Mike Stefanik Posts Fifth Place Finish In GRIZCO Racing Debut

Lee, NH (April 27, 2003): Mike Stefanik came out of the box with a solid fifth place finish in Sunday’s Freedom 150 at Lee USA Speedway. Stefanik, who made his debut in the No. 55 Burnham Boilers Chevrolet, was pleased with the performance and with the new relationships formed at GRIZCO Racing.

“Anytime you can get out of a track like this with a top-five you’ve got to be happy with that,” Stefanik said after the race. “This is our first day together on the job, and I think we worked well together. We’re all on the same page. It’s a very professional operation.”

Stefanik kicked off the weekend with a qualifying effort of 84.852 mph (15.910 seconds). The time earned him the 12^th starting position in a field of 27 cars.

“We were satisfied with it,” Stefanik said. “Obviously, the closer to the front you are the better, but we felt we had a good car for the race.”

Stefanik gained a position right at the drop of the green flag, but a caution period slowed his efforts at lap three. For the next several laps, Stefanik patiently trailed the 11 car as the two worked their way around the .375-mile oval.

As the laps wound down, lapped traffic became a factor in the race and at lap 35 Stefanik got boxed in on the inside lane and had to let off the throttle. The incident had the potential to cost the team several spots, but Stefanik’s prowess behind the wheel maintained their tenth position.

A caution period at lap 60 set the stage for a round of pit stops at lap 66. Stefanik followed the cue of then-leader Andy Santerre and came in for a right-side tire change.

“We had a great stop,” Stefanik said. “These guys on this crew really work hard and their professionalism showed in the pits today.”

Stefanik returned to the track in the 12^th spot – six spots behind Kelly Moore, who was the first car out of the pits.

“A few cars stayed out on the track, and I figured with everybody else having fresher tires that they wouldn’t be there for long. It really surprised me that some of the guys ran just as good on the older tires,” Stefanik said.

The next 25 laps were caution-filled and only allowed Stefanik to progress to the eighth spot, but once a long green flag run developed, the Burnham Boilers team was able to gain some ground. When the checkers fell, Stefanik had secured himself a solid top-five finish.

“We’re pleased with this finish,” Stefanik concluded. “Our goal was to come here and run strong. I think we accomplished that today.”