40TH ANNUAL CARQUEST TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER TO KICK OFF STAFFORD SPEEDWAY’S 53RD SEASON OF NASCAR WEEKLY RACING
(Stafford Springs, CT)—With the spring season fast approaching, yet
another season of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition is set to
kick off at Stafford Motor Speedway with the 40th annual Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler Presented by CARQUEST on April 29-May 1. “The Greatest Race in the
History of Spring” will officially begin Stafford’s 53rd season of hosting
weekly NASCAR racing.
The race began its long and storied history as the brainchild of Dr. Dick
Berggren, Lew Boyd, and Bruce Cohen as a way to hold a prestigious race
during the spring at a time when all the major races were held in the fall.
The inaugural Sizzler in 1972 featured an overflow crowd of 11,500 race fans
who saw Fred DeSarro take the checkered flag and $2,200 from a then modified
record purse of $15,000. Ed Flemke had taken the lead on lap-7 and he held
the lead until a faulty water pump eliminated Flemke from the race on
lap-70, stripping him of a near certain victory and allowing DeSarro to win.
Following the success of that Inaugural Spring Sizzler, Jack Arute, Sr.
purchased the rights to the race from Berggren, Boyd, and Cohen, and it has
been the premier event at Stafford ever since. CARQUEST took title
sponsorship of the race in 1995 and the race became the Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler prior to the 30th Annual edition of the race in 2001 to promote
CARQUEST’s Tech-Net Professional Auto Service.
Some of the greatest names in modified history have tasted the fruits of
victory in Stafford’s signature event. Since the inaugural Sizzler in 1972,
there have been 22 different winners with 8 drivers winning the race
multiple times. Of those 23 Spring Sizzler winners, 9 drivers have won a
Whelen Modified Tour championship. Ted Christopher, Stafford’s all-time
winningest driver with 110 career feature victories, leads all drivers with
6 career Sizzler wins. Mike Stefanik has won the Sizzler 4 times, while
Maynard Troyer, Richie Evans, and Rick Fuller each have 3 wins, and Greg
Sacks, Reggie Ruggiero, and Mike Ewanitsko have each won twice. Those who
have won the Sizzler once include: Fred DeSarro, Ed Flemke, Bugsy Stevens,
Geoff Bodine, Bob Polverari, Jimmy Spencer, Brian Ross, Jeff Fuller, Jan
Leaty, John Blewett, III, Jerry Marquis, Tony Hirschman, Doug Coby, and
Donny Lia.
The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler has also had a great deal of storied
finishes. Richie Evans won the 1975 Sizzler using 10 inch Late Model
Sportsman tires, Geoff Bodine returned to Stafford from North Carolina to
record his final Stafford victory in 1980, Greg Sacks won twice in a row
including pitting for tires and coming back through the field, Reggie
Ruggiero pitted twice and won in 1987, the SK Modified® cars took center
stage in 1988 with Christopher winning the race, and Jerry Marquis returned
the Len Boehler owned Ole Blue #3 to Spring Sizzler Victory Lane in 2004 for
the first time since DeSarro won the inaugural Sizzler in 1972. But perhaps
the greatest Sizzler story of all-time was the 1981 Spring Sizzler that came
down to a side-by-side duel between Bob Polverari and Richie Evans.
Evans had set a new track record in qualifying and took the early lead until
he had to pit for fresh tires, handing the lead over to Maynard Troyer.
Troyer stayed out front until lap-71, when a clutch issue allowed Polverari
to take the race lead. Evans had worked his way back through the field to
move into second place behind Polverari when the caution came out with only
four laps to go. Polverari and Evans dueled side by side for the final four
laps of the race with Polverari taking victory by inches ahead of Evans in
what many will recall as the greatest Spring Sizzler finish in history.
The 40th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler will see Ted Christopher
attempt to add another chapter to the pages of Sizzler lore. For 31 years,
Troyer had been the only driver to record three consecutive Spring Sizzler
victories. Richie Evans (1975-1976), Greg Sacks (1982-1983), Mike Stefanik
(1989-1990, 1997-1998), Mike Ewanitsko (1994-1995), Rick Fuller (1999-2000),
and Christopher (2002-2003) have each won the Sizzler twice in a row, but
were unable to win a third consecutive time. Christopher began another
CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler winning streak with a win in 2008 and his
victory in last year’s Sizzler matched the Troyer mark of 3 wins in a row.
Christopher will attempt to become the first driver to win four consecutive
CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzlers when the green flag falls on this year’s
40th Annual edition of “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring”.
The 40th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler gets underway Friday, April
29 with a practice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The practice
session will be open to the public at no charge. The run for the Coors
Light Pole position gets underway on Saturday, April 30 with time trials for
the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat and consolation races for
Stafford’s weekly divisions. In the 31 Spring Sizzler events run since
1980, the fast qualifier has gone on to win the race only 7 times. Saturday
will conclude with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, and
DARE Stock divisions. The Sizzler concludes on Sunday, May 1 with the
CARQUEST Belts and Hose 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 $35.00 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 $38.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor
Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 40th annual CARQUEST Tech-Net 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.