Marcello Rufrano (Photo: John Rufrano)
The Friday night workload at the track for SK Modified team owner John Rufrano will get a little heavier in 2015.
Rufrano, who fields an SK Modified at Stafford Speedway for former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Keith Rocco, will be fielding a second team starting in April at the half-mile oval.
Rufrano’s 14-year old son Marcello will make his debut at the track in 2015 running full-time in the DARE Stock division.
Marcello Rufrano makes the jump to the DARE Stock after seven years competing in the Ceric Fabrication Wild Thing Karts Series on Monday nights in the summer at Stafford Speedway.
“It makes it a little easier for me on Friday nights to only have to make it there one night a week rather than going back up on Monday nights,” John Rufrano said. “It’s entry level to get him used to the track. He’s never run the whole track. It will get his feet wet and I think that’s a good starting base. Keith and I talked about it, Keith is going to be coaching him for the division. That’s [the type of car] he started out. Hopefully he’ll have some success. But I would say the first year will be a learning curve for him.”
John Rufrano said the team will field a Jay Stuart Chassis car that will be crewed primarily by the same guys that work on Rocco’s No. 88 SK Modified on Fridays, with Rocco serving as driving mentor.
“[Marcello] praises Keith, he really looks up to him,” John Rufrano said. “He sees stuff that he does on the track and fantasizes that he’s going to be as good as him or better. He said to me one day, ‘I can’t wait, maybe one day me and Keith will start on the front row side-by-side.’ And we may see that someday, but I tell him, ‘One step at a time kid.’”
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