SMS - TED CHRISTOPHER, JIM PETERSON, MICHAEL GERVAIS, JR., ANDREW DURAND, AND DON WOOD HONORED AS 2009 STAFFORD SPEEDWAY TRACK CHAMPIONS

STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY

55 West Street | Stafford Springs | CT | 06076

Phone: (860) 684-2783 | Fax: (860) 684-6236 | Email: markarute@staffordspeedway.com

GPS COORDINATES: N 41° 57.2526' | W 072° 19.0621'

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STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT: NOVEMBER 23, 2009 ..... TED CHRISTOPHER, JIM PETERSON, MICHAEL GERVAIS, JR., ANDREW DURAND, AND DON WOOD HONORED AS 2009 STAFFORD SPEEDWAY TRACK CHAMPIONS ..... Stafford Motor Speedway welcomed a guest list of nearly 500 people consisting of teams, drivers, sponsors, and employees this past Friday night, November 20, 2009 at the La Renaissance Banquet Facility in East Windsor to officially honor Ted Christopher, Jim Peterson, Michael Gervais, Jr., Andrew Durand, and Don Wood as the 2009 Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champions.

With Stafford Motor Speedway broadcasters Matt Buckler and Joe Coss serving as the Masters of Ceremony, the 40th annual Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Champions Awards Ceremony not only honored the five track champions, it also honored the top-20 points finishers from the SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions. Other awards that were presented during the evening’s festivities were Most Popular Driver Awards, Most Improved Driver Awards, Reliable Welding & Speed Rookie of the Year awards, and the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award.

The race for the 2009 championship began with several contenders in Jeff Malave, Keith Rocco, and Ted Christopher, but slowly Malave and Rocco faded from contention and Christopher once again demonstrated a season long consistency that drove him to his record seventh career Stafford championship. For the season, Christopher posted 4 wins, 11 top-5, and 13 top-10 finishes in 15 starts with the #13 Broadband Access Chevrolet. Christopher’s 4 victories this season brought his career SK Modified® victory total at Stafford to 91 wins. Combined with his Whelen Modified Tour Tech-Net Spring Sizzler victory at Stafford, his grand total of Stafford career wins now stands at 106 career victories.

The 2009 Late Model championship chase was a three-man race for much of the season with Jim Peterson, Ryan Posocco, and Dillon Moltz as the main contenders. All three drivers quickly established themselves as championship contenders with Moltz winning the first two races of the season while Posocco won the third race of the year and Peterson scored two second place finishes and a sixth place finish in the first three races. Moltz faded from contention as the summer approached, turning the championship fight into a two-man show. Peterson and Posocco ran neck and neck for much of the summer, but Peterson posted three podium finishes and a fifth place finish in the final four events of the year to take the championship by a 20-point margin over Posocco. Peterson and the #13 Hamm’s Welding Dodge team posted 2 wins, 12 top-5, and 15 top-10 finishes in 16 starts.

Ted Christopher and Jim Peterson made a special presentation to Shawn Waddell. Waddell was the spotter for Christopher and Peterson this year at Stafford, and they presented Waddell with a special plaque that commemorated his dual championships as a spotter. Both cars Waddell spotted for this year at Stafford were numbered 13, the second time Waddell has spotted for championship cars in different divisions in the same season with the same car number. In 2002, Waddell spotted for Bo Gunning in the SK Modified® division and Peterson in the Late Model division when both cars carried the number 17.

The race for the SK Light Modified championship was won handily by Michael Gervias, Jr., who came to Stafford this season from Legends cars, having never sat behind the wheel of a modified car. After a slow start to the 2009 season, Gervais quickly adapted to Stafford, posting 9 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes in 16 starts this season to win the championship by a 72-point margin over Jay Goff.

After several seasons of being in championship contention but coming up short, 2009 was finally the year that Andrew Durand was able to take home a Stafford championship in the Limited Late Model division. Durand opened the season with a two wins and a second place finish to establish himself as the early season favorite for the championship. Dan Flannery slowly but surely worked his way into championship contention as the season wore on and was Durand’s chief rival for the track title. Flannery was in position to win the championship with only a handful of laps to go in the final race, but a flat right rear tire ended his hopes and Durand came away with the championship by 32 points over Flannery. Durand’s championship season consisted of 5 wins, 11 top-5, and 14 top-10 finishes.

Just as Norm Sears did one year ago, Don Wood won the season opening DARE Stock feature event at the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler and used that victory to propel himself to the DARE Stock track championship. Wood and his John Berardi owned #51 R.A.D. Automachine team drove to 2 wins, 11 top-5, and 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts to take the championship by a 98 point margin over Cliff Saunders.

