(Press release from Stafford Speedway)
In the short history of the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k, no team has been as dominant as the #50 Les’s Auto Center Ford driven by Ronnie Williams. Williams is thus far the only driver to have won the race twice through the first 6 NAPA SK 5K events with his wins have come in consecutive seasons. Williams comes into the 2020 NAPA SK 5k looking for his 3rd win in a row in the extra distance classic while the #50 team is looking for their 4th consecutive win in the race as Chase Dowling won the race in 2017 driving for the same team. The last time a car other than the #50 car won the race was 2016 when Ted Christopher claimed the checkered flag.
“It’s just how Adam [Skowyra] and all the guys in the shop prepare the car,” said Williams. “We’ve always had a good long run car and with the race being 100 laps long, we have speed at the end of the race and that’s what you need to win. We’re looking to come back and do what we’ve been doing in the NAPA SK 5k. The 50 guys give me a fast car every week and I’m sure we’re going to be a contender, we just have to avoid getting into any wrecks. We’d like to avoid what happened last year when we damaged the car a little but were still able to come back and win. I’m definitely looking forward to this race, I’m feeling pretty good and I want to win this race more than ever.”
Any time a team demonstrates overwhelming success, it paints a bull’s-eye on that team as the ones to beat. Williams says he’s sure that both he and the #50 crew fall into that category, but they’re not going to let that distract them from the task at hand.
“I’m sure people are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Williams. “It’s hard to not look at the 50 car with the success we’ve had in this race the last 3 years. We’re not too worried about other people, we’re just focused on what we need to do. Our plan for that race is to not worry about what happens in the first 50 laps and not worry about what guys like Keith [Rocco], Todd [Owen], or anyone else is doing.”
After winning the NAPA SK 5k in 2018, Williams posted 8 top-7 finishes in 11 races and posted 11 consecutive top-6 finishes after winning the NAPA SK 5k last season. Williams will once again be looking to use a strong finish in the NAPA SK 5k as a springboard to keep on climbing up the points standings after a 19thplace finish in the second race of the year left Williams 42 points out of the lead.
“We’re getting there,” said Williams. “The first couple weeks we had fast race cars but we didn’t have winning race cars. We haven’t panicked, we’ve just concentrated on making the right adjustments and that I’m communicating well with Adam [Skowyra] as to what the car needs to be better. The Friday night we won, we weren’t very good in practice but Adam went back and did some homework, I made sure to tell him what I needed and we just keep on getting better and better and into our rhythm. The last couple years we’ve started off getting on a roll after the SK 5k race. Last year we didn’t finish outside the top-6 after we won the race and we’d like to do that again and finish the year out strong.”
With Williams serving as the only driver to have won the NAPA SK 5k twice, he would like nothing more than to continue his success in the biggest race of the SK Modified® season and continue to enter his and the #50 team’s names into the Stafford record books.
“There’s no one else that has won the race twice, so to win 3 in a row would mean a lot to me and the crew,” said Williams. “It’s the biggest race of the season and everyone in the SK Modified® division wants to win this race. If we could come out on top again it would be a huge accomplishment and another milestone for the 50 team. We know it’s going to be a challenge to win this race again. Hopefully we can end up back in victory lane for my third time in a row and Adam and the team’s fourth time in a row.”
The 7th Annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K is set for this Saturday, August 8. Tickets for the NAPA SK 5K are available and on sale now through the Stafford Speedway website. Tickets are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $10.00 for kids ages 6-14, kids 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult, and paddock passes are priced at $50.00. Stafford Speedway is limited to 25% capacity and there are still a limited number of tickets available for purchase.
Fans who cannot attend the race in person but would still like to watch the race can order a live stream of the event from www.staffordspeedway.tv. Fans can purchase the NAPA SK 5k event for $30 or there is a combination deal that includes the Friday, August 7NAPA Auto Parts Open Modified 100 as well as the NAPA SK 5k on Saturday for $45.
For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
It would be awesome if Ronnie were to 3peat. But there are some very strong teams this year. Good luck to Team 50, as well as every competitor.
Should be a great race.
