(Press release from Stafford Speedway)
RaceDayCT Poll: Who Has The Best Chance To Get Their First Whelen Modified Tour Win At North Wilkesboro
With NAPA Championship Night on the horizon for this Friday, September 29th at Stafford Speedway, the fight for the SK Light championship will come down to the #39 Lasco Roofing and Sheet Metal team of George Bessette, Jr. and the #46 Monaco Ford team of Brian Sullivan.
The two drivers are tied for the lead in the championship standings with Tyler Chapman mathematically still in the hunt although he is a longshot at 40 points behind Bessette and Sullivan. Both Bessette and Sullivan have claimed championships at Stafford in prior seasons with Bessette taking the 2018 Street Stock title and Sullivan taking home the 2020 SK Light championship and both drivers are looking forward to their championship duel.
“We’re going to do what we’ve normally done every week,” said Bessette. “We just have to beat Brian for that one spot so it should be good and we’re going to have a lot of fun no matter what happens. We’ve had a great year so I can’t complain about anything. I think we’ve had some good luck with our car setups and the weather so I guess you could say that things have fallen into our hands. We’re excited for this Friday and hopefully we can come out on top with the trophy at the end of the night.”
“I was in the same situation a couple years ago when there were 3 of us tied so I just need to have the mindset of we have to finish in front of George,” said Sullivan. “At the start of the year our goal was to win races and that’s still our goal. We’re there to win the championship, don’t get me wrong, but we still want to win the race as well as finishing in front of George. We’ve been in the top-5 for most of the season and I think George and I have almost the same number of wins and top-5 finishes this season. We made a few changes on the car to hopefully make the car a little faster and with the handicapping system, I think George will have to start behind us so he’ll have to get to us and he’ll have more cars to pass than we do.”
With not only the experience of being in a championship race but winning a championship race at Stafford in prior seasons, both Bessette and Sullivan are not feeling any pressure and both drivers say that they just have to keep on doing what has gotten them both to this point in the season. Bessette enters the final race with momentum on his side with 3 wins and 2 second place finishes in the last 5 races while Sullivan started the season out with 3 wins in the first 4 races.
“If anything we need to be patient,” said Bessette. “We did that back in 2018 with the Street Stock and we’re doing the same thing this year. We were racing Brandon Michael for the championship that year and the focus was to finish in front of him and we ended up winning the championship so hopefully we can do that again. We’ve stuck to what we know this season and we haven’t really shot ourselves out of the ballpark. That has paid off for us a lot.”
“There’s no pressure or worries we’re feeling,” said Sullivan. “We’re going to approach this race just like we have every other race this season. We don’t have a 20 point lead that we can afford to blow and I know it’s going to come down to whoever finishes in front of each other. We just have to be better but we’re not going to change up anything we’ve been doing. George has been a little better than we have lately in the second half of the year so we have to make some changes on the car and get that figured out. I feel pretty confident we should be able to make the right adjustments for the final race.”
Both Bessette and Sullivan are in search of their second track championships at Stafford and needless to say they both would be ecstatic if they are the championship winner.
“It would be pretty sweet to win the SK Light championship,” said Bessette. “I feel like the SK Lights are right up there with the SK’s. The car count has been unreal all year long with 30 cars minimum every night and it’s been very competitive all year long. A lot of guys who come to the track every week just want to win a race and for us to have 4 wins and be fighting for the championship, you almost have to pinch yourself.”
“It would be great to win again,” said Sullivan. “I think this will probably be my last season of full-time racing at Stafford and to go out on top for my last full season would be pretty cool. Even if we don’t end up winning, we have nothing to hang our heads about because in the three seasons that I’ve run full-time in the SK Light division we won the championship in 2020, lost the championship on a tie-breaker with Derek Debbis in the second season, and now we’re tied for the championship lead going into the last race. We’ve had a real good year and the car has been in one piece all season, we just had that one DNF that really has caught up to us. But first or second, there’s nothing for us to hang our heads about.”
