1985, there have been 82 races held at Stafford, with Stefanik taking the checkered flag in 18 of those races, which equates to a winning percentage of 21.95 percent.

     Stefanik’s first Stafford WMT win came in 1989 and his most recent win came at the 2002 CARQUEST Fall Final.  Stefanik says that even with his stellar record at Stafford, it doesn't’t necessarily make him the favorite come Sizzler Sunday, but he likes his chances to win his fifth Sizzler. “I cut my teeth racing at Stafford, I’ve done a lot of tour races and a lot of weekly races there, but I don’t really look at it as having an advantage there anymore,” said Stefanik.  “You look at the guys racing on Tour right now, and they’re all veterans of the Series and they also have a lot of experience at Stafford.  I remember Tony Hirschman always talking about how hard it was for him to win at Stafford, and now I think he has the track pretty well figured out, and a lot of other guys have it figured out as well.  But I still feel good about our chances to win the Sizzler this year. We’ve gone over the car from bumper to bumper this winter, and the entire team is coming back.  We have Barry Kuhnel coming on board in a more involved role this year, it’s a great group of guys, and (car owner) Eric Sanderson has really stepped up and allowed us to improve things on the team.  We have great support from sponsors like Diversified Metals, Ace Moulding, Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth, Sanderson MacLeod, R+B Enterprises, Ceric Fabrication, and Flamingo Motorsports, so we’re looking forward to the Sizzler this year.”

     While most Whelen Modified Tour races are 150 laps in distance, the Spring Sizzler is a 200-lap race, which makes it the longest race on the 2007 Whelen Modified Tour schedule.  As past Spring Sizzlers have shown, pit strategy can make all the difference between driving to CARQUEST Victory Lane or not.  The past three Spring Sizzler winners, Doug Coby, Tony Hirschman, and Jerry Marquis have all played the strategy game perfectly to put themselves into position to contend for the checkered flag.  Stefanik thinks this year’s Sizzler will be no different. “The extra 50-laps doesn't’t really change things all that much,” says Stefanik.  “You still have the same amount of tires, and you still have to have the same type of consistent driving race car.  It’s not necessarily having the fastest car at the start of a run, but having the fast car at the end of the run.  There’s three different types of pit strategy you can use. You can pit early and take the lead when everyone else comes to pit road, you can pit with everyone and win the race out of the pits, or you can pit late and try to charge through the field with fresh tires.  Me personally, I don’t like being on the track with old tires with other cars who have fresher tires behind you.  Usually you look for an opportunity right around the halfway point or just after halfway to pit, and I have the best pit crew on the tour, so I’ll be looking forward to when we have to come down pit road for tires.”

     In addition to chasing a record fifth Sizzler victory, Stefanik be looking to position himself and his Flamingo Motorsports team for a run at what would be a record eighth Whelen Modified Series championship. “It’s extremely important to get off to a good start these first two races of the season,” said Stefanik.  “We run so much of the schedule at Stafford and Thompson, if you have a good car for these first two races, you’ll be pretty sure you’re going to have a good car when you come back to those tracks later in the season.  Winning the championship this season would mean a lot to me personally.  I have all the respect in the world for Richie Evans and what he accomplished behind the wheel of a Modified, and if I can one day be remembered for having the most Modified championships, it would be a really nice thing.”

     As the Whelen Modified Tour cars are taking their pace laps before the drop of the green flag to start the 36th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway, the field will be paced by a man who is no stranger to driving at the front of a Stafford modified field.  Ron Bouchard, the two-time Stafford modified track champion, will be serving as the honorary pace car driver and will pace the field to the green flag.

    Bouchard won Modified track titles in 1973 and 1979 at Stafford, and won a total of 34 modified feature events.  His Stafford exploits landed him a ride in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, where he proceeded to drive to victory lane in the 1981 Talladega 500.  His Talladega victory propelled him to Rookie of the Year honors in the Nextel Cup Series, and in 1982, Bouchard finished 8th in the final Nextel Cup Series points standings.  For his career, Bouchard made 160 career Nextel Cup starts, with 1 win, 19 top-5 and 59 top-10 finishes, and he earned a total of $1,137,615 in his Nextel Cup career.

       Jake Banada of Berkley is gearing up for next Saturday's Allison Legacy Series race at the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH. At 16-years old the Somerset High Junior made the step up to the Legacy Tour after spending a couple of years competing in Go-Kart events at the Sugar Hill Speedway in Weare, NH. He got his taste of motorsports racing in the Jr. Outlaw class. He finished second overall in his first season and then went onto win two major events there including the Coca Cola 100 year end event. He hooked up with the Legacy Series in 2005 with the help of his dad Chuck Benada.  An unexpected surgery last year took him out of the action for about six weeks. But, he still managed to finish fourth overall in the final point tally. The south coast driver also took in a Allison Legacy South Division event at Florence, SC at the end of last season and was a contender.

