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ED FLEMKE JR.
AND PAULA BOUCHARD
NAMED NAPA SPRING SIZZLER GRAND MARSHALS |
Stafford
Motor Speedway has announced that Ed Flemke, Jr. and
his sister Paula Bouchard will serve as Grand
Marshals of the 46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring
Sizzler®, April 29-30. Flemke and his sister will
give the command to send the NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour field of cars on their way to the green flag in
“The Greatest Race in the History of Spring.”
“This will be the first time for me being a grand
marshal and it will be quite an honor,” said Flemke.
“I remember going back to the very first Sizzler, my
father was really excited about the race because he
thought it was a good combination of being a great
spectator race as well as being a great drivers
race. That race has always had momentum behind it
and it’s always cool to have a big race at the start
of the season. The Spring Sizzler is just like the
Daytona 500.”
The 2017 season marks the 50th season since Stafford
Speedway was first paved, ushering in the era of
asphalt racing. The winner of the very first feature
to be run at Stafford on the new coat of asphalt was
Ed Flemke, Sr. on June 1, 1967. The win was also the
first of 23 career modified wins at Stafford for
Flemke. Flemke also nearly won the very first Spring
Sizzler® in 1972 driving the #34 Pinto for owner
Fred Vigliarolo but after leading the race from lap
7 to lap 70, a water pump failed on Flemke’s car and
he ended up finishing 17th while Fred DeSarro ended
up taking the checkered flag in the Len Boehler “Ole
Blue” #3 machine. Flemke was one of 7 Pintos in the
starting lineup of 33 cars that marked the beginning
of the Pinto Revolution at Stafford. Flemke then
came back the very next year in 1973 and won the
Spring Sizzler® driving Bob Judkins’ #2x.
Flemke, Jr. was a 26-year veteran of the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour with the last of his 439 career
NWMT starts coming in the season finale of the 2013
season. Flemke Jr. has 17 career NWMT wins, with
three of those wins coming at Stafford. Twice a
runner up in the race for the NWMT championship,
Flemke Jr. finished second to Tony Hirschman in 2004
and second to Mike Stefanik in 2006.
“I miss racing but I’m still at the track every week
with my drivers and my cars,” said Flemke. “I miss
the competition but I really miss the people in
racing. It’s been hard but not quite like I thought
it would be. Racing has been in my life for the
better part of 60 years and I used to live by the
racing calendar. If I knew how well I was able to
adapt to not racing, I probably would have retired a
couple years earlier than I did.”
The 46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®
action gets underway Friday, April 28 with a
practice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions and
the Mr. Rooter Trucks. The practice session will be
open to the public at no charge. Action continues on
Saturday, April 29 with Coors Light Pole Qualifying
for the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat
and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly
divisions and the Mr. Rooter Trucks. Saturday will
wrap up with feature events for the SK Light,
Limited Late Model, DARE Stock, and Mr. Rooter Truck
divisions. Spring Sizzler® action continues on
Sunday, April 30 with the NAPA Auto Parts Pit Party
from 11am-noon followed by Stafford’s SK Modifieds®
and Late Models joining the Whelen Modified Tour in
feature action.
Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of
Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office.
Tickets are priced at $40.00 for adult general
admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and
children ages 5 and under are admitted free of
charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved
seating is priced at $42.00 for all ages. Stafford
Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight
parking available. Tickets are good for both
Saturday and Sunday admission. All ticket prices
include 10% CT Admission Tax. Discount Tickets are
now available at all 71 participating NAPA Auto
Parts stores. For a full list of the 71 locations
throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York,
Rhode Island, and Vermont, please call the speedway
office or visit us on the web at
www.staffordmotorspeedway.com/participating-napa-auto-parts-stores.
For more information or to order tickets for the
46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®, contact
the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at
860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com. |
Source:
Scott Running /
Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted:
April 21, 2017 |
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