One of the most dominant forces of SK Modified racing in southern New England in the 1990’s will make his return to competition on Sept. 24 at Stafford Speedway.
Former Stafford champion Jimmy Broderick has been a fixture in the pit area at the track for much of the 2022 season as a crew member for SK Modified driver Chris Jones. On Sept. 24 he will go from crew member back to racer at the historic half-mile.
Broderick will get back behind the wheel in competition for the first time in 18 years to run the 40-lap SK Modified feature at Stafford Speedway on NAPA Fall Final day on April 24.
Broderick will drive an entry for the Petty Cash Motorsports team.
“I’m excited,” Broderick told RaceDayCT. “It’s a really cool deal. It’s a great car, great people. I’ve just been going with Chris Jones this year helping him out and I met Tyler [Meyhoefer] and Mike [Meyhoefer] and we hit it off.”
Said team owner Mike Meyhoefer: “He’s one of the stars of Modified racing. The guy won a lot of races. He won championships at different tracks. … He comes to the track and he helps out and we figured, you know what, let’s give him a ride. We’ll see what happens. This is going to be a cool deal.”
The 64-year old Broderick has 11 career SK Modified feature wins at Stafford. His last win in the division came on May 3, 1998. He was the 1997 SK Modified champion at Stafford, the same year he was the NASCAR New England Region weekly series champion.
Broderick was also the SK Modified champion at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in 1995 and 1996. He sits 10th on the Speedbowl’s all-time SK Modified win list with 20 victories. He was also the 1998 Modified champion at the former Riverside Park Speedway.
Broderick also made 41 career starts with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour from 1998 to 2004. He made his last start in competition in the Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford with the Whelen Modified Tour on April 25, 2004.
Broderick said he’s not setting any high bar of expectations for his return at Stafford.
“I just don’t want to look stupid, which I don’t think I’m going to,” Broderick said. “I’m going out there with a really good car. We’ve got Petty Cash Motorsports, Keith Rocco Racing, Pettit Motors and Rocky Arbitell behind me. We should be good.”
That’s awesome, I’ve seen Jimmy around the pits all year and tell the kids, “see that guy, he’s a champion right there”.
He dominated back in the day so much they changed the rule book in the middle of the year to slow him down by adding weight to only his car. True story
hey Stuart love to hear more about the Jimmy Broderick rule change. When and where it was? Why did they single him out. Just because he was winning so much.
Pretty sure it was the Dodge motor built by Norm , I’ve seen him at track also he may need some help getting in and out of car , happens to the best of us
it was the year he won the championship, probably 1997. Norm at Precision did his motor (ours too at the time). He studied the rules and figured the mopar configuration might be an advantage so that’s what he did. Jimmy ended up winning a bunch of races, so naturally the crying starts quickly.
Tech one friday pulls a head I believe and measures the stroke and bore. Monday there is a new rule where it states (paraphrase): every cubic inch over 358 must add 9.62 lbs. Pretty odd ball number. Well they measured his cubic inches the week before and knew they wanted to add 60 lbs so some quick division determined the exact weight per cubic inch.
Thats the way I remember it. When I see Broderick this week I’ll ask him about it
My favorite local racing legend making a one race come back Jerry Pearl. Says all the right things leading up to the race which was the 2021, 50 lap SK All Star Shoot Out then reality set in. Practiced dead last over a second and a half slower then the next fastest car. Turns in 5 laps in the race, pulls in behind the wall and says what the hell was I thinking in so many words.
Gunning practiced second slowest to Pearl, was up to speed in the race retiring after 34 laps but not voluntarily. Mike Sr definitely competitive but turns into Owen of the start of the feature clearing the path for Mike Jr., finishes well then says that was fun but I’m retired again this is a young mans sport.
Most successful Medicare eligible geezers would have to be Flemke and the ancient one Tomaino. Who racks up another start to his already unbreakable NWMT start record of a million, two hundred and fifty two thousand, four hundred and 99 races or something like that this weekend at Langley. Locally Curt Brainard getting credible finishes weekly in the SK’s.
So it’s Broderick on deck as the fans go wild. The JJ prepared Petty Cash car should be pretty good so no excuses there but what is he up against? Sorry race fans but muscle memory doesn’t last forever, age and current experience count. Seat time and making laps like reps in football not just expressions. Going up against not just a field of younger drivers but at the end of the season when many are at the top of their game. And while front runners and fans who mostly only care about front runners have a hard time understanding it there are teams deep in the standings competing against other cars near them trying to beat them in the final standings.
Not wanting to look stupid is a very good goal but in a base case scenario what is the best you think you can do? You’re smart, you’re involved weekly with a team what can you reasonably expect to have achieved when the checkers fall? Whatever the number I’d argue the primary goal should be do no harm to the guys that have competed all season regardless of their position in the standings. They’ve spent the time and money and this is their era to get every once of enjoyment from the sport possible.
I wish Jimmy the best! In good equipment. So was Mike Sr. He did well. Mr. Broderick can expect to finish in the bottom 3rd. The young’uns are good!