Receiving awards for Most Improved Driver were Richie Pallai, Jr. in the SK Modified® division, J.J. Hill in the Late Model division, David Webb in the SK Light division, and Dave Yardley, III in the Limited Late Model division. The Most Improved Driver award is given to a driver who exhibits the greatest degree of improvement in on-track performance over the past season. Nominees are selected and voted upon by a committee of select Stafford Motor Speedway management and track officials.

The Reliable Welding & Speed Rookie of the Year awards were presented by Brad and Linda Hietala of Reliable Welding and Speed to Mark Bakaj from the SK Modified® division, Adam Gray from the Late Model division, Michael

Gervais, Jr. from the SK Light division, and Dan Flannery from the Limited Late Model division. The awards will be worth a $700.00 bonus to Bakaj, and $500.00 bonus to Gray, Gervais, and Flannery from Reliable Welding and Speed. Each Rookie of the Year bonus will be paid out in $100.00 weekly increments to each driver as they attend events during the 2010 season.

The winners of the Most Popular Driver Awards were Woody Pitkat in the SK Modified® division, Dillon Moltz in the Late Model divisions, Heather DesRochers from the SK Light division, Carla Botticello from the Limited Late Model division, and Kyle Casagrande from the DARE Stock division. The Most Popular Driver Awards are voted on by the fans who attend Stafford Motor Speedway race events and fill out the ballots found weekly in the track’s PitStopper Magazine.

The Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award was awarded to John Berardi. Berardi prepared and maintained Don Wood’s championship winning DARE Stock car as well as his daughter Stephanie’s DARE Stock, which went to victory lane once during the 2009 season at Stafford. The Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award is voted on by Stafford crew members who possess a valid 2009 NASCAR License.

For more information about the 2009 Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony, or to order a video of the night’s festivities, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway’s track office at (860) 684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.

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STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT: NOVEMBER 13, 2009 ..... DAN FLANNERY WINS RELIABLE WELDING AND SPEED LTD. LATE MODEL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONORS AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY..... Coming off a 2008 season that saw him drive to 2 victories and a fourth place finish in the DARE Stock points standings, Dan Flannery made the move up to Stafford’s Limited Late Model division for the 2009 season. Flannery and his team purchased the car that Sean Foster drove to the 2007 Limited Late Model track championship and a second place finish in the 2008 standings, which helped give him a leg up at the start of the 2009 season.

“We knew we had something to start with right away,” said Flannery. “Having a car that was proven to be fast put us ahead of where we would have been if we had bought a new car and had to start from scratch working on the car.” Heading into the 2009 season, Flannery had four years of DARE Stock experience at Stafford to lean on, but he quickly found out that he was dealing with a totally different car than he was accustomed to in the DARE Stock division.

“The car was completely different than what I was used to in the DARE car,” said Flannery. “It was a complete change for me. The Limited had a lot more power than the DARE car and it handled differently, the Limited always seemed to be loose. It took us until around halfway through the year that we really started making the car faster. If you look at the season, we put together 9 top-5 finishes in a row, which all started at the halfway point of the season.”

Flannery’s newfound top-5 consistency carried him to the top of the Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie points and also put him in contention to win the Limited Late Model track championship. Flannery was in position to win the track championship in the final race of the 2009 season, but a flat right rear tire ended his championship chances.

“We were right where we needed to be that last race and it looked like we had it, but we got a flat right rear under caution and everything that was looking great for us went downhill real fast,” said Flannery. “That day, coming off the track I was pretty disappointed but looking back now, I can’t be happier with how we did this year. We never thought we were going to finish second in the points standings. The Rookie of the Year was our main goal and I thought a top-10 finish in points would have been nice, so we had a great year.”

Although he fell just short of the championship, Flannery can take solace in the fact that he did get to victory lane in his rookie season.

“It was great to be able to win a race,” said Flannery. “I set a goal for myself of winning at least once this year. It gets a little discouraging when you race all year long and you don’t get to victory lane.” Flannery and his team will return to Stafford’s Limited Late Model division for the 2010 season and try to climb that final step of the end of the year podium that comes with winning a track championship.

For the 2009 season, Flannery posted 1 win, 9 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts to outpoint Norm Sears by 100 points in the chase for the Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie title. Flannery will receive his 2009 Limited Late Model Rookie of the Year award at the 40th Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 20, 2009 at the La Renaissance Banquet Facility in East Windsor.

For more information about the Champions Awards Ceremony, 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.

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STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT: NOVEMBER 13, 2009 ..... MICHAEL GERVAIS, JR. WINS RELIABLE WELDING AND SPEED SK LIGHT MODIFIED® ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONORS AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY ..... Stafford’s 2009 SK Light Modified division saw Michael Gervais, Jr. drive to a rare feat in that he won the Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie of the Year title as well as the track championship. What makes the accomplishment even more amazing is that prior to the 2009 season, Gervais had never sat behind the wheel of an open wheeled modified car. Gervais came to Stafford from legends cars to Stafford’s SK Light Modified division and displayed a consistency that kept him at the top of the Rookie of the Year chase as well as the championship chase all season long.

