(Stafford Springs, CT)---For nearly 20 years, Stafford Motor Speedway has given race fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite drivers and get an up close and personal look at their cars with their twice annual Pit Party during the season beginning CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler and season ending CARQUEST Fall Final events.

The Stafford Pit Party tradition will continue on into 2008 and beyond, and the Pit Party will again carry the title of the CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party for the second consecutive season. The CARQUEST Belts & Hose Pit Party will be held on Sunday, April 27 from 11am to noon during Sizzler weekend.

"We're pleased to have CARQUEST Belts & Hose involved with our Pit Parties for another season," said Mark Arute, SMS COO/GM. "Both CARQUEST Auto Parts and the Pit Party are longstanding Stafford traditions and it's great to have CARQUEST and the Pit Parties linked together."

The Pit Party sponsorship continues CARQUEST Auto Parts' already long and storied involvement with Stafford Speedway. CARQUEST Auto Parts first became involved with Stafford Motor Speedway as a track sponsor during the 1985 season. Today, CARQUEST Auto Parts is Stafford's largest corporate partner. CARQUEST, and its nearly 4,000 stores nationwide, brought the Modified Tour back to Stafford in 1989, brought the ISMA Supermodifieds to Stafford with the open wheel CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday event, brought the PRA Big Car Series to Stafford in 2006, and they are a former Camping World East Series event title sponsor. In addition to CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday, CARQUEST Auto Parts is currently the title sponsor of the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, the CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend, CARQUEST Dealer Night, and new for the 2008 season, the CARQUEST SK 150. CARQUEST Auto Parts also offers first place contingency bonuses to the SK Modified®, Late Model, and Limited Late Model divisions and was instrumental in bringing Bosch Spark Plugs to the SK Light Modified division as a contingency sponsor.

CARQUEST Auto Parts began in 1974 with 100 auto parts stores. They have since grown to nearly 4,000 stores nationwide, and through their growth they have remained committed to providing auto parts and services of the highest quality and greatest value to its customers.

CARQUEST Belts and Hose are manufactured by the Gates Corporation, the world's largest supplier of OE belts. Gates Corporation products serve industrial, automotive original equipment and replacement markets, agriculture, transportation, mining, forestry, construction, office equipment, computer, and food processing and handling markets.

The 37th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST will kick off the 2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season at Stafford April 25-27. Tickets for "The Greatest Race in the History of Spring" are now on sale at the Stafford Motor Speedway box office. Tickets are priced at $35.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, $38.00 for reserved seats, and free for children ages 5 & under. Tickets are good for admission to the Saturday April 26, and Sunday, April 27 portions of the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, with the Friday, April 25 practice session open the public free of charge.

For more information about CARQUEST Auto Parts Stores or Tech-Net Professional Auto Service, go to www.CARQUEST.com. For more information about Gates Corporation and its products, go to www.gates.com.

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