(Press Release from Stafford Speedway)
For the last 10 years Tom Fearn has been a mainstay of the Stafford Speedway Late Model division. Fearn and the #92 team have been on an impressive streak thus far in 2018, scoring 6 consecutive wins through the first 9 races of the season. Following Fearn’s 6th consecutive win last Friday, Mark Arute, Stafford Speedway’s General Manager, announced a $500 bounty to be paid to any team that can beat Fearn starting Friday, June 29th. The bounty pushes the winner’s share of the Late Model purse to $1,450 after contingency bonuses from iRacing.com and New England Race Fuels.
“We’re putting a $500 bounty on Tom Fearn and the #92 team,” explained Stafford Speedway General Manager Mark Arute. “Tommy has been racing at Stafford for almost 30 years, it’s no surprise they are streaking like they are. Tommy and Stu [Fearn] are one heck of a driver/crew chief combination, but its time for another team to step up and knock the #92 out of victory lane.”
Fearn, who started his career at Riverside Park Speedway in the late 80’s, has been competing at Stafford Speedway for nearly 30 years and sits 4th on the all-time win list with 60 career wins. So far in 2018 only 3 drivers have been able to beat the #92 team including Glen Reen, Michael Wray, and rookie Darrell Keane. All three made it to victory lane before the Fearn 6-race winning streak began.
“I wasn’t even to the scales yet after the race was over and my guys were telling me about the bounty,” said Fearn. “I guess I’m flattered by it. It was a long time ago that I saw Tom Rosati have a bounty on him here at Stafford and I talked during the week with Mark [Arute] about it but I wasn’t sure if he was going to actually do it or not. I don’t want to give anything away, but I guess we’ll have to do something special now for this coming Friday. It makes for a nice story line for sure.”
Stafford Speedway has placed some restrictions on the $500 bounty to prevent any intentional over aggression on the race track. The bounty will be paid to the first driver to beat Tom Fearn when the #92 car finishes on the lead lap of the Late Model event. A Tom Fearn DNF will not count toward the bounty and if Fearn fails to finish the feature the bounty will roll over to the following week’s event.
“Beat Tom Fearn and you’ll walk out of Stafford with a $1,450 check for winning a Late Model race,” continued Mark Arute. “If that’s not encouragement, I’m not sure what is.”
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Congratulations Tom!! I hope you win out this season! Your a class act and a clean driver! It would help someone collect the bounty if there were more than the 14 or so cars showing up each week. Stafford should adjust the rules to allow other nonstafford late model drivers a chance to beat Tom. I don’t see any of the others collecting on this and beating Tom straight up. Week after week he goes from the back of the field to the front and runs away with it. Maybe have Ryan wreck his uncle instead of his sister and give someone a chance to collect. He would just have to switch from the limited late model. Another division with a small car count.
Just another example of why Stafford is “The Racers Track”! Not only does Mark answer EVERYBODYs calls he also cares and makes it exciting!!!!!
Fearn can be beat, just don’t see it happening with so few cars showing up. He’s got allot of talent. Couple this with a good handling car with allot of horsepower, and he’s a tough competitor. Good luck to all the other LM teams
Maybe we could get Michael Bennett to come out of retirement?
So I’m guess this could be classified as trying to make lemonade of of lemons. The reality is Fearn is consistently .10 second per lap faster then the next fastest car in the field. If I’ve done this correctly that translates to gain 3 inches per second, over 5 feet per lap and 159 feet per 30 lap race. I thought of Bennett as well but equaling Fearns speed in a one time deal is not realistic nor is $500 enough money to justify it. I don’t know what the deal is with the 31 since it had demons when last it appeared but that may be a hope to ponder for anyone interested. That is if they can exorcise the demon.
There is of course always missing the set up or a tire going down or some other gremlin that affects maximum speed. Actually if you think of the absence of that for Fearn the odds of it happening are increasing.
Setting up a stafford LM is not easy to do. There are many variables that come into effect, both in the front and rear suspension. Once you hit the setup, keeping up with changing conditions is tricky. This being said, the 92 team has hit on something. They are always close on the setup, but this year they’ve found something new. The other teams are struggling to stay with the 92, and most likely in doing so are dialing themselves out rather than in. Good luck to Tom and the 92 team, the record is there for the taking. And good luck to all the other teams, one of you has the chance to win an extra $500
I would put money on the 31 showing up Friday!
Doesn’t seem fair to Tom Fearn, the one driver who has supported the division for many years. Fearn should put his son in a late model and throw the race for him. Keep it in the family. Its not like one race is going to cause a big dent in his point lead. Tom Fearn has a 38 point lead on second place, only 8 cars have been scored at every show this year. The Stafford Late Model is a dying division. I appreciate Stafford trying to make it more entertaining but how about making the rules so additional cars can race or combining there two late model divisions to get a full field. They should throw the checker flag whenever Fearn takes the lead because it is over. no one is passing him without a mechanical issue. Save everyone some fuel. save the environment. save the polar ice caps.
“Maybe we could get Michael Bennett to come out of retirement?”
I think the Fearns bought his car. ;^) I’m pretty sure the 91 LM that Stu Fearn has been running is the former Bennett 16.