Lime Rock, CT PR (October 1, 2005)
Contact: Penny Aicardi
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Stefanik Closes In On Point Lead With Fifth Place Finish At Lime Rock
Lakeville, CT (October 1, 2005): Despite not having third gear, Mike Stefanik held on for a fifth place finish in the Burnham Hydronics 200 presented by Mohegan Sun, and moved to second place in the point standings as the series embarks on the final race of the 2005 season. Stefanik’s top-five was his seventh top-five of the season and his 12th straight top-10 in as many starts.
“We were really good in the beginning, but then we came in and put tires on and that tightened the car up,” Stefanik said. “We lost third gear with about 25 to go so considering that, we were pretty happy with a top-five finish.”
Stefanik wrecked his No. 55 Burnham Hydronics Chevrolet during a test session on Tuesday afternoon, and was forced to switch to a short track car for the event. The GRIZCO race team got it switched over for the road course, and unloaded at the track on Friday with a solid set-up. Stefanik posted the fourth fastest time in the first practice session and backed it up with consistent speeds in subsequent practice sessions. The team earned a tenth place starting position in the race when Stefanik posted a qualifying lap of 55.068 seconds (98.061 mph) Friday afternoon.
In front of hundreds of Burnham Hydronics guests, Stefanik powered by four cars at the drop of the green to capture the sixth spot before the first caution flag flew on lap one. Green flag action returned at lap six with Stefanik edging out Brian Hoar for fifth place. Cars began pitting at lap 11 under green flag conditions with Stefanik staying out on the 1.53-mile course. At lap 20, Stefanik was leading the way and earned five bonus points in the process. He stayed out front for two laps before heading down pit road for fuel and tires.
Stefanik was tenth in the lineup for the restart at lap 26, and moved up to seventh before caution slowed the pace at lap 40. It was the first of several caution periods that hindered Stefanik’s ability to move through the field, and over the course of the next 20 laps, Stefanik only maintained his spot.
On a lap 67 restart, Stefanik headed into turn one in the fifth spot. Cars began stacking up, and left Stefanik nowhere to go. He rear-ended someone, but went pretty much unscathed. Unfortunately, third gear was gone in the Burnham Hydronics machine and the team would have to finish the race without it.
“Road courses are very demanding as far as shifting goes,” Stefanik said. “We had no third gear so it definitely hurt us a little. We just concentrated on hitting our marks and staying on course for the rest of the race. We had to be patient.”
The final caution of the day flew at lap 73 and set up the field for a six lap dash to the checkers. Stefanik was running fourth when the green flag dropped. Teammate Andy Santerre gave him some room to get by and Stefanik ran in the third spot for two laps, but lost positions to both Santerre and Joey McCarthy before the checkers flew. The fifth place finish moved the team up to second in the points – only 75 points out of first.
“This was a great day for everyone at GRIZCO Racing,” team owner Steve Griswold said after the race. “Mike did a great job out there and both he and Andy really played up the team concept. For both of them to come out of here with top-five finishes is a testament to everyone on these crews. What a job today!”