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(Stafford Springs, CT)— Stafford Speedway hosted another round of Weekly Racing on Friday, Aug. 8th. Cory DiMatteo scored his first win of the season in the SK Modified® feature, Darrell Keane was also a first time winner in 2025 in the Late Model feature, Bob Charland notched his first SK Light feature win since 2013, and a pair of rookie drivers came home winners in the form of Travis Hydar for the second consecutive week in the Limited Late Model feature, and Kolton Gambacorta was a first-time career winner in the Street Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Cory DiMatteo took the early lead from pole position with Dylan Izzo in second. Michael Christopher, Jr. was third with David Arute fourth and Keith Rocco fifth. The caution flag flew with 3 laps complete as Todd Owen had a flat left front tire and came to rest against the turn 4 wall.
DiMatteo powered his way back into the lead on the restart with Christopher taking second. Rocco was third with Izzo falling back to fourth and Troy Talman was up to fifth. Just behind Talman was the side by side duo of Arute and Tyler Chapman with Marcello Rufrano right behind them. Chapman got clear into sixth place on lap-10 with Rufrano seventh and Arute eighth. Jon Puleo was ninth and Michael Gervais, Jr. was tenth.
With 14 laps complete, DiMatteo and Christopher were starting to pull away from Izzo in third, who had Rufrano, Rocco, Talman, Tyler Chapman, Puleo, Gervais, Arute, and Andrew Molleur all lined up right behind him. With 25 laps complete, DiMatteo and Christopher were still holding down the top two spots and enjoyed nearly a full straightaway back to Rufrano in third. Izzo was still fourth with Puleo, Rocco, Talman, Arute, Molleur, and Gervais making up the top-10.
DiMatteo was still in the lead with Christopher giving chase from second with 5 laps to go. Rufrano was still third with Puleo moving into fourth and Izzo falling back to fifth. Rocco was sixth followed by Talman, Arute, Molleur, and Gervais.
With 2 laps to go, Christopher closed in on DiMatteo and as they took the white flag, Christopher was glued to DiMatteo’s back bumper. Christopher couldn’t make a move on the final lap as DiMatteo took down his first win of the 2025 season. Christopher finished second with Rufrano, Puleo, and Izzo rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Darrell Keane took the lead at the drop of the green with Alexandra Fearn and Kevin Gambacorta behind him. The caution flag flew with 1 lap complete as Fearn and Gambacorta touched going into turn 1 with Fearn spinning into the turn 1 wall.
Keane took the lead back under green with Wayne Coury, Jr. taking second. Behind the two leaders, Paul Varricchio, Jr., went 3-wide with Gambacorta and Chris Buffone to take third. Buffone slotted into fourth with Gambacorta fifth. Josh Wood took fifth from Gambacorta as Chris Meyer nearly went 3-wide with Wood and Gambacorta on lap-5. Coury was hounding Keane for the lead and as the field completed 10 laps, it was a 3-car train in the fight for the lead with Coury leading Coury and Varricchio. Buffone was fourth and Wood was still holding down fifth place.
Coury was still looking high and low for a way to get around Keane for the lead as they hit the halfway point of the race. Varricchio was still third behind the two leaders with Buffone, Chris Meyer, Wood, Tom Butler, Alexandra Fearn, Andrew Durand, and Gambacorta making up the top-10.
With 5 laps to go, Keane was able to put several car lengths between himself and Coury, who had been right on his bumper for the last 20 laps. Varricchio was able to get by Coury on lap-29 to move into second while Keane continued to lead the race. Keane led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the 2025 season. Varricchio finished second with Coury, Buffone, and Meyer rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light feature event, Daltin McCarthy led the field to the green but it was Bob Charland streaking into the lead at the start. Matt Brewer took second behind Charland with Ron Midford, Jr. third, Stephen Kalogiannis fourth, and Robert Bloxsom, III fifth. McCarthy fell back to outside the top-10 over the first 2 laps of the race.
With 10 laps complete, Charland was still in command of the race with Brewer, Bloxsom, Midford, and Kalogiannis behind him. Bloxsom took second from Brewer on lap-11 with Midford taking third to drop Brewer back to fourth, just in front of Kalogiannis. The caution came out with 13 laps complete for a spin in turn 2 by Sami Anderson.
The restart saw a pileup in turn 3 that involved Joey Ferrigno, Paul Arcari, Josh Morrison, David Webb, Sophya Papp, Dylan Houghton, and Jason Finkbein to bring the caution flag back out before a lap could be completed.
Charland had to contend with Midford to his inside and Bloxsom to his outside on the restart with Charland and Bloxsom going wheel to wheel for the lead with Midford falling back into third place. Charland got clear from Bloxsom on lap-18 but the caution came out with 18 laps complete as Bloxsom and Midford touched in turn 2 with both cars going around in front of the field, which collected Kalogiannis, Dylan Houghton, Nickolas Hovey, and several other race cars.
