(Stafford Springs, CT)---After finishing 20th and 11th in the two Valenti Modified Racing Series held at Stafford Speedway last season, former SK Modified® driver Mike Holdridge is hoping that a new engine will bring him better fortune this season.  Stafford Speedway will host back to back VMRS events with the Shark Cycle 80 on Friday, August 31st and the Lincoln Tech 80 on Friday, September 14th.  While Holdridge is looking to improve his fortunes at Stafford, his new engine is virtually untested after a water leak only allowed him to complete 6 laps in the series’ last race at Thompson.

“We put a new Pettit motor in halfway through the season to try to keep up with the other guys and Stafford is probably where I’ll need it the most,” said Holdridge.  “We should be more competitive than we were the last time at Stafford.  Last time we were at Stafford, we were following Rowan [Pennink] in practice and he drove away from us like we were standing still.  There’s no question the new motor will be a boost for us, we’re really looking forward to seeing what we can do.  It’s too bad we didn’t get to race at Waterford, I was looking forward to it with our new engine.  It felt strong at Thompson, but we only got to run 6 laps before we had a water leak and we got black flagged.  We think we got the problem solved, but we won’t know until we go back racing.  That’s why we were hoping to race at Waterford to see what was going on with the motor.”

The 2012 season has been a good season for Holdridge and his #0 team.  Holdridge was in the top-5 in points before his Thompson misfortune dropped him two places down to seventh in the VMRS points standings.  Holdridge is hoping that the combination of his new engine and experience at Stafford will help carry him back into the top-5 of the points standings and possibly into victory lane.

“We’re looking forward to Stafford because I do have experience there and it’s one of the nicest places we go to,” said Holdridge.  “We need to get our program together, we’re 7th in points right now and we’re dropping like a rock.  All it takes is one bad race.  You look at guys like Rowan Pennink, Jon McKennedy, Chris Pasteryak, they’ve all got their acts together and they don’t wreck too often.  I’ll be really disappointed if we don’t get a top-5 at Stafford.  We have to finish the race first and I’m getting to the point where I’m not really happy if we can’t finish in the top-5.  I have good equipment, a good motor, and I have experience, so it’s just down to me now.  I have what everyone else has and if they outdrive me, they outdrive me.  I think we might be out of it for the championship, our goal now is to try to win a race and shoot for the top-5 in points.”

Tickets for the August 31st Shark Cycle 80 and the September 14th Lincoln Tech 80 are available and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office.  Tickets for both events are priced at $27.50 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 will be priced at $30.00 for all ages.  All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.  Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the Shark Cycle 80 or the Lincoln Tech 80, or to order tickets, 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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