NAPA Championship Night is set for this Friday, September 29th and tickets are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates. Tickets for the NAPA Championship Night are priced at $20.00 for adult general admission, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult, and reserved seating is priced at $25.00 for all ages. Pit passes are $40.00 with a valid 2023 Stafford Competition License and $45.00 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 staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
RaceDayCT Poll: Who Has The Best Chance To Get Their First Whelen Modified Tour Win At North Wilkesboro
the last couple of years they dropped your worst finish of the season – nothing mentioned in this article – is it the same or did they change the format. the pup had a DQ one race – will that count as his worst finish? If it rains this Friday are they going to ,make up the race? Tie breaker is the most wins so if it rains and not made and the worst finish rule is not in affect then the Pup wins the championship
Steve,
There is no worst finish drop rule anymore. Think that was eliminated after the 2021 season.
If Friday gets rained out the event will be made up on Friday Oct. 6.
Shawn,- thanks for the info
actually I see the Tie breaker is wins, then if still tied they go to 2nd place finishes and if still tied they go to 3rd place finishes .
Stafford would run against Thompson World Series. I always thought of that as untouchable. The only divisions they share on that night would be open street stocks and SKs.
CSG,
Pretty sure Stafford ran their final event of the season against the World Series Friday night kickoff in 2020.
How consistently maddening it must be to end regular show season with the annoying forecast of wet… maybe…. and in this case not much if it happens. I’d think they they would be highly motivated to get the show in tomorrow. Never good to compete with another local race but besides that fans, staff members and teams may want to be at Thompson Friday whether they have a job there to do or just want to watch. Starting with Mr. Courchesne. The three day yearly marathon of coverage missing Friday night at Thompson obligated to tie the Stafford regular show finale up properly.
The rumblings of this might be the last world series ever are going around very strong right now. I’m not sure why but I know it’s not the first time I’ve heard that but it’s the first time I’ve been hearing it so much. Sucks that Stafford will have to go against the world series but they say that pretty much have no other choice.
Hillary 2024,
Stop believing everything you read on social media.
Rumblings, how apt if fits the mood. Somehow a forecast that involved precipitation between a tenth and a half an inch a couple days ago now looks like another two to three inch drenching over the next 24 to 36 hours at least here in Enfield, Ct. The poor sump pump sounds like a modified doing laps. Off the gas briefly then on it as the race to keep the water at bay seemingly never ends.
At least weather rumblings are real. Social media rumblings are a giant amorphous entity that has yet to be accurately defined. Social media can take a proven, documented fact be it scientific, historical or whatever, complete an array of solid evidence and turn it into a myth that only the deluded would believe in. Conversely it can make something out of nothing. Someone with a creative mind connects a few barely discernable dots, crafts a narrative, it spreads like a wild fire that no amount of fact checking can snuff out.
Murmuring’s that this World Series of Auto Racing could be the last you say. Why am I getting this incredibly strong feeling of déjà vu?
Fall is the perfect time for rumblings. The nexus between what was scheduled wrapping up and what is to be scheduled for next year. We always hear rumblings but what is the accuracy rate of rumblings? No Race Monitor for that unfortunately so the stats not available but first impression is it’s low, really low if it’s just generic rumblings. Informed sources another matter entirely.
Like those in the sky more rumblings to come for sure it’s part of the fun in the fall nexus of local short track racing. Who’s next? OK I’ll start. There are rumblings that Creepy Bruce is going to be selling the Speedbowl to a reputable owner with no dark cloud over him, that can fill up the schedule with great events and the back stretch with bill boards of businesses that want to be part of the racing at the shoreline oval. I made that up but at least it’s happy rumblings.
I really hope all the SKL competitors remember how many times the 39 hit them on his way to the front. No doubt he has a fast car, but he’s been aggressively wreckless at times like he’s still driving with fenders. Stop and think competitors – is that really someone you want to win the championship?
Sullivan has the maturity to better represent as a champion. Doesn’t anyone remember Bessette’s statement on the podium 6/30? “I don’t want to be in this division anyway”. How soon everyone forgets his poor choices and behavior.
Previous comment very well stated. Bessette has a great car and he’s a good driver. At this stage he’s riding high and has a bit of in invincible complex in the Lights. There’s nothing more exhilarating then having a dominant car, controlling the action in front of you without regard for who’s behind because they can’t catch you. Makes him a bit of a bully at times like with West last time out. The bottom shot is a thing of beauty when done property but not when it results in a pass equal to three care lengths.
Sullivan gets the same thing done with minimal drama. Kind of the Todd Owen of SK Lights.