Analyzing the
Carquest Tech-net Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor
Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway Data
Race # 2 of 16 (4-27-08)
Track Layout: .5-mile flat oval
A horse racing track for more than seven decades, the half-mile dirt
oval started holding auto races following WW II.
Became a NASCAR track in 1959.
Was paved in 1967.
Has held a total of 86 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races.
This will be the 37th Spring Sizzler for SMS, and the 24th in which the
NWMT has participated.
Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Matt Hirschman (99.905 mph, 18.009 seconds)
2007 race winner: Donny Lia, 55.147 mph, 4-28-07)
Track qualifying record: Matt Hirschman (99.905 mph, 18.009
seconds, 4-28-07)
Track race record (200 L): Rick Fuller (79.382 mph, 4-12-92)
NWMT Active Win Leaders at SMS
1. Mike Stefanik 19
2. Reggie Ruggiero 9
3. Ted Christopher 7
4. Rick Fuller 4
5. Ed Flemke, Jr. 3
Todd Szegedy 3
NWMT Active Pole Leaders at SMS
1. Mike Stefanik 14
2. Reggie Ruggiero 7
3. Rob Summers 5
4. Ted Christopher 2
Chuck Hossfeld 2
Todd Szegedy 2
Following
a win by Ed Flemke Jr. in the season-opener on April 6, the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour will make its second stop of the 2008 season at
Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway for the
Carquest Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on Sunday, April 27.
At Stafford Motor Speedway:
Since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour formed in 1985, there
have been 86 races at Stafford Motor Speedway.
In the first NWMT event at SMS – the 1985 Spring Sizzler –
Richie Evans took the checkered flag and Jimmy Spencer won the pole.
The top five finishers in the 1985 Sizzler were Evans, Brian
Ross, Reggie Ruggiero, Spencer and Mike Stefanik. It was an 80-lap,
green flag-only event.
There have been 26 different race winners at SMS, led by
Stefanik’s 19 victories, which is 10 more than Ruggiero, who is second
place driver on the SMS wins list.
There have been 33 different pole winners at SMS, led by
Stefanik’s 14. Two of the 86 all-time events at SMS have no record of a
pole winner.
Ted Christopher had the longest win streak in the history of
the NWMT at SMS with four-straight victories from Sept. 30, 2001 to Aug.
23, 2002.
No driver has swept every NWMT event at SMS during a calendar
year. Ruggiero (1987), Stefanik (1990, 1997, 1998) and Christopher
(2002) have won three races in the same year.
NWMT at SMS – Last Five Years
Best Avg. Start Position (Min. 5 Starts)
1. Todd Szegedy 5.0
2. Ronnie Silk 9.4
3. Ed Flemke, Jr. 9.7
4. Jimmy Blewett 9.5
5. Ted Christopher 10.0
Best Avg. Finish (Min. 5 Starts)
1. Todd Szegedy 6.9
2. Matt Hirschman 8.2
3. Mike Stefanik 9.5
4. Ted Christopher 10.4
5. Jamie Tomaino 10.7
Most Top-Fives
1. Todd Szegedy 10
2. Mike Stefanik 9
3. Ted Christopher 8
4. Chuck Hossfeld 7
5. Zach Sylvester 5
Most Top-10s
1. Ted Christopher 14
2. Jamie Tomaino 13
3. Mike Stefanik 12
Todd Szegedy 12
5. Chuck Hossfeld 10
Most Laps Led
1. Todd Szegedy 623
2. Ted Christopher 543
3. Chuck Hossfeld 197
4. Doug Coby 182
5. Mike Stefanik 170
Twenty races held.
Nine-different winners.
Only active drivers listed above.
ANALYZING THE TECH-NET SPRING SIZZLER
Todd Szegedy is the last driver to lead wire-to-wire at SMS
as he took the Oct. 28, 2006 checkered flag from the No. 1 starting
position without relinquishing the lead.
