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(Stafford Springs, CT)—After a career best season in 2024 that saw him come agonizingly close to winning the Street Stock championship, Tyler Trott and the #80 JET Motorsports team are looking to expand their operation in 2025. Currently, Trott plans to moonlight in both the Street Stock and Late Model divisions after acquiring a Late Model car during the off-season while the team is looking to rent out their Street Stock cars. However these plans are subject to change.
“I’m not sure what the season will consist of just yet,” said Trott. “JET Motorsports is looking to expand our track opportunities with our rental business to try to get some new blood to the track. We also bought a Late Model this winter so we’re definitely going to dabble in the Late Model division and the #80 Street Stock isn’t going anywhere. I’ve never driven a Late Model car before so I’m not sure I’ll even like it but we’ll try it out and give it everything we’ve got. If I do end up liking the Late Model, we want to preserve our rookie status so we can run for Rookie of the Year in 2026. As for the Street Stock, I think right now we’re looking at doing the big races like the Spring Sizzler® and Fall Final, and we’re definitely going to run the Midstate extra distance race. But if we don’t have any renters, I’m going to bring the car to the track every week and go racing, I can’t just sit at home on a Friday night. We’re excited about the year and we’re looking forward to it.”
The 2024 season saw Trott return to NAPA Victory Lane for the first time since the 2016 season. Trott notched a total of 3 wins during the season, which matched his career high for wins in a season. His 3 wins moved his career Street Stock total to 9, which currently places him in a four-way tie for 12th place on the all-time Stafford Street Stock winners list. Trott’s next win would move him into a five-way tie for 7th place and 2 more wins would give him sole possession of 7th place.
“Winning that first race last year convinced me that it wasn’t me anymore and I could actually win races again,” said Trott. “For a long time I thought I’d never get back to victory lane. A good 2025 for us would be to click off a couple more wins in the Street Stocks because I’d like to break into the top-10 on the all-time Street Stock winners list. If I can get two more wins, I’ll move into seventh place and if we can get a couple of wins early in the season, we just might keep on going for the whole year and see how many wins we can get. It would also be pretty cool if we could possibly get a top-5 finish with the Late Model. That would be a big confidence booster for sure.”
Trott’s second place finish in the 2024 Street Stock standings was a career best and continued an upward trajectory for him. Trott raced at Stafford from 2014-2017 before he sat out the 2018 season. Trott then ran partial schedules in 2019 and 2020 before returning to full-time action in 2021 with a 10th place finish in the standings. Trott followed that up with 6th place in 2022 and 4th place in 2023 before his 2nd place finish last season. Trott is starting to get the same feeling that he had in 2015 and 2016 when he won 3 races in each of those seasons as he continues to improve.
“I think I’m getting back to where I was in 2015 and 2016,” said Trott. “I took a little time off from racing, life changed, and I’ve calmed down a little. I try to let the race come to me now and I think that’s been showing over the last couple seasons. I really have to thank my Dad, he’s always right by my side, and my whole crew for always giving me the best piece they can every week. For sponsors, I have to thank Blaine and Anna from Backroads Smokin BBQ, John and Bonnie from JHS Restoration, Garrett’s Carpentry, and Cindy Stirk and her whole family for helping out. It’s a big team effort for us.”
The 2025 season gets underway with the 53rd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® set for April 26-27. The NAPA Spring Sizzler® kicks off on Saturday, April 26, with feature events for the Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions, along with SK Light qualifying duel races that will set the field for an extra-distance 30-lap feature event on Sunday, April 27.
Order 53rd Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® Tickets
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Sunday, April 27, will play host to the 53rd Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®. Filling out Sunday’s racing card will be qualifying and feature racing for the SK Modified® division, the 30-lap SK Light Modified feature, plus the NAPA Pit Party.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