       Jake was able to start the season off with a win at the Waterford( CT) Speedbowl two weeks ago.  "Jake won up at Monadnock  twice last year so I think we're going to do pretty well, " revealed father/crew chief Chuck Banada. There are other Legacy events scheduled for Seekonk, Monadnock and Waterford.  Banada Racing will also take in selected Late Model events at the Cement Palace this year with the goal of moving into the division by the 2007 season's end. Crew chief/father Chuck Banada drove a Street Stock at the Route 6 oval a few years back before he gave up the drivers seat to pick up the tools for his son.

    The Banada clan have also put together a consortium of technical/sponsors  for both the Allison Legacy and the Seekonk Late Model cars along with some additional tech support from Brian Levesque of Somerset and Attleboro's Dave Titus who drove Levesque's entry at the Route 6 oval a few years back. Also Danny Fournier of Berkley another capable Seekonk Speedway wrench will be in their corner.  In the fabrication area, Dennis Monat of Taunton takes care of the body and chassis. Monat's racing efforts go back three decades when he worked on Randolph's Joey Kourafas' NASCAR North and Busch North circuits.  Other technical support is available from Bob Katon, crewchief of J&R Precast (Berkley) NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car driven by Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater.  The sponsors for the multiple car team includes; Propane Plus of Rehoboth, Bumper-To-Bumper Accessories of Berkley, FX Limited, After Hours Auto Body, Pepsi Cola and Tremont Tire.

    Racing with the NCSC MotoX Series turned into a family affair for the Elicier clan out of Wareham. Last season the NCSC motocross series saw the Elicier family put their efforts of outstanding team work and dedication to take home with them not only 10 top five finishes between Nicholas and Jose but also $5,150 in cash and prizes from Capeway Rovers.

      The Elicier Team  resides in the the nearby town of Wareham  as many young riders in the area have grown up racing at the well known Capeway Rovers Motocross track.  Here's what they did in the Fall NCSC Championship run. Nicholas Elicier #21. In the 50cc 8 over 1ST Place, 50cc Advanced 2nd Place,  65cc Novice 1ST Place.  Jose Elicier #141, 125cc Novice 2nd Place, Open novice 2nd Place  In the Spring NCSC CHAMPIONSHIP Nicholas Elicier #2150cc 8 over 3rd Place, 50cc Advanced 2nd Place, 65cc Novice 4th Place.  Jose Elisier #141, 125cc Novice 4th Place, Open Novice 2nd Place.

      Flat Track Motorcycle racing action returns to MotoTown the big indoor dirt track in the Connecticut Valley this Saturday, April 28.  Leading the 100 plus Flat Track Motorcycle riders into this indoor venue is AMA Champion Ken Coolbeth of Morris, CT who will fight it out with Plymouth's,  and  fellow Bettencourt Honda teammate, Bryan Mckenna.  The duo will go at it again in both the Open Pro and Open Premier classes. However, the spoiler in all this could be Empire State sensation Matt Weidman of Waterloo, NY who won the March Open Pro event at MotoTown.  Matt won the Canadian National Championship at 15-years old and is always fast wherever he competes on a motorcycle.  Terry Finkle of Danbury, CT is another quick rider who placed third in the Open Pro race at his last outing in March at MotoTown.

      Also to be settled at MotoTown this Saturday are the 85 cc and Vintage classes. Alex Thibault of Phillipston, MA will be looking for his third straight win in the 85 cc class for the so-called Hat Trick as he attempts to sweep this trio of races. Greg Bastek of Seymour, CT will also try for a sweep and a Hat Trick in the Vintage Division.

     It will be a pretty busy day for the NEDTS motorcycle riders and other competitors. Quad signup will be held at 9:30 a.m. with a practice session to follow at 11 a.m. followed by the first Quad race. Flat track motorcycle action begins with a 3 p.m. signup and a practice session at 4:30 p.m. with the races to follow.

   For further information on Round 3 and the NEDTS Finale, contact Pete Giammalvo at 978.874.1732 or e-mail to peterg11@verizon.net on the net. Or you can check  sidewaysprom.com and mototownusa.com webpages on the internet. If you haven't seen a flat track event motorcycle event at MotoTown this will your next opportunity for some weatherproof racing action at this spectacular indoor racing complex.

     Former SK track champion Rob Summers claimed the True Value Modified Tour Town Fair Tire 100 at the Waterford Speedbowl Saturday evening, defeating a strong field of starters. Summers took the lead on lap 34 and withstood repeated challenges from Ted Christopher, early leader Ed Dachenhausen, and runner-up Todd Patnode. Christopher eventually faded suffering mechanical problems, with Dachenhausen spinning while running second. Rounding out the top-3 was Kirk Alexander.  W. Bridgewater's Jimmy Kuhn took a fourth while Vinnie Annarummo of Swansea came in ninth.

     Other feature winners were Diego Monahan (SK Modified), Tim Jordan (Late Model), Al Stone III (Sportsman) and Phil Evans (Mini Stocks). Monahan faced-off against brother Shawn during several late-race restarts to claim his first SK Modified feature of the year. The winning pass came with only 4-laps remaining. Rob Janovic, Jr. finished third.

