Teddy Hodgdon's second place finish at the Twin State Speedway
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Ten Year Old, Teddy Hodgdon, and his family rolled into the Stafford Motor Speedway, at Stafford Springs, Connecticut, eager for the young driver to compete in the Ceric Fabrication Racing Series/Wildthing Karts event.
When the drop of the green flag deemed the race underway, Hodgdon managed to muscle his way from the fourth position to first place within a couple of laps. Leading his fellow drivers by an entire straight-away, he was not challenged until the waving of a caution flag with only five laps to go.
Teddy Hodgdon at the Ceric Fabrication Racing Series/Wildthing Karts event
| With a great restart, Hodgdon quickly took the lead again, and upon crossing the finish line was two kart lengths ahead of second place driver, Brian Narducci.
With the win at Stafford Speedway behind him, Teddy Hodgdon and his crew made a couple of trips to the Twin State Speedway, located in Claremont, New Hampshire, throughout late June and early July. Although the driver did not log a victory at either of these two events, Teddy did manage to finish second during both outings.
Already in his fourth year of racing, the young driver has seen his share of success this season. In fact, of the fourteen races in which he has competed this year, Teddy has walked away victorious five times, earned thirteen top four spots, and competed in one race that he did not finish.
The driver is leading the points at the Twin State Speedway, located at Claremont, New Hampshire, and is situated second place in points at the Stafford Motor Speedway.
Racing in the Tiger Spring A classification, Hodgdon's confidence level was fairly high at both venues, as he was no stranger to racing at these tracks. In fact, Hodgdon had experienced a great deal of success at the Twin City Speedway last season, as he earned four wins and finished the year second in points. Coming into each race, the driver was aware that the competition would be stiff and when asked the key to winning he said, "Getting a good start, running the correct line and being consistent."
With five wins under his belt thus far in the season, Hodgdon continues to be confident and is anticipating his upcoming races. That said though, the young driver is also aware that although confidence is a very important ingredient in the recipe for success, it is essential that he drives well. When asked what it would take to continue winning he stated, "Racing smart and being prepared."
At such a young age, one would suspect that Teddy Hodgdon depends a great deal upon his parents for their support, and rightfully so. In fact, when asked who maintained his kart, the driver said, "My dad does, and I help sometimes. My mom and my sister, Hannah also pitch in." Referring to the important role his family/team plays in his success, he continued, "Their very important. I wouldn't be able to race without them."
Powered by a six horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine, Teddy Hodgdon's kart runs in the neighborhood of 45 miles per hour. That said, the driver and his crew are acutely aware that proper maintenance is the key to ensuring peak performance during each and every race. "It is critical to have a clean engine," stressed Hodgdon. "Clean air and good lubrication will make it run fast and last a long time." Referring to keeping the internal components of the engine well lubed and dust free, he continued, "I use K&N products. I have been using them for 4 years on my kart, and my dad uses the air and oil filters on our tow vehicle. They're the best filters that money can buy. They improve performance and last a long time."
In closing, Teddy Hodgdon relayed a message to others of whom he considers very important in his quest to become the best kart driver out there. "I would like to thank my sponsors and supporters," he said. "They have been great and I would not have been able to race without them."
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