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ANTHONY
NOCELLA LOOKING FOR
REPEAT STAFFORD VICTORY IN VMRS 80 |
As
the Valenti Modified Series prepares to return to
Stafford Speedway for the second time in 2017 on
Friday, September 1st for the VMRS 80, things could
not be going any better for Anthony Nocella, driver
of the #92 Nocella Paving Chevrolet. Nocella won the
first VMRS race at Stafford back in May and he just
won the series’ most recent race at Beech Ridge to
extend his lead in the VMRS championship standings.
“We started out going real good this season and then
we had a few tough races and then we won again this
past weekend so I think we’ll have a pretty good
chance,” said Nocella. “It’s always tough racing
when you go to Stafford. There’s a lot of good cars
and guys who race there weekly are always tough to
beat. If we can come back with the car prepared just
like it was and if it runs like it did back in May
then I think we’ll have a decent shot at getting
another win or at least a top-3 finish.”
If Nocella is to repeat his Stafford victory from
May, he faces an uphill climb as VMRS rules state
that the previous race winner can start no higher
than 18th in the following race. Despite the long
odds he’ll be faced with starting the VMRS 80 from
the back of the pack, Nocella feels confident that
he can still get to the front.
“After winning the last race, we can’t start any
higher than 18th, so we’ll have our work cut out for
us,” said Nocella. “It’s definitely going to be a
challenge. We’ve had to do it already a couple of
times this year and as long as we can get the car
balanced and driving good, we should be able to work
our way up. 80 laps at Stafford is a good amount of
time and I feel like if the car is good enough, we
can still get up there and challenge for the win. It
took me a while to figure out the track and I think
we started to go pretty good at Stafford last season
and we were finally able to get a win back in May
this year. The track is so sensitive to your line,
if you miss your line just a little bit, you slow
down two or three tenths. You can definitely notice
the consistency with the guys that run weekly at
Stafford. It’s definitely not going to be easy,
especially starting from the back.”
In addition to going for his fifth win of the 2017
season and trying for a clean sweep of the 2 VMRS
races at Stafford this season, Nocella is right in
the thick of the VMRS championship race. Nocella’s
win at Beech Ridge allowed him to stretch out his
point lead to a robust 76 point margin over Donnie
Lashua with only 3 races remaining on the 2017
calendar. Nocella says that he still wants to win
races but he will also be smart about his decision
making out on the race track.
“We definitely don’t want to push things too hard
and get into a wreck early in the race but we also
still want to go out and try to win races like we’ve
done all year long,” said Nocella. “We figure if you
win races the points will take care of themselves.
We still want to get to the front and contend for
the win but we also need to keep the car in one
piece. If we can get at least a top-5 finish, that
would be good for our points situation. If we can
get up around the top-5, we’ll be pushing to try to
get another win. We’re coming back with the same car
and the same setup to start with we have the
confidence knowing we’ve won with the setup before
and that we can do it again. Everyone is working
real hard on the car and we’d like to keep our
momentum going. Big thanks to Nocella Paving, AirGas,
and Eddie from Raceworks. Eddie gives us a lot of
help with the car and we have an awesome car.”
The Valenti Modified Racing Series will joined in
feature action by Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series divisions and there will be a
fireworks presentation at the conclusion of feature
racing events. As part of the night’s action, fans
will also be able to walk the track for a $10
donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which
will be collected by NAPA reps. The track walk will
take place following the conclusion of the VMRS
qualifying heats and before the feature events get
started. Tickets for Friday, September 1st VMRS 80
event are on sale now and 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 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:
August 24, 2017 |
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