How can a track such as Stafford Motor Speedway show its appreciation to racers who made every event? How about some free Hoosier tires?
“It is something we always wanted to do — reward attendance with tires — and we’re happy to do it this season,” said Stafford Motor Speedway COO Paul Arute. “My brother David and I, being racers, know how it feels when you go to the tire line and have to pay the bill.”
The track rewarded two Hoosier tires apiece to 19 drivers in the headlining SK modified class. Other divisions received one tire, including 15 in SK light modifieds, 10 in late models, 12 in limited late models, and 12 in street stocks.
Many people in the racing community of Stafford Motor Speedway praised the track for the gesture of new tires. The Arute family has owned the track for 55 years. While Paul serves as the COO, his brother David works as the general manager of the track. Paul’s and David’s father, Mark, is the CEO, and mother Lisa is the CFO.
“We were pleasantly surprised with the amount of appreciation we received,” Arute said. “We have a great group of drivers who support us every week.”
Paul Arute remains hopeful that appreciation translates to higher car counts in 2026 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
“Time will tell,” said Arute. “Over the years, we have had more giveaways than has been made public. We bought seat belts for everyone. We gave away helmets and fire suits. It may bring in more cars, but history shows it keep our core drivers returning every week.”
Indeed, Stafford Motor Speedway didn’t only give away tires this year. They also distributed a sizeable amount of money to its racers, too, at the end of the year.
“We’re mailing out $73,000 in point fund checks,” Arute said. “We’re already thinking about next season’s rewards for our drivers. Stay tuned — there will be more to come.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
