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RICHARD
SAVARY READY TO CHALLENGE
STAFFORD REGULARS IN VMRS 80 |
 History
has shown that when the Valenti Modified Racing
Series rolls into Stafford Speedway, the odds of
winning are not in your favor if you’re coming in as
an outsider. In the 17 VMRS races that have been run
at Stafford since 2010, 70% have been won by
Stafford weekly competitors. Richard Savary, driver
of the #99 Alloy Wheel Repair Chevrolet, will be
looking to score a victory for the outsiders this
Friday night in the VMRS 80.
“We have a good car and we’ve had a good car at
Stafford in the past,” said Savary. “Of all the
tracks that we run at, I think that Stafford is one
of the toughest tracks to compete against the
regulars like Rowan Pennink, Ted Christopher, Keith
Rocco, and Woody Pitkat. They’ve all raced there
weekly for many years and it seems like one of them
always wins the race. We’ve been able to get close
to them and race with them, but we just haven’t been
able to win a race yet. We’re hoping to change that
Friday night. It’s a huge advantage for those guys
racing at Stafford. The car has been good enough to
win in the past, it just needed a driver that
understands the track a little better than I do
behind the wheel. We have the same amount of speed
in the car as those guys do, it’s just being able to
set up passes in the best spots and those guys also
race each other a little differently. One of the
biggest things for us success-wise was having Joey
Kourafas coming on board as the crew chief. He’s
helped us out tremendously with his knowledge.”
Perhaps one of the main reasons why Stafford
regulars have found so much success in the VMRS
races is they have a better idea of how to save
their tires over the 80-lap feature distance. VMRS
competitors must qualify and race on the same set of
tires and tire management is always a key factor in
the outcome of the races.
“You just have to stay patient at the start and not
get caught up in racing too many guys,” said Savary.
“Whoever has the best tires left at the end is
probably going to win the race. I think one of the
regular guys could win the race just by knowing what
lines to run around the track. Whenever someone new
comes into the division they’re super fast and they
think they’re flying and then they realize that
isn’t the hot setup. It’s just something you have to
figure out and work with. I’ve been doing it long
enough that I have a feel for what the car needs to
do and guys like Jon McKennedy are good at it. You
have the spotters telling you the lap times you need
to run so there’s a lot of trust with the spotter
and you don’t want to let guys around you dictate
how fast you go, you have to go at your own pace.”
It’s possible that a driver could make a pit stop
and swap their tires around to make a run at the end
of the race. VMRS rules don’t allow new tires to be
put on the car, but drivers can swap left and right
side tires. In order for this to be a successful
strategy, the caution flags have to fall just right
for drivers to be able to take advantage of a tire
swap situation.
“Someone could definitely pit and come back to win,”
said Savary. “The caution flags would have to fall
right but it could definitely happen. I remember
Tommy Barrett coming from the back a few years ago
after pitting so it can definitely be done.
Sometimes there aren’t a lot of cautions at Stafford
because everyone is being patient so it might not
work in that situation. If your car isn’t right you
might come in and make a change but if you’re up
front, I don’t think you’d give up the track
position. The new thing that guys seem to be doing
is swapping the left side tires around, so you might
see that.”
The Valenti Modified Racing Series will take to the
track with qualifying beginning at 6:15pm.
Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
divisions will also be in action. Tickets for this
event are on sale now and are priced at $30.00 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 seat tickets are $32.00 for all
ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission
Tax. Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of free
parking along with overnight parking available for
self contained Recreational Vehicles.
For the 27th consecutive season the month of May is
Youth Organization Month. All children14 & under are
admitted FREE when wearing a youth organization team
shirt or uniform. Children must be accompanied by a
paying adult.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor
Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on
the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com.
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Source:
Scott Running /
Stafford Speedway
Posted:
May 17, 2017 |
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