Stafford Motor Speedway (MARCH 09 ARCHIVES)

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: MARCH 25, 2009 ..... STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY HOSTING BUSINESS EXPO DURING MAY RACE EVENTS ..... Stafford Motor Speedway is offering a unique opportunity for its competitors to showcase their sponsors on Friday nights during the month of May. During the month of May, Stafford Speedway will be hosting Business Expo events. These events will provide sponsors the opportunity to advertise their products in front of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series consumers. Sponsors of any weekly race team, as well as Stafford Motor Speedway sponsors and advertising partners, are invited free of charge to display their products or services on the midway during the month of May.

“Sponsors are a huge part of racing, both for the competitors and the Speedway,” said SMS COO/GM Mark Arute. “Many of our long standing team sponsors are struggling to continue their participation in local motorsports. We wanted to acknowledge their participation and try to help give them some additional value for their involvement by being able to showcase their products. We hope by providing this opportunity we will enable more teams to gain sponsorships or maintain their current sponsorships.”

The available Friday dates for the Business Expo events are May 1st, 8th, 15th, and 29th. In addition to the free exhibitor space, one business will be chosen at random each Friday for a ride in the pace car, be the honorary starter of a race, and present the trophy to the winner of the race in victory lane.

This is a great opportunity for race teams to gain additional exposure for their team sponsors and an opportunity for their team sponsor to network with other businesses. In today’s economy, many companies are looking for new ways to market their products and services and this event will give team sponsors the opportunity to expand their marketing efforts.

Event participants will be allowed up to 3 attendees at no charge to set up and work the display. All displays must be self-contained and onsite no later than 4:30 pm. Rain dates for Business Expo events will be the following Friday night, excluding May 22nd. Please RSVP no later than April 29th, 2009 by contacting Mark Hann at (860) 651-7421 or (860) 256-5574, or you may email Mark at mhann@victorymotorsportsmarketingservices.com. Victory MotorSports Marketing Services LLC was founded by Mark J. Hann out of a need to bring the partnership of Motorsports and Corporate America together for developing expanded marketing opportunities. They are a motorsports marketing and management company that specializes in sponsorship opportunities for business and motorsports teams and they provide a unique marketing arena that allows businesses to take advantage of consumer brand recognition and loyalty.

For more details please call the Stafford Motor Speedway office at (860) 684-2783 or visit Victory MotorSports Marketing Services LLC’s website at www.VictoryMotorSportsMarketingServices.com.

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STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT: MARCH 20, 2009 ..... KEITH ROCCO HONORED BY CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR JODI RELL; MOVES TO NEW CAR FOR 2009 SEASON AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY ..... The 2008 season saw Keith Rocco take his first SK Modified® track championship at Stafford Motor Speedway as well as the Connecticut state championship for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Rocco’s performance earned him a fourth place finish in the Whelen All-American Series national standings. In recognition of his racing accomplishments last season, Rocco was honored by Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell at the State Capitol and given a certificate from the Governor recognizing his accomplishments on the track.

“It was an honor to go to the Capital and meet Governor Rell,” said Rocco. “She presented me with a certificate that had my name and accomplishments on it, and it’s something other than a racing trophy that I’ll have for the rest of my life. It was a great experience that I will never forget.” As the 2009 season is set to begin, Rocco finds himself in a new position but surrounded by familiar faces as he prepares to take to the track and defend his track championship. After four years behind the wheel of the #78 owned by Jean-Guy and Brigitte Poulin, Rocco moves to the #88 Wheeler’s Auto Service team owned by John & Maina Rufrano. Rocco’s #88 car will also carry sponsorship from Luanci Construction, VP Racing Fuel, and Pettit Engines. Rocco is not worried at all about defending his championship in a new car and says he has a lot to look forward to.

“I’m not worried about this year at all,” said Rocco. “I’ve been friends with John for a while, he has sponsored my Thompson car, and we’ve worked together before, so I don’t think we’ll have any problems. I can’t say enough about John and his wife Maina, they’ve put a lot into the car. Whatever we need, they have provided it for us. We have all new equipment for this year and sometimes it’s better to have new stuff to work with. The only thing that has changed for me is the car owner and the car. We have the same crew from last year, so we have everything we need to win another championship. The only thing that will be different for me is seeing J.G. Poulin’s name on the back of Ted Christopher’s car.”

It’s a sure bet that Rocco can count on seeing a lot of Christopher’s car during the 2009 season as they went toe to toe for the championship last season, swapping the points lead back and forth during the final month of the year. Rocco used to work on Christopher’s car as a crew member, and he shares a philosophy with Christopher when it comes to racing at Stafford. “I’m not really worried about the championship, we don’t race for championships, we come to the track to win,” says Rocco. “If you win enough races, the championship will come with that. We certainly have a team that is capable of winning the championship, but our main goal this year is to come to the track and get as many wins as we can.”

Rocco begins defending his track championship at the season opening 38th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 24-26, 2009. Tickets for “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway box office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 25, and Sunday, April 26 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 24 practice session open the public free of charge.

