(Press release from Stafford Speedway)
When the green flag is displayed to the field for the Bud Light Open 80 at Stafford this Friday, July 30, Chris Pasteryak will be looking to turn his fortunes around and get back to victory lane. The Moosup, CT native and driver of the #75 Dawley’s Collision and Custom Chevrolet last visited victory lane in 2016 and his last win at Stafford came back in 2015 in a Modified Racing Series event. For Pasteryak, a win at Stafford would be special not only for being his first win in over 5 years, but Stafford is a track that holds a special place in Pasteryak’s heart from the long history of his father Charlie and Uncle Carl racing modifieds at the Connecticut half-mile.
“Stafford is the first track that my father and uncle went to way back in 1976,” said Pasteryak. “Every time I go back to Stafford that’s always in the back of my mind and I’ve been able to have some success over the years at Stafford. It’s been so long since I’ve won a race, getting a win would be like winning my first race all over again. Any time you’re lucky enough to win a race at Stafford it’s very special and if I can get back into victory lane, especially at Stafford, it’s going to be a huge deal. Thanks to Dawley’s Collision and Custom, New England Race Fuel, M.P. Williams Builders, and all the guys who come and help me in the pits. We’ll give it another go this Friday night and see how things go for us.”
The 2021 season has seen Pasteryak and his crew struggling to find speed in his #75 machine. In 5 starts between the Tri-Track Open Modified Series and Stafford’s Open 80’s, Pasteryak has just 1 top-10 finish, which came at Star Speedway back in May. Pasteryak finished just outside the top-10 in 11th place in CBYD 81 at Stafford in May and he finished 17th in the June Twisted Tea 80 after losing his power steering in an early race mishap.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit this season but I feel better about going to Stafford,” said Pasteryak. “The first race was all right but still not good and the last race at Stafford I lost the power steering after getting into a wreck on lap-4, so I kind of have to throw that one out and it was a long night of just driving around to get to the finish. We need to work on our luck and speed in the car at Stafford. We’ve been quick at times at other tracks but we haven’t been great. We’ve made some good calls in the pits to help get some decent finishes but this season has been a bit bizarre. Hopefully I can change my luck this Friday.”
Pasteryak has run well at Stafford in previous seasons, notching 2 wins, 7 top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes in 15 career Modified Racing Series starts, and he also scored a third place finish in a Modified Touring Series feature at Stafford back in 2017. Pasteryak’s career Whelen Modified Tour numbers at Stafford are 4 top-5 and 7 top-10 finishes in 17 starts with a single pole position coming in the 2019 NAPA Fall Final. In his search to regain speed in his #75 car, Pasteryak’s plan is go back in time and see if one of his older setups can provide the speed he needs but he won’t be able to utilize everything from his older setups.
“We’ll be trying something different with the car again for this Friday’s race,” said Pasteryak. “We’re going to go back in time a little bit to see if what worked a few years ago might work for us again. When I won the pole at the Fall Final in 2019 with my Tour car, I had a coil bind setup in the car and the Stafford Open Modified rules don’t allow for coil binding. So in that sense I’m a little bit behind the guys who have regularly run the Open shows at Stafford and have figured out how to make the car conventionally go fast around Stafford.”
The 4th Annual Bud Light Open 80 is scheduled for this Friday, July 30. Stafford’s SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions will join the Open Modifieds in feature action. Tickets for the Bud Light 80 are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates. Tickets for the Bud Light 80 are $30.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids 6-14, and free for kids 5 & under. Reserved seating is priced at $35.00 for all ages and pit passes are $45.00 with a valid 2021 Stafford Competition License and $50.00 without a Stafford license. If you are unable to attend the event, tune into the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.
For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
Who doesn’t like Chris Pasteryak? The big old smile and mop of hair. Clean racer, none controversial and almost never whines. Fingers crossed for a top 5 for Chris tonight. A surprise for sure but one that would put a smile on many fans faces.
Give it hell tonight Chris and best of luck!
Doug, where will you be sitting?
This has to be one of the great times to be a local motorsports reporter.
I’m guessing a leisurely 20 minute or so ride, no traffic jams to negotiate out in Gods country, Shawn must be there already busy at work. Perfect weather, and a full paddock of teams to wander about to get the inside scoop on what’s going in with their programs including the tour mods. Most everyone knows who Shawn is in the paddock. A lot of the wanna be’s wishing they could be interviewed and a story about there team published in RaceDayCt. And some that are not fans that might be saying unkind things among themselves about the reporter as he passes. But they all know who he is and a lot of we fans as well.
In my imagining as a reporter I think I’d want to be searching out Skowyra and Ronnie Williams. Is the break from Stafford SK’s permanent? Probably a futile effort seeing as how they are the cranky sort and probably real cranky this night. Rocco would be a guy to try to chat up about why he’s not racing in the open event. Unfortunately he’s a really busy guy with numerous cars, not the chatty type and would be a hard get.
Might ask some of the guys heading up to Lancaster like Pitkat, Lutz, Goodale and Nocella what their plans are after the race and how they’re getting up there. Might try to probe Lutz for his feeling about what so far has been a rough season and his plans to turn it around. I’d really want to find my favorite Arute to get them to talk about what will happen next year with the NWMT events, when Ryan Fearn comes off suspension and the fall out from the Williams, Narducci, Rocco dust up.
Just one of the hundreds or thousands of race days for Shawn Courshesne but on a night like tonight not a half bad job to have at all one might think.
Doug, you looking for bromance?