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(Stafford Springs, CT)—After a career best season at Stafford Speedway in 2022, Plainville, CT native Adrien Paradis, III is set to move from the Street Stock up to the Limited Late Model division in 2023 and challenge for Rookie of the Year honors behind the wheel of his #19 CSB Communications Chevrolet.
“I’m excited to make the move up,” said Paradis. “We had talked about this as a team back in 2020 but things didn’t quite work out for us then. Last year we hurt a motor and we wrecked a car so the plan was that this was a perfect time to make the move since I had to rebuild the motor. It will be nice to get a little bit of extra money from the Limited Late Model purse versus the Street Stock purse and everything kind of fell into place for me to make the move now with my great sponsors CSB Communications, JSB Motorsports, Laser Crazy, D & F Wraps, Smedley Crane, and Paula’s $5 Paparazzi.”
The 2022 season, which marked Paradis’ fourth year in the Street Stocks, saw him set career highs with 2 wins, 15 top-5, and 16 top-10 finishes in 18 races, including 9 podium finishes. Paradis’ on track efforts also resulted in a career best finish of third in the points standings and he is hoping that the last four seasons worth of experience will help to make his transition from Street Stock to Limited Late Model a smooth ride.
“With my experience I have the track down, I’ll just have to get used to a new style of car,” said Paradis. “I hope I can get adjusted to it quicker than I did when I came from Waterford to the Street Stock division. The car will be a little different and it will have a little harder tire than the Street Stock car. It should be an easier transition for me to make and I’m hoping that it won’t take 2 years to get my first win like it did with the Street Stock. That was a long waiting period for sure.”
Paradis will have Joe Brockett as his crew chief to help him get adapted to a brand new car. Paradis looked into purchasing an existing car but when that didn’t pan out, he teamed with former 2-time Stafford Street Stock champion Zack Robinson to build a brand new car from the ground up.
“When it comes to fender cars, Joe Brockett knows a lot,” said Paradis. “He won two championships with Zack in the Street Stocks and Zack was able to win a Late Model race as a rookie and we all know the Late Model division has some pretty stout competition. We were actually talking with a team about possibly buying a car but they weren’t ready to sell the car. Zack was building a car and I told him I needed a Limited Late Model and he said he would sell me the car he was building. Building a new car was a better option than buying a car from someone because I’m not dealing with a car that might have been bent. It also gives me the opportunity to learn every square inch of the car. I have to give a big thank you to Joe and Zack because without their help, I wouldn’t be able to make this move up.”
Paradis came to Stafford for the first time in 2019 and he took down Rookie of the Year honors in the Street Stock division, a feat that he would like to repeat in 2023. Paradis has finished in the top-5 of the points standings in three of his four Street Stock seasons and he would like to once again be a top-5 car in 2023.
“We’d like to win Rookie of the Year and put a win on the board this season,” said Paradis. “There’s some really good competition at Stafford and we just have to try to stay with the frontrunners. I would like to be in the top-5 again in the points at the end of the year. If we can do like we did last year and keep our nose clean and avoid some wrecks, I think we can definitely be there. I just have to get the week 4 or 5 monkey off of my back of wrecking a car. It seems like the last couple years that’s where trouble starts for us and I think it was 2020 when I wrecked the car in the first race. I’d like to keep that momentum of improving every year going.”
With Paradis looking to get as much track time as he can to be ready for the season opening NAPA Spring Sizzler® on Saturday, April 29, Paradis will take part in a track rental session in early April to get his first taste of a Limited Late Model car and shake down his new machine.
“We have a track rental already scheduled for early April and that will be good to try to get the car figured out with the harder tire than what I’ve been used to,” said Paradis. “Hopefully we’ll have everything right on the car and it’ll handle well but you know how racing can go.”
Paradis is also anxious to get on track with other cars so he can start getting an idea of the competition that he will be facing throughout the 2023 season.
“I haven’t really paid much attention to the competition in the Limited Late Model division,” said Paradis. “I’d rather start doing that once I get on the track with the Limited Late Model drivers because a lot of times what you see from the stands versus what you see on the track are two totally different things.”
Paradis will take to the track for the first time in Limited Late Model competition during the 51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler®, which kicks off on Saturday, April 29 and will consist of feature events for the Limited Late Model, Street Stock, and Vintage All-Star divisions along with two 40-lap NAPA Duel qualifying races for the Open Modified division that will set the field for Sunday’s NAPA Spring Sizzler®. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models will also make their return to Stafford Speedway on April 29th with a 75-lap feature with over 40 cars expected for the race.
Order 51st NAPA Spring Sizzler® Tickets
Sunday, April 30th will play host to the $20,000 to win 51st NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®. Filling out Sunday’s racing card will be qualifying and feature racing for the SK Modified®, SK Light Modified, and Late Model divisions along with last chance qualifiers for the Spring Sizzler®.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
