Story By: SCOTT RUNNING / STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY – STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT – For Tyler Chapman and the #41 Chapman Apartment Homes SK Light team at Stafford Speedway, the 2024 season has been nothing short of a dream season.
Chapman has won half of the 12 races held thus far in 2024 and he has finished all but 1 race in the top-5 with 9 podium finishes to his and the team’s credit.
Chapman came into the 2024 season on the heels of back to back 4-win seasons in 2022 and 2023 and he has already surpassed that total with 6 victories and counting in 2024. With the #41 team and car operating at the top of their game, Chapman offers a very simple explanation of their consistency this season.
“We were quick last season and we were fast the season before that, so it’s just a matter of getting a little faster every year,” said Chapman. “There’s nothing really special about it. We put in a lot of time working on the car and we make sure it’s 100% every week.”
Chapman is eagerly anticipating the SK Light double feature events to be run this Friday night, August 30th at the Connecticut half-mile facility. Chapman already won twin feature events this season back on May 17th and he knows that other drivers will be gunning for him.
“It’s going to be fun, I really like racing double features,” said Chapman. “The more racing in a night the better and we’ll have to see how things go for us. I know other drivers are going to be coming for me but for the most part that doesn’t really affect me. No one is really going out of their way to come to the track and say they’re going to wreck me so it doesn’t affect me all that much.”
With 7 races left on the 2024 schedule for the SK Light division, Chapman will be mindful to do whatever he can to maintain what on paper looks like a monster 98-point advantage in the championship standings. Chapman has shown the last 2 years that he and the #41 team can finish a season out strong by winning the last 2 races of each season. He is looking to accomplish the feat for a third consecutive season as he chases after his first SK Light track championship but he also knows that all it takes is a bad race or two for his advantage to be wiped away.
“The goal is to keep the lead up,” said Chapman. “Every racer knows that a big lead means nothing until the final race. I remember in the past we’ve had a pretty big lead and we ended up having some issues and we lost the championship. So nothing really matters until the last race or two. I’m assuming most people know by now that we’ve won the last 2 races each of the last 2 years so we’ll definitely have people coming for us and it would be pretty cool to do that for a third year in a row.”
This Friday, August 30th will be Maybury Back to SKool Kids Night in addition to hosting the SK Light double features. The Aug. 30 program will see Stafford’s SK Light cars run twin 20-lap feature events along with the SK Modified®, Late Model, Limited Late Model, and Street Stock divisions and a kids big wheel race. Tickets for Aug. 30th are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates. Tickets for Aug. 30th are $20.00 for adults, and free for all kids 14 & under. Reserved seating is priced at $25.00 for all ages and pit passes are $40.00 with a valid 2024 Stafford Competition License and $45.00 without a Stafford license.