For more information, or to order Spring Sizzler 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: MARCH 20, 2009 ..... RAYMOND GRASSETTI JOINS STAFFORD SPEEDWAY SK MODIFIED® ROOKIE CLASS FOR 2009 SEASON ..... Raymond Grassetti will make the move from Stafford Speedway’s SK Light Modified division up to the track’s SK Modified® division and challenge for 2009 Reliable Welding and Speed SK Modified® Rookie of the Year honors. Grassetti began his Stafford career in the DARE Stock division in 2004 and he won 2 races in that division before making the move to the SK Light Modified division for the 2007 season. Grassetti was the Most Improved Driver of the 2007 SK Light Modified season and he scored his first SK Light feature victory last season and he was one of four

drivers who were locked in a season-long duel for the championship. Grassetti joins a robust rookie class for the SK Modified® division that includes fellow SK Light Modified alums Joe Allegro, Jr., Chris Matthews, Mark Bakaj, Matt Gallo, and Michael Speeney as well as Frank Hirt, Mike Sedor, Brett Gonyaw, Jodi Johnson, and Nicole Morgillo. Grassetti and his team will be utilizing the SMS spec engine package for their rookie season of competition in the SK Modified® division, and he has modest goals set for himself.

“We decided as a team we wanted to make the move up this year,” said Grassetti. “Right now, we’re at the stage where we just want to make the races and finish the races. We’re not looking to set the world on fire by any means. We just want to have some fun on the track and learn the car. The spec motor made a big difference for us, we spent about half of what we would have spent on a regular SK engine.” Grassetti has finished 5th and 4th in the points standings in his two years of SK Light competition at SMS, and he will be driving the same chassis that he drove in the SK Light division. Although the chassis will be the same, Grassetti says that he will have to learn all over again how he needs to drive the car to be fast. “I think the SK Light will give me an idea of what to expect driving an open wheel car, but I think it’s going to be tougher to drive,” said Grassetti. “The SK has more power than the SK Light, so I’ll have to learn how to drive the car all over again. It will be fun for sure to have more power and see how much deeper into the corner I can drive the SK. I’d like to think I’ll be able to keep up, but it will be a learning experience for me the first few times I go out on the track. After the season, we took the car apart and now we’re in the process of updating some things on the chassis and getting the car back together.”

Grassetti kicks off his SK Modified® rookie season the weekend of April 24-26 with the 38th Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, “The Greatest Race In the History of Spring.” Tickets for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 25, and Sunday, April 26 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 24 practice session open to the public free of charge.

For more information, or to order Spring Sizzler 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: MARCH 20, 2009 ..... ANDREW DURAND CHANGES OVER TO NGB BODY AND 602 SPEC ENGINE IN CHASE FOR 2009 LTD. LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP AT STAFFORD ..... Over the past four seasons at Stafford Motor Speedway, Andrew Durand has won a total of 18 Limited Late Model feature events, putting him at the top of the all-time winners list. As the 2009 season approaches, Durand and his #43 RaD Automachine team will make a switch over to the new Limited Late Model 602 spec engine package. Durand will also change his car over to the new Mid American NGB Body style with the New Era wing. Durand is confident that he and his team can find the same success with their new package as they have had the last four seasons.

“We’re pretty confident that we can still win races,” said Durand. “It’s not all motor that wins races, you have to have the car handling good. Our spec engine looks good on the dyno, we haven’t had any problems with it, and we think we can go out this year and win races with it. It might not have the top end down the straightaway, but you will still get into the corner the same and I think it will be better getting off the corner because you can put the gas to the floor quicker and get the car hooked up faster than with our regular motor.”

When it comes down to engine power, most racers will tell you that more power is always better, but Durand is one of the few who will give you the opposite view on engines.

“I’ve found that for myself, less power works out better,” said Durand. “Towards the end of last season, we had some problems with our primary engine and we had to go to our back-up engine, which had less power than the spec engine. The car handled better because it was easier on the tires coming out of the corners and I was able to win races with the back-up engine. With the spec engine being better than that back-up motor, we feel like we can go out and win races this year.”

Although Durand may differ from other racers on the power issue, one area where he is in the majority is the pursuit of a track championship. In his four seasons of Limited Late Model competition at Stafford, Durand has posted points finishes of third, fifth, fourth, and third, and he is determined to work his way into the number one position at the end of the 2009 season.

“The goal for this season is to get the championship this year,” said Durand. “I’ve been in this division for four years now, and we’ve been close before, but I always seem to have that one night every year where we wreck the car bad enough to where we can’t make it back to the track the next week and that has hurt us in the points. Right now, we’re working on our motor from last year and we have our car from last year that we’re going to make into a back-up car if we should need one this season.”

Durand’s and his team will run the Cadillac CTS NBG Body with sponsorship from RaD Automachine, Payless Auto Glass, and Johnson Chassis. Their pursuit of the 2009 championship will begin at the 38th Annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, scheduled for April 24-26, 2009. Tickets for “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway box office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 25, and Sunday, April 26 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 24 practice session open the public free of charge.

For more information, or to order Spring Sizzler 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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