(Stafford Springs, CT)— It may only be December but over 15 teams have already registered to compete in the 50th running of the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler scheduled for April 23 and 24, 2022. A mix of Stafford regulars and Stafford invaders highlight the early entries including 2021 Spring Sizzler winner Patrick Emerling and 2015 Spring Sizzler winner and hometown hero Woody Pitkat.
Local Track Racing
Noah Korner Perseveres To Claim SK Modified® Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Speedway
(Stafford Springs, CT)—After running a partial 5-race SK Modified® schedule in 2020 in order to maintain his rookie driver status, Noah Korner made the full-time move into the division for the 2021 season. The driver of the #31 Midstate Site Development Chevrolet drove to 5 top-5 and 8 top-10 finishes with a season best finish of second on August 20th and October 1st to finish the season 10th in the SK Modified® standings and claim NAPA Auto Parts SK Modified® Rookie of the Year honors.
Tyler Barry Races to R.A.D. Auto Machine Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Speedway
(Stafford Springs, CT)—The 2021 season at Stafford Speedway saw 15-year-old Tyler Barry make the move from Legend Cars to the SK Light Modified division. The 4th generation driver with a name familiar to many modified fans had an up and down year but he ended his rookie season on the highest of notes by taking his #18 Clearcom I.T. Solutions / Pro Systems Integration Chevrolet to NAPA Victory Lane. For the season, Barry posted 1 win, 4 top-5, and 10 top-10 finishes to carry him to R.A.D. Auto Machine SK Light Rookie of the Year honors.
Matt Scappini Goes From Snow to Asphalt to Win Limited Late Model Rookie of the Year at Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Matt Scappini took a somewhat unique path to joining Stafford Speedway’s Limited Late Model division as a rookie driver. Prior to the 2021 season, Scappini’s only racing experience consisted of a limited amount of go kart racing and snowmobile racing. Scappini’s lack of experience never manifested itself during the 2021 season as he drove his #10 JRC Transportation Chevrolet to NAPA Victory Lane on September 3rd as part of his 3 top-5 and 20 top-10 finishes that helped him capture R.A.D. Auto Machine Limited Late Model Rookie of the Year honors.
Thorn Stays Perfect with Snowflake 100 Victory
Jake Garcia kept applying the pressure, but Derek Thorn executed a flawless race to win the Snowflake 100 for the second time in three years.
Thorn led wire-to-wire, but several restarts gave Garcia a chance.
Ultimately, the two were too evenly matched and Thorn had the track position earned in time trials earlier in afternoon to continue a perfect weekend. (more…)
Chandler Smith Wins 54th Annual Snowball Derby (Pending Inspection)
UPDATE – Sunday, December 5th @ 8:27pm / ET
Four hours and 12 minutes after the completion of the 2021 Snowball Derby, Chandler Smith’s No. 26s Toyota has officially been declared the winner, clearing post-race technical inspection.
Pending technical inspection, 2021 NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of The Year Chandler Smith is the winner of the 54th Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, after making a late-race move around Derek Thorn, who dominated the event for the second year in a row. (more…)
Travis Downey Races From the Desert to Stafford’s R.A.D. Auto Machine Street Stock Rookie of the Year
(Stafford Springs, CT)—When the 2021 season kicked off at Stafford Speedway, Street Stock driver Travis Downey made the move into the world of asphalt oval track racing after coming from a background in desert trophy truck off-road racing. The Barkhamsted, CT native and driver of the #42 P.J. Ladola & Sons Electrical Contractors, Inc. Chevrolet made the transition from the deserts of Parker, Arizona and Las Vegas to the asphalt of Stafford Speedway a smooth one as he scored 3 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes in 18 starts to claim the R.A.D. Auto Machine Rookie of the Year title.
How Ryan Preece and Chris Gabehart Teamed Up for the Snowball Derby
Ryan Preece spent the past several years watching the Snowball Derby from home and wondered why he wasn’t there too.
So, he decided to do something about it.
Simultaneously, NASCAR Cup Series crew chief and 2007 CRA Super Series champion driver Chris Gabehart had also been fighting the itch to get back into the Super Late Model game in some capacity. So, he decided to do something about that too. (more…)
NASCAR, FloSports Announce Landmark Streaming Partnership
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 2, 2021) – NASCAR and leading sports streaming service, FloSports, today announced a multi-year partnership that will make FloRacing, FloSports’ dedicated motorsports platform, the home of NASCAR Roots properties including: the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Pinty’s Series, and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. The landmark partnership represents an alignment of two champions of live motorsports with a shared mission of delivering the best in grassroots racing to fans around the world.
249 Cars in 7 Classes Ready for This Week’s Snowball Racing
Another big crowd of fans and competitors will squeeze into 5 Flags Speedway this weekend (December 3-5) for Snowball Derby racing… (entry lists for all the different classes): (more…)