     Reigning Late Model Champion Jordon took the lead from Ed Reed Jr. in the early stages of the feature to score his first of the season. Last week’s main event winner Allen Coates was second, with Anthony Macrino rounding-out the top-three.  Stone worked his way into the lead shortly after the initial green, defeating 2006 divisional champion Dwayne Dorr at the checkers. Early contender Bill Gertsch Jr. claimed the third slot.

       Lap times tell the story of what’s going on at Waterford Speedbowl. Shawn Monahan had the fastest lap in last Saturday’s SK-Modified feature, a blistering 14.240 seconds run. It was older brother Diego who copped the checkered, the difference being the outside lane.

     “You can really run high. There’s a lot of rubber out there,” Shawn points out. “That’s where Diego got me.” Shawn takes the SK point lead into this week’s action, another 35-lap SK feature atop a five-division program that includes the USAC Ford Focus Midgets, the latter presented by Mohegan Sun. Point battles in the Late Models (30-lap feature), Sportsman (20) and Mini Stocks (20) are starting to take shape as well.

    Known for running three or four wide, the Focus Midgets are coming to the ‘Bowl at the perfect time.  2005 SK champion Rob Summers, last week’s True Value Modified Series winner, says the track is “the best I’ve ever seen it.”  “The “second groove is definitely there,” he adds and the evidence is overwhelming, side-by-side racing commonplace. Diego was the third straight SK winner taking advantage of the outside.

    In the Mini Stock feature, winner Phil Evans and point leader Ken Cassidy Jr. came to the checkered two abreast.  “If you’ve got the equipment, you can use the entire track,” says Evans. Other fast laps last Saturday included Late Model winner Tim Jordan (15.625), Billy Gertsch Jr. (Sportsman  -17.488) and Joe Godbout III (Mini Stocks-17.458).  Summers’ 14.255 lap was the quickest in the TVMS event.

     Shawn Monahan leads Rob Janovic Jr. by 18 points. While nobody is talking championship, early action clearly puts defender Dennis Gada, Doug Coby, Jeff Pearl, Jay Miller, Tyler Chadwick and Jeffrey Paul in the picture.

     The Late Model point race is the closest, Allen Coates leading Bruce Thomas Jr. by two and Ernie Bertrand by four but Jordan gave every indication he’s ready to defend his ’06 championship. Dwayne Dorr, also a defender, leads Al Stone III by six in the Sportsman standings. Joe Bertholet, Jim Procaccini and Gertsch, however,  have all been quick.

While Cassidy’s lead in the largest – 22 over Chris Williams –there’s every indication of a season-long battle in the Mini Stock division. Godbout, Evans (now teamed with Jeff Miller) and defender Danny Field are all fast. Jeff Abold, the runner-up in the point standings the last two years, leads the Focus cars into the ‘Bowl. Other contenders include Shawn Gooselin, Jon Seaman, Aaron Wall and Ryan Osborne.

        Last Sunday's Icebreaker at the Thompson (CT) Speedway was a success with 134 entries turning out.  Raynham's Tom Cravenho was sixth in the Sunoco Modified feature coming back after a tangle earlier in the main event. East Wareham's Les Rose, Jr. was the runner-up in the Pro Stock main. Two Raynham drivers Richie Ferreira and Leo Oliveria placed fourth and fifth in the Thompson Modified feature.  Connecticut's James Civali, a second year driver,  was the surprise winner in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150 lap feature. Bob Grigas of Marshfield placed ninth in that one while Rick Savary of Canton, an early contender, developed problems and slid back to 17th at the finish. Bridgewater's Dick Houlihan ended the day in 18th while Jerry Marquis in the Brady entry out of Brockton placed 21st. Jerry had a flat right front tire mid-way in the 150 lapper and that was a set back. But, it was better than Bobby Santos, III of Millis, who was at the wheel of the Boehler entry out of E. Freetown,  had to cope with as an accident took him out of the running before the mid-way point and he was awarded 32nd.  Those area drivers and teams get another opportunity to shine in this weekend's Spring Sizzler at Stafford Speedway in CT.

       Things are beginning to heat up in terms of motorsports action in southern New England and here's what's on for the weekend. Besides the Spring Sizzler Waterford (CT) goes Saturday night with a full card of stockcar action at 6 p.m. At the same time Whip City Speedway out in Westfield offers quarter-mile dirt track action for Mini Sprints and Four Cylinder Street Stocks. Earlier in the day the Capeway Rovers in Middleboro offer MotoX action. Nutmeg Speedway in Shelton, CT also plans a Sunday meet with dirt track action for go-karts and miniature motorsports on Sunday afternoon. The draggers have to travel to Epping, NH and New England Dragway which has ET and testing all weekend. NHIS in Loudon, NH hosts the Loudon Road Racing Series all weekend for the bike crowd.

    Lou Modestino is a long-time columnist and Public Relations person, working for numerous tracks in the northeast, and now writes for The Enterprise in Brockton, MA.  He may be reached at lmodestino@hotmail.com. 

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