(Stafford Springs, CT)—The 2024 SK Modified® season at Stafford Speedway has seen Oxford, MA native Troy Talman enjoying the best season of his career to date. Talman ran one season in Stafford’s SK Light division and finished third in the points in 2013 before making the move into the SK Modified® division for the 2014 season. Talman is now in his 9th season of SK Modified® competition and he recorded his first SK Modified® victory in the season opening NAPA Spring Sizzler® feature event. Talman has since notched a second victory and nearly had a third win this season to help boost his #3 Casella Waste modified into 5th place in the standings. Talman’s performance might have come as a surprise to some, but thanks to a car change he and his crew made last season, they are not at all surprised with their success.
“We bought a new car from Northeast Race Cars in 2022 for Thompson and the car always ran good at Thompson,” said Talman. “Last season things weren’t going as well as we would have hoped with another car so we switched over to the Thompson car and it’s been like a top-10 machine. We ended up with a 5th and a 4th towards the end of last season so I knew the whole off-season that we were right there. I didn’t know we would end up winning the Sizzler® but it’s no surprise how awesome we’ve been running this season. It feels so good and it’s so satisfying to see all the hard work we put in in the garage paying off.”
In addition to the change in cars, Talman credits working with Shane Hopkins as one of the main reasons for their turnaround in fortune.
“Really all the credit should go to Shane Hopkins rightfully,” said Talman. “He bought Northeast in 2019 so we get to continue our relationship with Northeast Race Cars, which has been awesome. His ideas match my driving style. It’s been a little bit of a bumpy road and it’s taken us a while, but I’ve gotten better as a driver and this new car combination has been great. Everyone knows how hard the SK division is, you’re racing against chassis builders and guys who have been doing it for a very long time. It’s been incredible. I think I have the best car, the best setup guy with Shane, the best engine with Mike Pettit, and I have the best team. I’m surrounded by great people and you know racing is a people sport. You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with and I have the hardest working crew in the pits including my mother and father, Scott, Lee, Ed, John, and Daltin. Thanks to all of our sponsors, Northeast Racecars & Speed, Pettit Racing Engines, Casella Waste Systems, Reworld, NAPA Vandi Auto Supply, M & M Auto Body, NAPA Ayer Auto Parts, Erich’s Cutting Edge, P & D Pizza, Harvest Moon Healthfoods, JDB Lawn Service, Waddell Communications, and Fenceline Films.”
With just over half of the 2024 season remaining, Talman has no time to think about or enjoy his success as he is focused on how to keep his #3 machine at the front of the SK Modified® field.
“I really haven’t thought that much about it yet,” said Talman. “We still have a lot of work left to do. I just want to keep this going. With all the work we put in during the week, it’s like having another job but I’m really enjoying the process throughout the week just as much, if not more, than driving on the track every Friday night. I love looking at things like scale notes and measurements. We just have to keep on doing what we’ve been doing. The object is to take things one week at a time and we’re not really looking at points, we just want to keep on rattling off wins. It’s tough to predict but with how good the car is, I’m confident we can be right up there. You want to win every race but you know that’s not going to happen with how tough the division is. I’m feeling really good about our chances to get some more wins.”
Talman will be back in action looking for his third win of the season this Friday night, July 5th. Tickets for this Friday night’s Stafford Weekly Racing program are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates. Tickets for July 5th are $20.00 for adults, $5.00 for kids 6-14, and free for kids 5 & under. Reserved seating is priced at $25.00 for all ages and pit passes are $40.00 with a valid 2024 Stafford Competition License and $45.00 without a Stafford license. If you are unable to attend the event, tune into the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
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