LIGUORI ENTERS BERLIN EVENT WITH MSR POINTS LEAD
Photo Credit: David Sink Photo
August 7, 2024 – Holly, Michigan – Heartbreak is something Joe Liguori is all too familiar with. Two years ago, it appeared as if he would win his first career Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Perfit-Parts championship. Heading into the series finale he held a slim point advantage over Charlie Schultz. All he had to do was finish ahead of Shultz and the title was his.
In his heat race he had a driveline come apart and he was forced to the pits and unable to finish. After repairs, he would have to start at the rear of the field. When the dust had settled, he came two positions short of finishing ahead of Schultz and lost the championship.
Then last season he was forced to sit out most of the campaign due to repeated engine issues. A wasted season in Liguori’s eyes.
Now he finds himself atop the current point standings with a comfortable lead. But how comfortable? Only Liguori can answer that question.
The Liguori name has been famous for heartbreak unfortunately. His grandfather Ralph Liguori was often the victim of misfortune. Many times, the elder Liguori would be leading, or in contention for a good finish only to be bitten by bad luck. Blown motor, crash, mechanical failure, you name it, he experienced it. The younger Liguori himself often jokes about the Liguori jinx.
It appeared that 2024 would be different. He kicked the season off with the biggest win of his career. He won the 10K ‘Children’s Dream Fund 50’ co-sanctioned MSR / BG Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series event in Florida. He took the points lead prior to the July 26 Sandusky Speedway event.
But bad luck crept up again, and he lost a motor at Sandusky. Liguori’s friends John Reiser and Adam Biltz stepped up and let him drive their car to hold the points lead. It wasn’t the finish Liguori wanted, but it was a finish.
Liguori returns to competition this Saturday night August 10 at Berlin Raceway. Liguori will be behind the wheel of the car he has a lot of confidence in. The Hurricane chassis he nearly won the 2022 MSR championship with, and the car he has won all his career MSR feature victories with.
“At Sandusky I thought we were pretty competitive, and then another engine issue” explains Liguori. “We got off to a great start this year. Engine issues have been our downfall the last couple of years. There’s nothing you can do. It is what it is.
“We decided to put the Hurricane back together for this weekend’s Berlin race. We haven’t run that car since South Boston a couple years ago when it crashed. Our spare motor was sitting in that car so that’s why we decided to get the car back out. It’s taken us a year and a half to afford the parts to put back on it.
“This is the car I won in at Anderson, South Carolina and Montgomery, Alabama. It’s actually Troy DeCaire’s favorite race car. He won a lot of races in it for George Rudolph and Dick Fieler. It’s an old car built in 2000 and has been fixed a few times. Every time it gets fixed it seems to get better.
“Everything’s looking promising this weekend if all the cards go in the right direction. We’re hoping the good luck we’ve had with this car in the past stays on our side this time and it stays there for a while” concluded Liguori.
For more info on this Saturday’s August 10, 2024, Berlin Raceway event please visit http://www.mustseeracing.com