They’re pushing tickets so one would guess Stafford Speedway is not one of the 32% that lost power in Stafford.
48% of Ct without power. 2020 sucks!
Still selling tickets for their biggest sk race of the season? How in the world are they not sold out yet? Still 25%?
2020, I was wondering the same thing. Could it be that with Covid cases setting records in other parts of the country, people are just scared? Could it be that with unemployment benefits gone that people just don’t have the cash? Or could it be as simple as lack of interest?
Fun fact. Finishing order in 2018 Williams, Rocco and Dowling in the 36. Last year Williams, Rocco and Dowling in Kopciks old CD 31.
Does the Skowyra/Williams team have the special qualities no one else possesses to win the marathons or has it just been good fortune at just the right times? We’ll see won’t we.
Rocco has been turning the fastest lap time consistently but only by the very slightest of margins but this is the opposite of Rocco’s strength which are sprints. You’d think steady Todd Owen would be in the hunt but the last two years no.
Avery’s entry Reen the best chance for Horsepower Hill Farm besides himself the last two years has a 6th but generally speaking not the skill set for a long race. Now with Dowling and Pitkat that could be different and Dowling does have a way of taking not so good cars and putting them on the podium in the big race. Pitkat always maxes out what his car has to offer The Avery stable could be in for a good night.
The Bulldog Eric Berndt is scheduled to be back according to the announcing team last week. Plenty of time to get the car meticulously prepared and he does deliver top tier speed on occasion.
My sentimental pick is Kopcik. Usually top tier speed in the LFR entry and has had to rebuild the car too often having gotten collected in mishaps he did not cause. The guy really could use a good race.
Two days of big races and pay outs and Stafford should get some recognition for scheduling them when the crowd size is limited because of you know what. Now half the state doesn’t have power so that’s not helping. Yet the expectation is that they should be selling out three days before the events. Unrealistic expectations are very much a feather in the cap for a well run track.
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My choice would be Kopcik poor guy that has once again had to put his car back together again that pre crash had top tier speed.
Scared? Lack of interest? If you went last Friday, there is definitely nobody scared or lacking interest. No matter how hard Dafella tries to scare and keep everyone home in their basements. If he had been there they would of had to wheel him away from a massive panic attack. Unrealistic expectations Doug says. Another one who obviously hasn’t been to the track this year.
Heard Reen had his season passes for sale , just heard don’t kill the messenger
Obviously hasn’t been to the track 2020? Was I not clear? Of course I haven’t but if you’re saying that means you can’t watch sports content on TV and be a fan I’d like to see you convince the TV networks, every sports team and all of talk sports of that. .
Being a PPV fan in these here parts is kind of like trying to find a Biden supporter. You know there out there somewhere but no one will admit it. Huge PPW fan here.. Five days at New Smyna, the first modified race and Mahoning Blewett won, one Late Model race and the two NWMT races at White Mountain. TTOMS at Monadnock and Star.and every Stafford race. Ton’s more to come including the Racing Guys at Claremont and MRS at Star in addition to the TTOMS and NWMT races. This is a renaissance of regional racing exposure and those that insist you have to be at the track are clutching their buggy whip and insisting those damn noisy contraptions will never replace the horse and buggy.
I wished upon RaceDayCt in this very forum for a two day package this weekend at Stafford and BOOM! $45 bucks. Rocco’s parents watch Keith on PPV and Hirschman’s on Speed51. More exposure, more revenue, race team bonuses blah, blah, blah. Get with the program it’s good for the sport and may even save it.
Needling Stafford about the lack of a sellout days before the event 2020 completely oblivious to the fact half the people in Connecticut lost their power was bizarre. Here lets see it again.
🌈🦄2020 says
August 5, 2020 at 4:07 pm
Still selling tickets for their biggest sk race of the season? How in the world are they not sold out yet? Still 25%?
That’s three days before the race, 24 hours after the lights go out for almost half the state, one of the worst outages on record and you’re needling Stafford about a sellout. We didn’t even know if the track had power.
And you’re your own ideal of a good fan? Maybe so but you suck at seeing the bigger picture.