News Director 
Story By: MIKE PARKS / GRANITE STATE PRO STOCK SERIES – WALPOLE, NH – Heading into the 2017 Granite State Pro Stock Series season, Cory Casagrande is hoping to contend for the championship behind the wheel of his No. 7.
Last season, Casagrande finished fourth in the point standings while finishing a best of third at Monadnock Speedway early in the season.
Although the finale at New London-Waterford Speedbowl didn’t go his way, he was still able to capture a top five finish in points in just his second year in a Pro Stock.
“We had an up and down year last season,” Casagrande said. “We would struggle and then we would have a good run and then we would struggle again. We struggled to have that consistency, but I wasn’t disappointed with it. It was only our second season racing the Pro Stocks. We learned a lot.”
As he gets set to hit the track behind the wheel of his No. 7 for this season starting at Lee USA Speedway on April 30, Casagrande has a new paint scheme on his ride. The car has been painted in honor of his uncle Dean Casagrande, who ran Stafford Speedway’s Late Models in the late 1990s.
“The paint scheme pretty much looks identical to his car from back then,” Casagrande said. “We decided that we were going to go with a new car, new number and new paint scheme for this year. Why not change everything up.”
Casagrande is looking forward to the First Annual New England Short Track Showdown at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 1, along with the race at Thompson Speedway during the Sunoco World Series this year.
“It will be different going to Loudon,” Casagrande said. “It’s good to have the opportunity to run there. Thompson is only 45 minutes from my house; it’s one of my favorite places we race at. When you go there, you are testing your limits every single lap. Pro Stocks put on a great show there.”
What are the goals during the 2017 season for Casagrande? They are simple. He wants to win races and contend for the title when it comes time to crown the champion in October.
“We want to get our first win this year,” Casagrande said. “If you just go out there and run up front, you have to let the points take care of themselves. I want to be able to compete with those guys in the front and run consistently at the front of the field. If I can look back at the season and say I ran with guys like Barry Gray and DJ Shaw up front, I’d be happy with that.”
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will open the 2017 season at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 30, with a post time of 2 p.m.
For more information, visit the series website, www.gspss.net or contact series president Mike Parks.
Teams interested in competing in the open test session at New Hampshire on Monday May 8 are also urged to contact Mike Parks immediately.