Prior to the inaugural season of the NWMT, the five previous
Spring Sizzler events were won by NASCAR Modified drivers Geoff Bodine,
Bob Polverari, Greg Sacks (twice) and Spencer.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 19 Chevrolet)
Has two wins and one pole in 47 career starts.
Has led 131 laps with an average start of 9.5 and an average finish of
16.7 in 10 career races at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Finished ninth in last year’s Spring Sizzler.
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Chevrolet)
Has 27 wins and 13 poles in 246 career starts.
Has seven wins and two poles in his NWMT career at SMS.
Is the 1988, 2002 and 2003 Spring Sizzler winner.
Has the most top-10s (14) among all drivers in the last five years at
SMS and has led the second-most laps (543) during that same time period.
Won the 2007 SMS SK-Modified title.
James Civali (No. 28 Chevrolet)
Has four wins in 37 career starts, including one at SMS on Aug. 8, 2006.
Earned first career pole at Thompson International Speedway in the
season-opener.
Has finished in the top-10 in six of his nine career starts at SMS.
Finished seventh in last year’s Spring Sizzler.
Ed Flemke Jr. (No. 10 Chevrolet)
Won the season-opener at TIS, ending a 53-race victory drought.
Has 17 wins and 16 poles in 355 career starts.
Has three wins and one pole in his career at SMS.
Has eight top-10s in his last 20 starts at SMS.
Rick Fuller (No. 77)
1993 NWMT Champion … Will be honored prior to Sept. 7 event at TIS.
Has 20 wins and 11 poles in 427 career starts … Last won at Waterford in
May, 2003.
Has registered five top-10 finishes in 17 starts during the last five
years at SMS.
Has earned five wins at SMS including the 1992, 1999 and 2000 Spring
Sizzlers.
Bobby Grigas III (No. 09 Chevrolet)
Registered best career finish (third) at the Icebreaker.
Has yet to finish in the top-10 in four career starts at SMS.
Has finished in the top-10 in four of his last seven starts dating back
to last year.
Joe Hartmann (No. 05 Chevrolet)
Registered first top-five finish (fourth) of his career at the
Icebreaker, and also earned the largest purse of his career ($3,295).
Has made 20 career starts, and just two at SMS.
Matt Hirschman (No. 59 Chevrolet)
Has finished in the top-10 in seven of his nine career starts at SMS
including all four 2007 events.
Set the SMS qualifying record at last year’s Spring Sizzler at 99.905
mph/18.009 seconds.
Finished third in the 2007 standings with 11 top-10s in 16 outings.
Is the son of five-time NWMT Champion Tony Hirschman.
Chuck Hossfeld (No. 4 Dodge)
Runner-up to Flemke at the Icebreaker on April 6.
Has five wins in 96 career starts but has yet to reach victory lane at
SMS.
Has earned three poles at SMS and seven total in his career.
Has seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 18 starts at SMS during the
last five years.
Mike Stefanik (No. 16 Pontiac)
Seven-time NWMT Champion … Will be honored at the May 28 event at SMS.
Has a NWMT record 68 victories in 366 career starts.
Has a record 19 wins and 14 poles at SMS … Last win was the 2007 Fall
Final.
Has nine top-fives and 12 top-10s in 16 starts at SMS during the last
five years.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Ford)
The 2003 NWMT Champion … Will be honored at Loudon on Sept. 28.
Has 12 wins in 95 career starts, the best start-to-victory ratio (8:1)
of any active driver.
Has the best average start (5.0), best average finish (6.9), most
top-fives (10) and most laps led (623) of any NWMT driver at SMS during
the last five years.
Has three wins and two poles in his career at SMS.
Jamie Tomaino (No. 99 Chevrolet)
The 1990 NWMT Champion … Will be honored at Spencer Speedway on July 12.
Has the second-most top 10s (13) at SMS among all active drivers in the
last five years.
Has only missed four of the 490 races in the history of the NWMT
(1985-pr.).
