Meghan Fuller (right) celebrates her first career Street Stock feature win at Stafford Speedway Friday with her father Ricky and stepmother Lisa (Photo: Jim DuPont)
STAFFORD – It seems as if, over his racing career, if it had four wheels and competed at Stafford Speedway, Ricky Fuller found a way to win with it.
Fuller’s 14 career victories at Stafford Speedway were spread out among five different types of cars at the historic half-mile oval.
Fuller has won at the track with both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He also has victories in the SK Modified division and a victory in a Pro Stock.
And while Fuller, the 1993 Whelen Modified Tour Champion, is most remembered over his career for his exploits racing Modifieds, what few might remember is that his first career victory at Stafford came in 1982, in a Street Stock.
Friday at Stafford Speedway the family lineage seemingly came full circle for Fuller and his daughter.
Sixteen year old Meghan Fuller of Auburn, Mass. led every circuit on the way to her first career victory at the track in the 20-lap Street Stock feature Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway.
“It feels amazing,” Meghan Fuller said.
Said Ricky Fuller: “This is harder to watch that than to go racing myself. But I’m so happy for her. She’s picked this up so fast.”
Nicole Chambrello of Kensington was second and George Bessette Jr. of Danbury third.
Meghan Fuller, who spent eight years racing Quarter Midgets before stepping up to the Street Stock, was making her fifth career start in the division at Stafford. She made three starts last year. Her 2018 season started off rough with a bad wreck in the opening event of the season at the NAPA Spring Sizzler on April 28.
“We got caught up in a couple bad situations last week,” Ricky Fuller said. “We bent the rear in half. Had to put a [new rear] on the car. Had to do a bunch of work on it. My brother Jimmy worked real hard and got it back. It’s pretty cool to do this.”
Meghan Fuller’s bounce back from the rough first week started by winning her heat race.
“Winning the heat race definitely gave me some confidence,” Meghan Fuller said.
Chambrello closed up a big lead late in the event, but never got close enough to challenge for the lead.
“I was looking in my mirror and I kept seeing that she got a little tight,” Meghan Fuller said. “And I kept hoping that she didn’t pass me.”
AWESOME! Great job Meghan. First victory is always the hardest to get, you made it look easy. Congrats, and Good Luck this season.
I was there the night Ricky Fuller won in 1982. It was a 73 or 74 Laguna that no one else had put together at that point. It was fast and immaculate as most of what the Fullers do is.
Thank you to Rob p for being the only person to recognize a banner accomplishment. Of equal note is Nicky Chambrello that with her dads guidance has developed from a timid and insecure track position driver to an accomplished gladiator in Street Stocks moving to second from 8th at the start.
Great job Meghan was not able to see it as we were in PA racing. Your little fans from little t got wind of your win and it shows them that hard work and dedication to racing pays off.