STAFFORD – On July 26, 2002 Dale Shaw scored victory in the NASCAR Busch North Series NASCAR 150 at Stafford Speedway.
DJ Shaw was 12 years old that day at Stafford Speedway and remembers hearing fans who were not so kind to his dad after the victory.
“He wasn’t a popular man, but he was holding the trophy,” DJ Shaw said.
Friday at Stafford, DJ Shaw joined his father on the win the list the historic Stafford half-mile.
Shaw, of Center Conway, N.H., held off Derek Gluchacki on a green-white-checkered finish to win the American-Canadian Tour Spring Sizzler 75 at Stafford.
“A guy from New Hampshire doesn’t usually come to anything on Sizzler weekend and win,” DJ Shaw said. “I’m really proud of that, proud of this team. Everybody that worked on this thing.”
It was Shaw’s fourth career start at Stafford. He had made two previous starts with the Pro All-Stars Series at Stafford and one start with the Granite State Pro Stock Series.
“It’s pretty awesome,” DJ Shaw said. “We get few and far between chances to come here. It’s awesome to win anywhere you can go that’s new. That’s always seemed to have been my strong suit, winning at a new place. To take it all in, this place is so special. Between here and Thunder Road, I think they’re two of the marquee short tracks in the country, not just the northeast. It’s a pretty cool deal to have a Stafford trophy.”
Derek Gluchacki of North Dartmouth, Mass. was second and Jimmy Renfrew Jr. of Candia, N.H. was third.
It was the first American-Canadian Tour event at Stafford since 1985.
Dale Shaw was just hoping that his son wouldn’t have the same bad luck that he had in his first American-Canadian Tour event at Stafford. In that last series event at Stafford, Dale Shaw was getting his first look at the place and it didn’t go well.
“I was a rookie who drove straight into the wall on the first lap of the heat race on the outside pole,” Dale Shaw said. “… We had 620 horsepower back then and I wasn’t ready for that.
“Tonight, this was pretty sweet. He was smart. Saved the car and used what he had to win it.”
Renfrew dominated much of the early going in the caution marred event, but on lap 50 Gluchacki and Shaw attacked the leader together with Shaw coming out on top of the battle.
“I got a little too free there,” Renfrew said. “I hate it for my guys. I think we had the best car and I think we stayed pace with these and I think I gave this one away in lapped traffic there.”
Gluchacki, who ended up missing all of practice due to an ignition issue, said he missed a chance late to take a shot at Shaw out front.
“I’m kind of a little mad at myself there,” Shaw said “I kind of chose the wrong lane with a lapped car that put us behind the eight ball there on the final run. Can’t complain with second after not having practice.”
Said DJ Shaw: “As a whole I don’t know that it showcased the whole talent that this tour has to offer tonight. It wasn’t the best night for the division, but we were on par with the Modifieds at least.”
The whole show stunk. Track used to be pretty “racey” , now it’s a one grove demo derby. Never seen so many crashes on straightaways as I did last night. They have made some nice improvements to the facility since the last time I was there. But I go for the racing , not the beer corral.
I had caution sickness and left after the mods .Will watch this on Flo to see the carnage,
Absolutely shameful of Stafford to have an American CANADIAN tour race, with drivers from Quebec, and no Canadian National Anthem.
Knuckles Mahoney,
So you think before every NHL game they should play the national anthems of the home country for every player on each team?
As usual an illogical response. When a Canadian team in hockey comes to the states, both national anthems are played. You had a Canadian team come to race.