(Stafford Springs, CT)---When the green flag comes out for the 2013 DARE Stock season at Stafford, there will be a very familiar face in the starting field.  Manchester native Stacey Botticello will return to the DARE Stock division, where she raced from 1996 through 2006.  Botticello was the first female feature winner in Stafford Motor Speedway history when she won her first race in 1999.  After her first win, she won 9 more times and she was the winningest driver in DARE Stock history until Norm Sears tied her mark in 2008.  Don Wood and Kyle Casagrande have since surpassed Botticello on the all-time win list, but she is eager to get back to the track and continue her winning ways.

“I’m very excited about coming back, I can’t wait to get back out there,” said Botticello.  “I’ve always loved the DARE Stock division.  I drove a Limited Late Model for a few races in 2008, but there’s just something about driving a DARE Stock car that when you hit the setup just right, you can really fly around the track.  I know a lot of people look at the DARE division as a beginner division, but I’ve always had a blast racing in the DARE Stocks.  I know we won’t get there this season, but I would love to have that win record back one day.”

With Botticello looking to get right back to her winning ways upon her return to the DARE Stock division, she has the perfect opportunity to do just that.  Botticello has acquired the former #7 DARE Stock that was driven by Kyle Casagrande, a car that has won 11 races in the past two seasons.

“Hopefully I can pick things back up right away,” said Botticello.  “There’s no better feeling than when you cross that finish line in first place.  We had an opportunity to get a car with the Casagrande’s selling Kyle’s car, but there’s a little pressure there too.  A lot of people think it’s just the car, but Kyle is a very good driver and hopefully we can do just as well as he did with that car.  I told Rick Casagrande when he delivers the car to us to include all the extra weight because we plan on winning a lot of races.”

The 2013 season will mark Botticello’s first on track action since she ran 9 races in the Limited Late Model division during the 2008 season.  While Botticello is confident that she will be able to pick up where she left off as a driver in the DARE Stock division, she knows she faces a learning curve with all new drivers to compete with for a trip to CARQUEST Victory Lane.

“Hopefully it will all come back to me pretty quickly,” said Botticello.  “I think learning the new competition will be the biggest learning curve for me.  I think I’m definitely going to feel a little older as a lot of the field is around 16 or 17 years old, which is how old I was when I got started.  I only ran one or two seasons in the DARE Stocks when points counted, so it will be fun to try to race for the championship this year.  I’ve seen the DARE Stock races from the stands, so I have an idea of what to expect when I get back out there and I can’t wait.”

Botticello will have help from the same crew that worked on her father’s and sister’s Limited Late Model cars as well as sponsorship help from Avita Hair Design, Botticello, Inc., Bosco’s, Casagrande Builders, Enfield Transit Mix, and Gallery Cinemas.

Botticello will begin her quest to get back into CARQUEST Victory Lane with the 42nd Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 26-28.  Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” may be ordered by calling the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 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 is $42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. 

For more information on the 42nd Annual CARQUEST TECH-NET Spring Sizzler®, 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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