(Stafford Springs, CT)—After winning his second Limited Late Model track
championship this past season, Kevin Gambacorta will make the move up the
ladder from the Limited Late Model division to the Late Model division and
run for Rookie of the Year honors. The championship for Gambacorta this
season was the third overall track title he has claimed at Stafford and he
will begin a quest for a track championship in a third different division
after purchasing the #64 Late Model that Michael Bennett has piloted to 5
victories and three top-6 points finishes.
“It was time for us to move up,” said Gambacorta. “There are a lot of
changes for the Limited Late Model division this season, so I figured if I
was going to spend the money to change the car, I might as well spend that
money on a Late Model car. We bought the 64 from Michael Bennett, it’s a
rolling chassis with a lot of new parts on it, suspension, brakes, shocks,
and it has a new clip, and Dave Miller from Auto Machine has an engine ready
to go for us, so we’re excited about the season.”
Gambacorta has 8 career wins in the Limited Late Model division, 3 career
wins in the DARE Stock division, and three track titles at Stafford, but he
knows he faces a new learning curve as he moves into the Late Model division
in 2012.
“I know I’m probably getting in a little bit over my head, but I think that
we can be decent this year,” said Gambacorta. “We have good equipment to
start the year off with and the goal for us is to win Rookie of the Year. I
know that I probably won’t be able to run with some of the Late Model guys
right away, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t finish some races in the
top-10 and be a top-10 car at the end of the year.”
The 2012 season will be the first time that Gambacorta will sit behind the
wheel of a Late Model car and he has plans to take advantage of the CARQUEST
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Dress Rehearsal practice session one week prior to
the Sizzler. And if Gambacorta has any issues, he can always consult with
Bennett, who made the same move in going from the Limited Late Model
division to the Late Model division in 2006.
“We’re definitely going to be taking advantage of all the practice time we
can get,” said Gambacorta. “With the Limited, we normally went out for a
round and then sat out a round or two before going back out. We’ll be on
the track every chance we can get with the Late Model. Our plan is to start
with a baseline setup from the Limited and then adjust on the car from
there. Michael told us that it wasn’t’ really all that different between
the two cars, we’ll just have to get used to all the extra things on the car
that we can adjust for the handling. And I’ll have to get used to having a
spotter in my ear for the entire race.”
Gambacorta will once again carry sponsorship from Rafferty Fine Grading with
his #32 Late Model and he says that he is in need of crewmembers for his
rookie campaign.
“I talked with Kurt and Rhonda [Rafferty] before we went to look at the car,
and they were behind me all the way,” said Gambacorta. “My biggest worry
this year is getting some crew help and not driving the car. With the
Limited, I was able to do pretty much everything myself, but we’ll need some
crew help with the Late Model. I’m sure that there will be some other guys
moving up to the Late Model class this year, so we’re excited about the
season and we’ll look forward to racing with the other rookies for the
Rookie of the Year title.”
Gambacorta will make his Late Model debut at the 41st Annual CARQUEST
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 27-29, 2012. The 41st Annual
CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler gets underway Friday, April 27 with a
practice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions. The practice session will
be open to the public at no charge. Action continues on Saturday, April 28
with Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along
with heat and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions. Saturday
will wrap up with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, and
DARE Stock divisions. The Sizzler continues on Sunday, April 29 with the
CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party followed by Stafford’s SK Modifieds® and
Late Models joining the Whelen Modified Tour in feature action.
Tickets for the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are available and on sale
now through the SMS 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 will be priced at $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor
Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 41st 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.