Entries continue to trickle in for the 51st Annual Spring Sizzler at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. The latest entry is one of the biggest names in Modified racing, but the dirt kind. That name is Max McLaughlin, a multi-time Dirt Modified race winner.

McLaughlin will be racing a car prepared by Gary Putnam and owned by Mike Curb. McLaughlin has raced with them many times in the past between Open Modified races, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and SMART Modified Tour events.

The second-generation racer originally from Mooresville, North Carolina finished second in a SMART Modified Tour event at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina last year. 

“The 77 car is one of the nicest cars out there,” said McLaughlin. “Gary Putnam builds a beautiful race car, and every time we race I feel like we have a shot to win. It’s always fun driving for Gary, and Stafford is a really cool place that I enjoy going to. I haven’t been able to get there as much as I would like, so when this came up and the schedules worked out, it was definitely something that I was excited to see.”

McLaughlin has made two starts at Stafford in his career. He finished a strong fourth in the 2020 edition of the Fall Final 150, and he finished 11th in the 2021 Spring Sizzler, the only time he has competed in “The greatest race in the history of Spring.”

McLaughlin’s father, Mike McLaughlin, scored six feature wins at the historic Connecticut half-mile oval. Five of those came in a Modified, with one of them coming with the Busch North Series (now known as ARCA Menards Series East). 

“A win in the Sizzler would be special,” said the younger McLaughlin. “My dad has a lot of history at Stafford, we have a lot of friends in Connecticut, Gary is from Connecticut, and Stafford is a track that’s pretty special to me. So to be able to win the most prestigious Modified race would be pretty awesome for sure.”

McLaughlin is known for racing just about anything with four wheels. He began his career in Outlaw Karts at North Carolina's Millbridge Speedway before making the jump to Big Block Modifieds. McLaughlin has two points paying wins with the Super DIRTcar Series, and one with the Short Track Super Series. He also scored a win in ARCA Menards Series East competition at New York's Watkins Glen International in 2019.

The 51st Annual Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway will take place on April 29 and 30. The race will be broadcast live on FloRacing, as will every single event from Stafford Motor Speedway throughout the 2023 racing season. Race fans that are not already FloRacing subscribers can join by clicking here.