(Press Release from Stafford Motor Speedway)
Michael Wray (Photo: Stafford Motor Speedway/Driscoll MotorSports Photography)
This Friday night’s Xtra Mart Xtra Distance 50-lap Late Model feature at Stafford Speedway features total posted awards of nearly $9,000 with the winner able to take home $1,475. One driver excited about his chances at taking home that winner’s check is Northford native Michael Wray, driver of the #42 DMW Graphics Chevrolet.
After finishing seventh in the 2015 Late Model points standings and winning Rookie of the Year honors, Wray and the #42 team entered the 2016 season with a new chassis and engine combination. That new engine and chassis combination paid off for the team during the NAPA Spring Sizzler® weekend, where Wray was among the fastest cars all weekend long and he finished second in the feature. With the 50-lap Xtra Mart Xtra D feature on tap this Friday night, Wray is feeling good about his chances at picking up his second career Late Model feature victory.
“We feel pretty good about our chances,” said Wray. “We have a Jay Stuart chassis, which was actually his car that he raced 2 years ago, and we have a new motor from Dave Miller at Auto Machine. At the Sizzler® we showed our new car and engine combination was pretty strong so it’ll be interesting to see what we can do in a 50 lap race. I think that managing the tires is going to make for an interesting race. When we got the new car and engine we weren’t sure what to expect but we ended up with a good finish and I think we have a good shot at the 50-lapper.”
During his rookie Late Model season, Wray only had two top-5 finishes during the season with one being a win. If Wray and the #42 team can repeat their run from the NAPA Spring Sizzler® and match their goal of running the top-5, they’ll take home a $200 bonus from Xtra Mart Convenience Stores, which Wray says would be a huge bonus for his team.
“A top-5 finish would be huge for us,” said Wray. “I just graduated from Northeastern last Friday and I have a month to go before I start my job so any extra money we can get helps out a lot. We owe a lot to Xtra Mart along with Mr. Rooter Plumbing, 32 Signs, and New England Racing Fuel Sunoco Brand for all they do for us in the Late Model division at Stafford. A lot of us wouldn’t be able to do what we do without their help and support.”
Wray raced in Stafford’s Limited Late Model division during the 2009 and 2010 seasons before taking time off to concentrate on his college studies. Using the 2015 season as a way to get reaccelerated with driving a Late Model car and getting used to new competitors around him, Wray is looking to be racing among the top-5 each Friday night and be a contender for the championship as the season winds down.
“I’d like to run in the top-5 every week and see where that lands us in the championship,” said Wray. “Our main thing is to have fun and it’s definitely more fun when you’re running up front. I took a couple years off from racing to focus on college and last season was mostly about getting back into racing and getting my feet wet. We figured if we were going to come back to race this season, we might as well do it right. Last year was huge for me because I had never been in a car with that much power. I spent most of the year learning how everyone else runs and to relearning how to drive the car. We’re hoping we can get a couple of wins this year. We’re running against a lot of strong competition but I really think we have a car that can run up front and mix it up with those guys. I thought we were going to get a win at the Sizzler® a couple weeks ago, but it just didn’t quite work out our way. I have to thank JMD Chassis and Jay Stuart, I think he builds the best chassis in the business, Dave Miller from Auto Machine for the awesome motor, Torino Services, Kennedy’s On-Site and DMW Graphics.”
Tickets for this Friday night’s Late Model Xtra Mart Xtra D 50 event are available and on sale now. Tickets are priced at $20.00 for Adult General Admission, $5.00 for Children Ages 6-14 General Admission, and $23.00 for Reserved Seating. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or by logging onto the Buy Tickets section of www.staffordspeedway.com.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Mike is a good kid that works his butt off. Good Luck and go get’em Mikey!