(Press release from Stafford Speedway)
The field for the 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® set for April 27-28 at Stafford Motor Speedway has added 2022 Whelen Modified Tour Rookie of the Year Austin Beers to its entry list. Beers has teamed up with the Jensen Family to drive their #179 Avenue Auto machine in the “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring”.
“I had heard [the Jensens] split up with their last driver so I gave Glenn a call and we worked out a deal and here we are,” said Beers. “We’re going to go race by race, feel things out, and see if we’re a good connection. We finished third at Loudon and the Jensens have had a lot of success at Stafford and they have a big notebook so I’m looking to continue that and have another good run. I’m working on trying to put a crew together right now so we can have a competitive pit stop and I’m really excited about coming back to race at Stafford since I’ve only raced there once before.”
Beers comes to Stafford at a disadvantage in the experience department. Beers has only 1 start at the Connecticut half-mile facility, qualifying 7th and finishing 13th in the 2021 NAPA Fall Final. Beers has shown to be a quick study on the Whelen Modified Tour, where he broke out in 2023 by notching his first 2 career wins along with 6 pole positions in only his second full season and he will have his father Eric, who has 41 career WMT starts at Stafford, along with the Jensen family, as experienced voices he can lean on for advice.
“Practice will be more important for me than for the car,” said Beers. “The guys will show up with a fast racecar and it’ll be up to me to figure out where I’m at and figure the track out since I haven’t been there since 2021. I’m sure I’ll be asking my father for advice once we get to the track. We’ll do a track walk together and I’m sure that he’ll be able to teach me some things that I don’t know yet like where guys used to run and where to set guys up for passes. He has a lot of knowledge and he’s helped me out a lot. Once I get up to speed, we can fine tune things later on in the practice round.”
In addition to being short on track experience, Beers will face another unknown when it comes to qualifying as he is accustomed to 2-lap time trials where now he’ll be facing a 40-lap NAPA Duel Qualifying race.
“I’m pretty comfortable with the qualifying,” said Beers. “We’re all still out there racing and trying to get to the front. I do enjoy qualifying with 2 laps, but the Duel will be just another race where you’re trying to get to the front.”
Beers is confident that he can build on the 3rd place finish that he and the Jensen #179 crew earned at New Hampshire while setting a reasonable goal for how he would like his NAPA Spring Sizzler® weekend to go.
“I’d like to have a repeat of what we did at New Hampshire and try to contend for the win and learn a lot,” said Beers. “I think a top-5 would be outstanding for us with the caliber of field that’s going to be at Stafford. This is probably the biggest Modified race that we’ll have all year long so we want to hang with those heavy hitters and show that we’re contenders. I’d expect to see Ron Silk and Matt Hirschman up front, and with Justin [Bonsignore] in the 7ny car he’s going to be really fast, so we have to be patient, try to not use up the tires that you’re not changing during the race, and keep your nose clean to be there at the end. I’d like to say I’ll be happy with a top-10, but if we could go out there and put it on them, and do something that my Dad hasn’t even done, it would be amazing to win the Sizzler. And I like milk!”
The 52nd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 27-28. Saturday, April 27th 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®. Stafford’s Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions will complete Saturday’s racing program with qualifying and feature racing.
Order 52nd NAPA Spring Sizzler® Tickets
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Sunday, April 28th will play host to the $20,000 to win 52nd NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®. Filling out Sunday’s racing card will be qualifying and feature racing for the SK Modified® and SK Light Modified divisions along with last chance qualifiers for the NAPA Spring Sizzler®.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
Awesome news for both Driver an Team#179
$20,000.00 TO WIN !!! $3500.00 for a Heat WIN … Pay a STRONG purse to the Competitors & you will have all the Modifieds dusted off and off jack stands … Is there a Bigger Race in the Northeast for Modifieds than the current format SIZZLER …??? I THINK NOT!!! every driver and owner wants to go down in History with a Sizzler Title …. The best of the best will be there & we can’t wait…. It gets bigger every year….
the heats dont pay $3,500 lol.
Zig,
First place in each heat event at the Spring Sizzler pays $3,500. https://staffordmotorspeedway.com/2024-sizzler-purse/
2nd place for the Sizzler pays 4k…steep drop off
Just to be correct – NAPA Spring Sizzler® Open Modified Heats – 8 Laps
NAPA Duel Race #1 Feature – 40 Laps
NAPA Duel Race #2 Feature – 40 Laps
Not much of a field only 33 entries, you would really think there would be more, given all the hype. Not to mention a late start on Sunday 4:15pm start time. Going to be a long Monday for people who go!!
MUDDBUS been talking about the end of the Mod Tour for the last 15 years.
I’ve Never seen a parking lot or race track as PACKED as I saw New Smyrna in February.
I’m beginning to think he does not know what he is talking about.
I think we need to use a little dirt track thought processing for the Sizzler. There are 8-lap heats to set the fields for the two “B-mains”, the Duels. Those results along with the LCQ(s) set the field for the A-main, the Sizzler. This is the one race of the year I’d give a “AA” rating to, as in “ABSOLUTEY AWESOME!!!”
Muddbus – 2nd is 6k, 3rd is 4k. Looks like everyone will qualify only 33 cars entered.
Shawn, I’m not seeing where it says heats are paying 3,500. I ctrl+f on the page for “heat” and get 0 results.
I see very clearly that the duels are paying 3,500. And that’s great. But those are very different from heats.
Stafford very clearly differentiates between “heats” and “duels” on all of their marketing and website material.
I can’t actually find anything about the heats paying anything at all.
Saying heats will be paying 3,500 here will lead people to think the races Stafford is actually calling heats will pay that, which is those 4-5 little 8-10 car races that start off competition.
The purse and everything is great for the sizzler. There’s no need to misrepresent it.
Heats to determine starting positions in the 40 lappet is my understanding I believe it’s 6 grand for second . Lot of good cars , tough crowd out there
Zig,
My apology for the response. That said, I’m in day four of a raging stomach flu and should have known better to be responding to comments in the middle of the night while ill. Yes, each of the duel qualifying events pay $3,500 to win.
Tough crowd indeed. Certainly we are spoiled to a certain extent. I quit keeping up with Wisconsin a good ten years ago, but most other regions and asphalt tracks in this nation, I feel like I have an accurate assessment on. Up until the end of last season ; Stafford, Thunder Road, and Bowman Gray are in a league of their own. The next echelon ain’t even close. These tracks didn’t get to be head and shoulders above the rest by having “dumb’ promoters.
For me there is a razor’s edge that I cross far too often between constructive criticism and being a hater. The combination of social media and disgruntled “has beens and newbies” have done far more to destroy racing as we knew and loved it, than it has helped in any way. It wouldn’t hurt if many of us (myself included) would be a bit more appreciative and a bit less condescending toward promoters. I wouldn’t get out of the electric chair to takeover a race track or series. Things ain’t like they used to be and the best we can hope for at least in the near future is to just hold the ground that we have. We cannot do that if we don’t support each other.
All good. Feel better soon.
Hey Shawn, hope you get better sooner than later. Make sure to hydrate and get electrolytes as a minimum. Stuff like Liquid IV.
Also IROC made an announcement about an event at Lime Rock in July you might want to cover.
Hope you feel better Shawn!!
Had that damn bug about a month ago. Really sucked, feel your pain.
Hopefully you are over it.
A sugared (which i never drink) ginger ale put me back on the slow right track 3 days later.
I suggest a few shots of your favorite whiskey! Fire in the hole!
Get well soon!