The defending Tour points champion held off Ted Christopher for the victory in Icebreaker 2012, and now his sights are set on a sizzling scenario at Stafford.
Ron Silk has been in Stafford Victory Lane with the No. 6 TS Haulers team before, just not at the Spring SIzzler.
Hear that noise?
That’s not bacon on the griddle or steaks on the grill ... but it is indeed sizzling.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway this weekend for the 41st annual Carquest Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, the second of the two historic races that make up the start of the season.
If you win either the Sizzler or the Icebreaker, which was held two weekends ago at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, you’re not just winning a race. You go down in Modified lore alongside the greats.
Ron Silk would like nothing more than to pull the double. The defending Tour points champion held off Ted Christopher for the victory in Icebreaker 2012, and now his sights are set on a sizzling scenario at Stafford.
“That race probably has the most tradition of all the races we run now, so I think that’s a race that everyone has circled that they’d like to win,” Silk said in a NASCAR press release. “Certainly I do, too.”
Silk had not won an Icebreaker until April 15, so it’s certainly not out of the question that he could triumph in “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring.” His average finish in five previous starts is 26th, counting a third-place showing a year ago.
Since a decisive victory last Memorial Day weekend, Silk’s been able to turn around his luck at Stafford, but he still needs a win in one of those races with a catchy title.
“For three or four years, I would always run well there, and either wreck late or have a mechanical failure late in the race,” Silk said. “Stafford is one of my better tracks, I just don’t have all the finishes to show for it, but I’m pretty confident going there.”
Of course, Christopher would love to make up for coming up short at Thompson. “T.C.” has won five Spring Sizzlers - most of any driver - and would like to extend his record number of victories at Stafford to 115.
The Icebreaker was a great day for several of Christopher’s fellow elder statesmen. Seven-time Tour champion Mike Stefanik was third and Jamie Tomaino - who has only missed five of the 547 races in Tour history - finished fifth. Wade Cole and Ed Flemke Jr. were ninth and 11th, respectively.
Five of the first six finishers - Silk, Christopher, Stefanik, Donny Lia, Tomaino - are former Tour champions.
A name familiar to followers of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will be making his Whelen Modified Tour debut at Stafford. Corey LaJoie, son of two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie, has an average finish of ninth - including a victory - in four starts in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
Qualifying for the Spring Sizzler, along with a few features for Stafford’s weekly divisions, will take place Saturday. The majority of the Sizzler card is slated for Sunday, with the 200-lap WMT race scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. green flag.
HOT START FOR ART: Jon McKennedy is proving he can win no matter what car he’s driving in the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
McKennedy, the 2009 and 2010 champion, started the season two-for-two after taking the Bond Auto Parts 100 last Saturday at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. McKennedy found a full-time ride late in the offseason for veteran car owner Art Barry.
The Chelmsford resident started 18th in the 24-car field but quickly found his way up front to score his 14th VMRS victory. Whelen Modified Tour regulars Doug Coby and Rowan Pennink came in sixth and seventh, respectively.
In Monadnock’s weekly divisions, Allison Coelho of Indian Orchard placed fifth in the Young Guns feature. Palmer’s Brian Chapin was the Sportsman Modifieds runner-up. Chicopee’s Kim Rivet and Athol’s Bill Johnston were third in Mini Stocks and Super Stocks, respectively.
MARQUIS NAME: Jerry Marquis will make his first Whelen Modified Tour start in five years May 12 at Monadnock. Marquis won the 2000 Tour championship for Hall of Fame car owner Mario Fiore and sponsor Teddy Bear Pools, which is putting $5,000 toward the purse for the May 12 event.
Jason Remillard can be reached at jremillard@repub.com