Stefanik Relegated To 9th Place Finish In Closing Laps of Sunoco 150

                Thompson, CT (September 11, 2006): Mike Stefanik posted a top-10 finish in the Whelen Modified Tour portion of Thompson International Speedway’s Modified Mania, but the Coventry, RI-driver had hoped for better than a ninth place finish. Still, Stefanik and his Flamingo Motorsports team remain atop of the point standings – widening their lead to 94 points over Ted Christopher.

                “I have to thank everyone here at Flamingo Motorsports. They put an incredible amount of personal time into these cars. They are at everyone of these races, and they have great pit stops,” Stefanik said. “I guess I should have given Sly and the team better information (on the car) than I did.”

                Stefanik started the event in the seventh position and maintained his spot in the early laps of the race. On a lap 41 restart, Stefanik was to muscle the No. 16 Diversified Metals/Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth Chevrolet from eighth to fourth and commence a run for the lead.

                Stefanik used a restart to overcome Matt Hirschman on lap 52 to take control of the 36-car field, and remained out front for the next 21 circuits. During a caution at lap 73, Stefanik led a procession down pit road where the Flamingo Motorsports crew changed three tires. On the restart, Stefanik was 21^st in the field.

                “I thought the car was going to be okay, but it went back to driving the way it did on the first set of tires. It was loose before I go to throttle and then loose up off. You just can’t pedal a car that you can’t use the motor.”

                Before the field could even get momentum, the caution flag was out for a wreck off of turn two. Stefanik’s closest rival in the battle for the Championship – Ted Christopher – was brought down pit road for brake checking, and held for three laps by a NASCAR official.

                “I didn’t see what happened so I didn’t know what he did,” Stefanik said about Christopher. “We had enough problems of our own. I still tried to give the guys 100 percent and give the best effort I could. I tried to get every spot I could.”

                By lap 100, Stefanik broke into the top-10. But his progress slowed and Stefanik struggled to find a line that would work.

                “I tried an unorthodox line because it looked like I could get more grip down on the bottom. I was just searching for grip. I tried to use every inch of the bottom. I saw it work for other cars on this series. I tried it, almost pulled it off and got by the 31 and the 59, but couldn’t quite clear them. Then the troops came marching in and they march right by you on the side,” Stefanik explained.

                When the checkers dropped on the scheduled 150-lap distance, Stefanik and the Flamingo Motorsports team were ninth.

                “We haven’t raced here in the daylight hours in a long, long time,” Stefanik said. “I thought the track was going to tighten up, but it freed up instead. I didn’t see anyone pushing out there.”

                Stefanik will return to action at New Hampshire International Speedway this Friday, September 15^th for the New England 100.