(Stafford Springs, CT)—With 1 month remaining until the 50th running of the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®, Dave Etheridge’s entry has marked a milestone for the Greatest Race in the History of Spring. Etheridge’s #34 team became the 40th driver to enter the Sizzler®, the first time since 2007 a Spring Sizzler® has seen 40 entries.
“The support for the 50th NAPA Spring Sizzler® has been strong,” explained Stafford Speedway CEO Mark Arute. “40 entries over a month out from the event shows how much these drivers care about the history and prestige of winning the Spring Sizzler®. With the NAPA Duel qualifying format we hope to see 2 fields of 25 cars battling it out Saturday afternoon to make Sunday’s 50th Spring Sizzler®.”
The early entry-list is dotted with winners and champions including 5 past Spring Sizzler® winners, Patrick Emerling (‘21), Ryan Preece (‘17 & ‘18), Doug Coby (‘06, ‘12, ‘16, & ‘19), Bobby Santos III (‘11, ‘13, & ‘14), and Woody Pitkat (‘15). Coby enters the event looking to become just the 2nd driver to win 5 Sizzler® trophies, while Santos has a shot to join Coby, Ted Christopher, and Mike Stefanik with 4.
“The quality of the field is impressive,” continued Arute. “We have 5 past Sizzler® winners in the field and almost 30 of the 40 entries have a past win at Stafford. There’s a few more entries we are hoping to see in the next few weeks.”
Notable entries include Jimmy Blewett, Chase Dowling, Michael Christopher Jr, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale, Jon McKennedy and more. Stafford SK Modified® champions Todd Owen, Ronnie Williams, and Keith Rocco have also entered the Sizzler®. Click here to see the full entry-list.
With a unique two-day format and an unprecedented $130,000 in prize money, the 50th NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler® has become one of the biggest Modified races of all-time. In addition to the big money, the winner of the 50th Spring Sizzler® will compete with the SRX Racing Series when they return to Stafford in July.
Tickets for the 50th running of the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®® are now available at staffordspeedway.com/tickets. The two day event begins Saturday, April 23rd with the NAPA Auto Parts Duel, two 40-lap qualifying races that will set the field for the 50th NAPA Spring Sizzler® scheduled for April 24th. The PASS Super Late Models and all 5 of Stafford’s weekly divisions as well as the Vintage All-Stars will also be on hand for the weekend.
For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
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