When the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series hits the track at Stafford Speedway this Saturday, September 26th for the NAPA Fall Final, Teddy Hodgdon will be seeking a second consecutive victory at the Connecticut half-mile. In his last appearance at Stafford on August 28 in the Whelen Mod Tour GAF 150 Hodgdon notched his first career victory with an impressive drive that saw him go from 23rd at the start to NAPA Victory Lane and that victory has him feeling extra confident as he returns to Stafford.
“A lot more confidence for sure,” said Hodgdon. “We put a lot into our effort, especially with Stafford being our hometown track and I’m looking forward to bringing our success from the Tour race over to the program that Justin and Mike Albernaz have put together. Hopefully we can have another successful race.”
If Hodgdon is going to win back to back Stafford races, he will have to do it in a different car. When Hodgdon won the GAF 150 in August, he was driving his family owned #55 car but for the NAPA Fall Final, he will be behind the wheel of the Justin Albernaz owned #07 Island Industries New England car.
“For sure it’s a different group of guys and a different tire that we’re racing on and the race itself is going to be more of a sprint than the Tour race was,” said Hodgdon. “We already have two races together at Stafford this season with the #07 car so we have a little notebook built up, we know where to make adjustments, and we’ll go from there.”
Just because Hodgdon is driving a different car, that won’t affect his confidence at all for the NAPA Fall Final. Hodgdon has shown plenty of speed in his two Stafford starts driving the #07 car as he was fighting for the lead in the NAPA Spring Sizzler when he was taken out in a crash and he notched a fourth place finish in the July Mod Masters event.
“We’ve had speed in the #07 car,” said Hodgdon. “We were about to take the lead in the Sizzler when we got hit and we made our way back up to fourth place after a pit stop in the Mod Masters race so we know we have speed in the car, we just have to be able to capitalize and execute a well-rounded race. That was the key for us winning the Mod Tour race. Qualifying wasn’t great but we showed good speed right off the bat, had a good pit stop, and we made our way to the front where nobody could catch us.”
Hodgdon was able to win the GAF 150 after starting in the 23rd position, but with the NAPA Fall Final being 80 laps, Hodgdon knows that another poor qualifying effort could derail his winning aspirations. In order for Hodgdon or another driver to have a good qualifying effort, they will have to strike a balance of how hard to push their car in the heat races versus conserving tires for the 80-lap main event as teams will only be able to change 1 tire during the race.
“This race definitely won’t be as easy to start in the back,” said Hodgdon. “You still want to manage your tires a little in the heat races but if you can get a top-10 starting spot that would be a lot better than starting 25th with a 30-car field. Track position, especially at Stafford, is always important. I think the biggest thing for us will be having only one change tire for the race. It’s going to be very important on when to take it and how to conserve the remaining three tires on the car. It’s a totally different strategy than the Tour race where you get 3 extra tires.”
With the 2026 season drawing to a close, Hodgdon would like nothing more than to secure a second Stafford victory for himself and a first victory working together with the #07 Albernaz crew.
“Another win would be huge for both teams,” said Hodgdon. “Back in August I said in my interview that I hadn’t won for a long time and it felt really good to get that monkey off my back. Hopefully more wins will come easier but the competition is really stout and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and trying to get better with both of our programs. Big thanks to Island Industries New England, Platinum Fire Equipment, Axis Wealth, all the crew guys, Justin and Mike Albernaz, Mike Pettit for the awesome horsepower, Bagelman, and all my guys who help between both teams. We’re looking to end the season on a high note.”
In addition to the NAPA Fall Final on Saturday, September 26th, Stafford will also be hosting a Weekly Racing program on Friday, September 25th with all five Stafford divisions in action. Saturday, September 26th will see the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, the SK Modifieds®, and SK Lights in feature action.
