STAFFORD SPEEDWAY WORKING WITH JOHNSON CHASSIS ON NEW LATE MODEL METRIC CHASSIS PROJECT

(Stafford Springs, CT)---Stafford Motor Speedway has embarked on a project
in conjunction with Johnson Chassis of Concord, NC that will replace aging
Late Model GM Metric Chassis with a tube Late Model chassis that will be
built to the exact specifications and dimensions as the original GM Metric
Chassis.
With over 500,000 GM Metric Chassis currently racing throughout North
America and chassis becoming harder and harder to obtain, Stafford Motor
Speedway took a proactive approach to come up with a solution that would not
only aid competitors in finding chassis, but that would also not obsolete
any of the current Late Model cars or provide a performance advantage over
the current GM Metric Chassis cars.
“Over the course of the past several years it became apparent to us that the
GM Metric Chassis was becoming more and more difficult to find,” said SMS
CEO/GM Mark Arute. “It was jeopardizing the future of our Late Model
division. We were forced to find an alternative chassis that would not make
the existing metric chassis obsolete. Our tech staff began to research how
we could come up with a solution to the chassis problem without obsolescing
our current competitors’ cars. After talking with several Late Model
builders in the area, we got a call from Andy Johnson of Johnson Chassis and
he expressed interest in the project.”
Over the summer of 2007, Johnson Chassis, working together with the SMS Tech
Staff, came up with a solution to the problem. The objective of the
SMS/Johnson Chassis project is to provide competitors with a replacement
chassis, not an improved chassis. The Late Model chassis project consists
of low cost tubular replacements, which are being prototyped to establish
material weights and specifications that will meet all factory weights and
dimensions. The new frame will accept all factory stock components and
optional tubular replacement components.
“We’re excited about this new car that we’re working on with Andy in that
the new chassis and its working parts will seamlessly integrate with the
current Metric GM Chassis without the benefit of a performance advantage,”
continued Arute. “This new chassis will allow our Late Model and Limited
Late Model competitors to be able to race competitively on an even playing
field with their current equipment and not force our teams to replace their
entire cars to reap a performance advantage.”
Jim Peterson is a member of the team that is working on the construction of
the new Tubular GM Metric Chassis. Peterson will also serve as the test
driver of the new car in a test session at Stafford Motor Speedway that will
take place sometime before the season opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring
Sizzler on April 25-27.
Johnson Chassis currently has some parts available. Johnson Chassis can be
reached via email at aj@johnsonchassis.com for price and availability. A
full catalog will be available in early 2008 when the prototype chassis has
been completed. For more information about the new Tubular GM Metric
Chassis, visit www.johnsonchassis.com, or contact the Stafford Motor
Speedway track office at 860-684-2783, or visit us on the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com.
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