By John Goralski Sports Writer Tony Membrino Jr. lovingly strokes the bare chassis of his SK Modified racecar as it sits in a Bristol garage. The engine hasn’t been mounted. Hoses an array of hoses wind their way like snakes through a red skeleton frame. It looks more like a go-cart than a racecar, but Membrino slips into a dreamy tone as he describes his precious treasure. This spring, the Southington driver will make the leap into the top division at Stafford Motor Speedway. It’s the next logical step in his meteoric rise, but even Membrino didn’t expect it to happen this fast. In late December, he received a call from Steve Greer, the owner of the 2013 SK Modified champion car. Greer offered Membrino a chance to purchase the chassis from a car that Woody Pitkat drove on the MRS tour, and Membrino leapt at the opportunity. “I didn’t plan it. It was more like an opportunity that fell into our lap,” he said. “We’re friends. He’s been at Stafford about four or five years—about the same amount of time that I have—and we’ve been friends from the get go. He’s working with Ryan Preece at Chassis Dynamics for [...]
By John Goralski Sports Writer Tony Membrino Jr. lovingly strokes the bare chassis of his SK Modified racecar as it sits in a Bristol garage. The engine hasn’t been mounted. Hoses an array of hoses wind their way like snakes through a red skeleton frame. It looks more like a go-cart than a racecar, but Membrino slips into a dreamy tone as he describes his precious treasure. This spring, the Southington driver will make the leap into the top division at Stafford Motor Speedway. It’s the next logical step in his meteoric rise, but even Membrino didn’t expect it to happen this fast. In late December, he received a call from Steve Greer, the owner of the 2013 SK Modified champion car. Greer offered Membrino a chance to purchase the chassis from a car that Woody Pitkat drove on the MRS tour, and Membrino leapt at the opportunity. “I didn’t plan it. It was more like an opportunity that fell into our lap,” he said. “We’re friends. He’s been at Stafford about four or five years—about the same amount of time that I have—and we’ve been friends from the get go. He’s working with Ryan Preece at Chassis Dynamics for [...]