(Stafford Springs, CT)—Now in his sixth season of Street Stock competition at Stafford Speedway, Belchertown, MA native Bill Cote is still in search of his first feature victory. Cote and his #69 Roy’s Auto Service team have come agonizingly close to a first victory, scoring a second place finish at the end of the 2024 season before posting a pair of third place finishes during the 2025 season. Cote has yet to visit the podium in 2026, but he has posted top-8 finishes in every race this season. Cote will be looking to break into NAPA Victory Lane this Friday, June 26 when the Street Stock division takes to the track for its biggest race of the season, the Midstate Site Development Street Stock 30.
“A win has evaded us for a couple seasons now,” said Cote. “Just getting our first win would be huge in itself and if it was in the 30 lapper that would be awesome for sure. A lot can happen with an extra 10 laps and we’re feeling pretty confident with the experience we’ve gained over the years. We’ll see what happens with the traffic and a lot depends on who starts up front and where things go after lap-1. You have to be patient but at the same time when that green flag comes out, you have to go.”
One of the reasons that Cote points to in his quest to secure a first career feature victory is the fact that his car starts out well but falls off as the race goes on. Cote and his team have made several adjustments during the week leading into the MSD SS 30 that he feels will make a difference.
“Our car seems to start off good in all the races and at the beginning of the year but we’re still trying to find the right changes to make to the car with the track and temperature changes,” said Cote. “We always seem to start the season off at open practice and the first race with the fastest car and then we take a couple steps back from there. We made a few changes on the car this week that we think will put us in the right direction and it’s always a help to put new tires on the car and we’ll have new tires for this week. It’s been a good year for us and I have a good feeling that you’ll see us up front at some point during the 30 lapper. Thanks to my sponsor Roy’s Auto Service and all the contingency sponsors, The Driveshaft Shop, R.A.D. Auto Machine, Universal Driveshaft, and New England Racing Fuel. Whether it’s race fuel or a cash bonus, they all do so much to support the track and I appreciate them all even if they’re not personal sponsors of mine. Also thanks to my crew, Chuck Balboni, my right hand man Ed, and my wife is always there every week supporting me.”
Cote heads into the MSD SS 30 feature event sitting fifth in the Street Stock points standings. Cote’s career best finish was when he finished the 2024 season in 9th place and he is looking to maintain his top-5 position throughout the second half of the 2026 season.
“We’re fifth in the points right now and the four cars in front of us are all tough to beat,” said Cote. “If I can keep the car in the top-5 in points for the rest of the season I’ll be really happy. As well as the cars in front of us there’s a couple cars that are behind us right now that are all going better than they had at the start of the year so there’s a few cars that we have to keep our eyes on. Ryan [Waterman] is obviously the guy to chase right now, he’s a great driver and I think you can put him in anything and he would win races.”
The Midstate Site Development Street Stock 30 this Friday night, June 26th will also see Stafford’s Limited Late Model cars going extra distance with the rescheduled Lu-Mac’s Package Store / WTD Logistics LLM 30. Stafford’s SK Modified®, Late Model, and SK Light divisions will also be in feature action and there will be a fireworks celebration at the conclusion of the feature events. General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate for adults, while all kids 6-14 are $5 and kids 5 & under are free. Reserved seating is priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the gate for all ages. Gates open at 5pm with qualifying at 6pm and feature events set to start at approximately 7pm. If you can’t attend in person, don’t miss the action—tune in to the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.
Order June 26th MSD Street Stock 30 Tickets
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
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