Big Field Of ACT Late Models Set For NAPA Spring Sizzler Weekend At Stafford


(Press release from Stafford Speedway)



The American Canadian Tour will make its first visit to Stafford Speedway since 1985 as part of the 51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® Weekend on April 29-30.  Over 30 cars have already registered for the 75-lap feature event that will take place on Saturday, April 29 with a mix of drivers who have ACT experience, Stafford experience, or both.  8 of the top-10 cars from the 2022 ACT standings, including defending series champion DJ Shaw, are among the early entrants and the mix of drivers promises for some exciting racing action. 

51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® ACT Entry List

NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler Event Information

DJ Shaw – Defending ACT Champion 

“I think the ACT cars will suit the track well and it’s going to be a good race,” said Shaw.  “I haven’t had a ton of success in the past at Stafford but at least I’ve raced there a few times and have a little bit of experience over some of the other guys.  I’m excited to get to Stafford and a new track for the ACT Tour to go to is always good for everyone involved.  I finished second behind Teddy [Christopher] in 2012, but other than that, I haven’t had much luck at Stafford.  I’m sure there will be some SK regulars getting rides so I’m sure they’ll have the experience advantage but we’ll have the car experience, so hopefully in the end it will all even out and we’ll have a great race.”

Derek Gluchacki – Most Recent ACT Winner

“I love Stafford and I was big into it when they were doing their iRacing stuff,” said Gluchacki.  “Stafford is a great racetrack and it’s promoted really well and the track is run really well.  I always enjoyed coming there with the PASS car and I’ve had this race circled on my calendar since it was announced.  This is a race that I’d really like to be able to run up front in and have a good day.  I’ve only raced there twice before but Stafford is one of my favorite tracks and I’m really looking forward to it.  Stafford is a tricky track to hit it right every lap and having more laps at a track than the next guy is always a good thing.  I think it will be a really good race and a grueling one.  It’s not easy to pass at Stafford so I think you’ll see a lot of side by side racing, a lot of lead changes, and all around a great race.  Stafford is a track that not a lot of Late Model guys get to go to and the track has been around so long and has so much history, it’s one of the best tracks in the northeast.  If I can put my name on anything at Stafford, that would be a huge win for us.”

Joey Polewarczyk

“I’m definitely looking forward to the race,” said Polewarczyk, who won the 2021 Granite State ProStock race at Stafford.  “I’ve only raced there twice before but I really like the track and it’s a beautiful facility.  It’ll be a different challenge with the ACT style cars and it will help that I’ve been there a couple times before where most guys will be going there for the first time.  Any time you can get laps at a track in any type of car, it gives you a one step up in practice.  If you’ve never been somewhere before, you get used to the track with the first practice so it helps knowing the track but these are totally different cars.  For whatever reason the track seems to fit my driving style with long straightaways and good grip and two grooves that you can use.  You can search all around the track if your car isn’t working and that makes it a fun track for me. It’s going to be tough, especially with the qualifying.  You have to draw for your heat starting position so you never know where you’re going to start.  It’s going to be tough for sure but it should be a lot of fun to watch.”

Dillon Moltz – Former Stafford Late Model Driver

“I don’t think I’ve been as excited for a race as much as I’m excited for this one,” said Moltz.  “I know I’m from Waterford but Stafford to me is home.  That’s where I put the most time in and that’s where we raced weekly for four years and had a lot of success.  When you have that many laps, that much success, and that much time at a track, it’s all muscle memory once you get on the track for the first practice.  I think it’ll be an advantage for me but it won’t be that much of an advantage because drivers in touring series are used to going to different tracks.  I had a ton of success in the extra distance 100-lap Late Model races and I’m super excited about racing at Stafford again.  With my experience at Stafford I think we should be among the favorites to win the race.  You’ll need to have a good heat race to get a starting spot towards the front and then play the race out from there.”

The ACT Tour kicked off its 2023 season with a pair of non-points events at Hickory Motor Speedway back on March 18 where both Gluchacki and Shaw found themselves in victory lane, giving them some positive momentum for the beginning of the 2023 season.

“It was good to get down to Hickory and knock some of the rust off and get a win,” said Shaw.  “Hopefully we can keep things rolling from where we were last year to this year and carry the same consistency throughout this season.  We were close to sweeping at Hickory so it was a good day all in all and I’m excited for this season.”

“Whenever you can get the ball rolling early it definitely boosts the morale of everyone on the team and gets us ready to go after the championship this year,” said Gluchacki.  “I hope it can be an advantage for me.”

The 51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® kicks off on Saturday, April 29, and will consist of two 40-lap NAPA Duel qualifying races for the Open Modified division. The 40-lap races will each pay $3,500 to win and will set the field for Sunday’s NAPA Spring Sizzler®. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models will make their return to Stafford Speedway on April 29th with a 75-lap feature with over 40 cars expected for the race.  Limited Late Model, Street Stock, and Vintage All-Star divisions will complete Saturday’s racing program.

Order 51st NAPA Spring Sizzler® Tickets

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Sunday, April 30th will play host to the $20,000 to win 51st NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®.  Filling out Sunday’s racing card will be qualifying and feature racing for the SK Modified®, SK Light Modified, and Late Model divisions along with last chance qualifiers for the Spring Sizzler®. 

For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.