“At the beginning of the year, our main goal was to keep the car clean, learn about the car and the track, and win Rookie of the Year,” said Gervais. “We never really changed all that much from week to week, we just kept doing what we were doing, and that strategy worked out for us.” Gervais’ 2009 season got off to a rough start with a seventh in the season opening Spring Sizzler event and a 21st place finish in the second event of the year, which some might say was a typical start to a rookie season. But top-5 finishes in the next four events vaulted Gervais to the head of the 2009 rookie class as well as the lead in the championship standings, a position that Gervais would not relinquish for the remainder of the 2009 season.

“We expected to have highs and lows like any rookie season, but we were strong right from the start and I felt really comfortable in the car,” said Gervais. “About halfway through the season we were finishing in the top-10 every week and we started thinking that we had a real shot at the Rookie of the Year and the championship. We never let points get in our way. We figured that what we were doing was working for us, so we just kept on doing what we had been doing every week for the rest of the season and we figured whatever would happen would happen. We definitely had a lot of luck on our side this year, we didn’t get caught up in any wrecks this year.”

With a Rookie of the Year title and a track championship under his belt, Gervias and his team are looking to make the next move up the Stafford open wheel ladder to the SK Modified® division to try win another Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie of the Year title.

“Our plan for this year was to get our feet wet in the SK Lights and go for Rookie of the Year and then make the move up to the SK Modifieds®,” said Gervais. “Right now, we’re looking at some different things and we’re trying to make that move up for next season.”

For the 2009 season, Gervais tied Jay Goff for the most top-5 finishes with 9 and he led the division with 15 top-10 finishes in 16 starts to outpoint Erica Santos by 202 points in the chase for the Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie title. Gervais will receive his 2009 SK Light Modified Rookie of the Year award at the 40th Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 20, 2009 at the La Renaissance Banquet Facility in East Windsor.

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STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT: NOVEMBER 9, 2009 ..... STAFFORD SPEEDWAY RELEASES 2010 RULEBOOKS FOR ITS NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES RACING DIVISIONS ..... Stafford Motor Speedway has released rulebooks for each of its five NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series divisions for the 2010 season. All five rulebooks can be found online at SMS Online located at www.staffordspeedway.com by clicking on the DOWNLOADS/RULES tab found on the home page. All rules changes from 2009 to 2010 are highlighted in red bold, italicized, and underlined type. “Finalizing our 2010 rules this early in the off-season allows our regular competitors as well as any new competitors that are looking to race with us next year to see what they need for their cars and they can begin their off season work to get a head start on the 2010 season,” said SMS COO/GM Mark Arute. “The fewer changes we make, the less changes our competitors have to make to their cars over the off-season. We had great car counts and excellent competition in each of our five divisions this year and we anticipate another great season in 2010.”

Stafford’s two open wheel modified divisions have virtually no changes for the 2010 season. The SK Modified® Spec Engine can run Sunoco Supreme gasoline and there is a clarification on the SK Modified® intake manifold rule for both spec and non-spec engines. There were also adjustments to the rearview mirror rule, and the roll bar rule has been updated to include anti-intrusion plates and a foot protection bar. The SK Light Modified division has changed only the Engine Exhaust Rule, allowing Kooks mufflers and allowing an S.F.I. harmonic balancer. For the SK Light division, the minimum age requirement for drivers has been lowered to 15 years of age. For the Late Model division, the B-Engine and the Spec Engine (C-Engine) will be allowed to run the 2nd generation Edelbrock 2101 intake manifold and both engines will have the option of Canton #85-060 or the #85-065 carb spacers to run. All three Late Model engine combinations will be permitted to run Lobak or Kooks mufflers and cowl air induction. The B-motor will be required to convert to the spec oil pan with an option of an inspection plug.

Stafford’s Limited Late Model division all body measurements in 2010 will be done with NGB or S2 type templates. Non-spec engine cars will be permitted to run the 2nd generation 2101 Edelbrock intake manifold and run the Canton #85-060 or the #85-065 carb spacer. Spec engine cars must have the same overall car weight and left side weight percentage as non-spec engine cars, and Spec Engine cars can run the Kooks mufflers. There is also a new gear rule for both spec and non-spec engine cars. The minimum age requirement for Limited Late Model drivers has been lowered to 15 years of age. For the DARE Stock division, a GM ploy front fender will be permitted, a triple reinforced fiberglass roof will be permitted, and there is a new rule for the battery location. The minimum age requirement for DARE Stock drivers has been lowered to 14 years of age.

All Stafford Motor Speedway rules can be downloaded from the DOWNLOADS/RULES section of SMS Online at www.staffordspeedway.com. All 2010 rulebooks are available in both Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF Formats.

For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.

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