Comments

  1. Stafford late model division would be so much better if the just went ACT rules.

  2. Steve,

    We have beat that topic to death on these forums. There was a time when Stafford was pulling around 10 to 12 late models for multiple weeks during the season and even less of their limited late models. To make matters worse one driver won 90 percent of the races in the late models. It was so bad they put a bounty on the driver. They didnt make any changes then. just kept running them out there. Middle of the show. I doubt they will make the change now that they are getting upper teens in the Stafford specific late model division. I was really shocked when they announced ACT was on the schedule. It almost gives a sense of hope that they move in that direction with their late model division. There are certainly more ACT style late models to pull a field from than the Stafford late model. If they could figure a way to run the Stafford lates and ACT lates together would be ideal. I dont know if it can be done. I am guessing it cant because I haven’t heard of any Stafford late model cars trying to run with ACT at their home track.

  3. Fast Eddie says

    I think the only way to change the Stafford LM’s to ACT rules would be to first come up with a rules package to make both options compatible for a 2-3 year period before accepting only ACT cars. That way teams would have a timeframe to change over to ACT cars without making the entire class obsolete in one rules change. Once the end of the timeframe was reached, the next season would start with only ACT legal cars. I’m guessing the change would pretty much be a car replacement, as I thought I heard the two were very different from each other. Frame differences maybe?

  4. I can’t believe woody doesn’t have a ride in the ACT race with all his experience at Stafford in both late models and modifies

  5. Stuart A Fearn says

    The cars are completely different and could not be converted over to ACT cars. Would be like SK lites with fenders.
    ACT cars have a crate engine and 355 hp. good aero, chassis, and tires. It will be a momentum race conserving tires to hopefully an exciting finish.
    Late models currently have a built motor very much like an SK, about 435 HP. Decent aero, good chassis, grooved tires with less traction. Less tire and more motor make it a challenge and yields great racing. Be careful what you ask for, ACT rules would be less exciting IMO

  6. I can see that. It would be great to see Staffords guys going head to head in this one race a formula that has proven very successful for tour mods. That said how about a devil’s advocate view of why it makes no sense to go to the ACT rules.
    It’s expensive for one. The transition over a number of years solid but they still have all that money tied up in engines and components. Stafford LM’s supplied by a limited number of local engine shops that know their spec rules and components and can turn the engines out efficiently and at a price point teams have accepted. ACT are sealed engines supplied by specific builders only one of which Larry’s is in Ct. ACT cars are substantially faster then Staffords LM’s and that usually costs a lot more money for all the higher end components going into the cars.
    Staffords Street Stock rules are unique to Stafford. No other track has the LLM’s. Stafford LM rules are unique to Stafford and the only reason other tracks have SK Lights and SK’s is because they’ve copied Staffords rules. The evidence suggests Stafford’s goal is certainly not to help Bruce Bemer’s Street Stock or Late Model Car counts the opposite more likely.
    Big improvements this year, really big actually. Last year as well. No other track in the Northeast is even close to plowing back more time and money into improving the facility then Stafford. Now with all the work going on a couple things seem evident. First whatever their formula is, it’s working enough to make the improvements so if it ain’t broke why tinker with it? Secondly with all that work going do you really want to be taking calls from the Stafford LM guys that have been doing the same thing year after year now pissed off at the changes?
    Speaking of the drivers and teams the current quality level is pretty outstanding all in all. Tough old birds that love their LM’s, provide good competition and have their own well defined niche. 16 cars plus on a weekly basis as good or better then most other track in the Northeast excepting Thunder Road.
    Finally there’s Stafford’s basic philosophy. That being an absolute commitment to Stafford teams that race at Stafford. Working tirelessly to get more bonus money to teams in addition to the posted purses with car count results that speak for themselves. They probably think they’ve earned the right to keep the teams in house to the extent then can and based on their success can you really disagree?

  7. Fast Eddie says

    Stuart, I was hoping my uneducated guess might prompt some input from you. Thanks for your concise comparison! I now understand we’re talking two completely different animals under the skin. I thought there would be some internal similarities but it sounds like no more than sheet metal at best.
    Doug, you could be on Stafford’s PR team with that response! And you’re absolutely correct, Stafford has a very dedicated group of racers. I’m sure that has a lot to do with Stafford’s dedication to them. And that’s what makes it worthwhile for a crazy determined fan like me to occasionally fight traffic for 2-1/2 to 3 hours on some Friday afternoons to make my 1-1/2 drive to Stafford!!

  8. Stuart, I appreciate your insight. On these boards, we value your thoughts and opinions very much. From what you said, they may have a similar outward appearance, but under that body they are very different, and it doesn’t seem like anything could be added/subtracted to put them on a reasonably even playing field to allow them to race together Since I’ve never seen a Stafford-specific late model race outside of Stafford, I kind of assumed that the Stafford late model would not be competitive elsewhere At the end of the year when Staffords season is over tracks usually open up their rules for their final races. You would think someone from Stafford would give it a shot unless they thought they were bringing a knife to a gun fight and had little chance of being competitive. What do you think will be the time difference between the ACT and Stafford late models? I am really curious. Any chance the Stafford HP offsets the ACT tire advantage and they are close where something can be done?

  9. Bundy Videography says

    Why no mention of the three time Stafford Champion making his return with the ACT tour? I know I can’t wait to see him race, my money would be on him putting on a hell of a show, like usual.

  10. When I mentioned going to ACT – I really ment 10 years ago -just think if they made the switch back then how many cars they would of have now- at least double and a lot more talent

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