Charland took the lead on the restart with Nick Anglace taking second. Brewer was third with Peter Bennett fourth and Josh Morrison fifth. Anglace couldn’t get close enough to Charland who took the checkered flag to score his first SK Light win since the 2013 season at Stafford. Anglace finished second with Brewer, Bennett, and Josh Morrison rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Adrien Paradis, III and Kevin Cormier came together coming out of turn 2 with Paradis climbing up and over the left front of Cormier’s car and both cars ended up in the wall to bring the caution flag out before the first lap could be completed.
Norm Root, III took the early race lead on the next start with Jeremy Lavoie taking second. Connor Jencik was third in line with Matt Clement fourth and Kyle Theriault fifth. Rich Hammann was sixth followed by Travis Hydar, Gary Patnode, Devon Jencik, and Jason Lafayette. Lavoie took the lead from Root on lap-4 while Hammann was on an early charge as he moved up to fourth and nearly took third from Connor Jencik on lap-5.
With 6 laps complete the order was Lavoie, Root, Connor Jencik, Hammann, and Hydar. The caution flag came back out with 7 laps complete for a spin in turn 3 by Devon Jencik. Lafayette was shown the black flag and sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Jencik.
Lavoie took the lead back under green with Root holding off a challenge from Hammann for second. Connor Jencik was still fourth with Hydar in fifth. Hammann was able to make his move to the inside of Root one lap later and he took second place on lap-10. Behind Hammann and Root, Hydar went by Connor Jencik to move into fourth place on lap-11.
RJ Surdell took fifth from Connor Jencik on lap-13 but Jencik came right back to the inside of Surdell on lap-14 to retake fifth. Surdell spun in turn 2 to bring the caution flag back out with 14 laps complete. Gary Patnode was black flagged and sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Surdell.
Lavoie took the lead back under green while it was nearly 3-wide behind him between Root, Hydar, and Hammann with Hydar emerging in second and Root in third. Connor Jencik took fourth to drop Hammann back to fifth in line. Hammann went back by Jencik on lap-17 while Hydar made a move to the inside of Lavoie, but couldn’t make the pass. Hydar was able to make a pass on Lavoie on lap-18 to move into the lead while Roof followed him by to take second and drop Lavoie back to third. Connor Jencik spun in turn 2 to bring the caution flag back out with 18 laps complete to set up a green white checkered finish.
Hydar took the lead on the restart with Lavoie and Root going door to door for second. Devon Jencik was back up to fourth and Surdell was back up to fifth. Hydar led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his second consecutive victory of the 2025 season. Lavoie edged out Root at the line for second with Devon Jencik and Surdell rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Street Stock feature event, Jeff Asselin took the lead at the start of the race with Sean Petlock taking second behind him. David Ciastko was third with Marvin Minkler fourth and Brent Gleason fifth. Alex Spinnato spun coming out of turn 2 to bring the caution flag out with 3 laps complete.
Asselin again took the lead on the restart but Ciastko spun in turn 3 and several cars were collected including Matt Martel and Isabella Minchella to bring the caution flag back out with 4 laps complete.
Asselin was back in the lead on the restart with Petlock right behind him in second. Kolton Gambacorta moved up to third with Travis Downey taking fourth and Brandon Warren fifth. Gambacorta took second from Petlock on lap-8 before Bill Cote spun coming out of turn 2, which collected the car of Gleason and brought the caution back out with 8 laps complete.
Asselin was back out front on the restart with Gambacorta locked to his rear bumper in second. Petlock was third with Warren moving into fourth on lap-10 and Downey fifth. Gambacorta went around Asselin to move into the lead on lap-11. Warren moved into third behind Gambacorta and Asselin with Downey in fourth and Tyler Trott now up to fifth. Downey took third from Asselin on lap-13 while Gambacorta was starting to stretch out his advantage over Warren in second and Downey third as Asselin fell back to fourth.
Asselin got kicked to the high side on lap-16 and he slipped back to tenth place as Aaron Plemons took fourth, Bert Ouellette fifth, PJ Evans sixth, Trott seventh, Gleason eighth, and Jason Raymond ninth. Gambacorta led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his first career feature win at Stafford Speedway. Warren came home second with Downey, Ouellette, and Evans making up the top-5.
For more information 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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SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Cory DiMatteo, Farmington
2) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
3) Marcello Rufrano, North Haven
4) Jon Puleo, Branford
5) Dylan Izzo, Monroe
6) Keith Rocco, Berlin
7) Troy Talman, Oxford, MA
8) David Arute, Stafford Springs
9) Andrew Molleur, Shelton
10) Michael Gervais, Jr., Wolcott
11) Steven Chapman, Ellington
12) Alexander Pearl, Salem
13) Mikey Flynn, Hampden, MA
14) Wesley Prucker, Stafford Springs
15) Todd Owen, Somers
16) Anthony Flannery, East Hampton
17) Curt Brainard, Canton
18) David Flammia, Jr., Waterbury
19) Tyler Chapman, Ellington
20) Wade Gagner, East Longmeadow, MA
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Darrell Keane, Enfield
2) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
3) Wayne Coury, Jr., Milford
4) Chris Buffone, Belchertown, MA
5) Chris Meyer, Franklin
6) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
7) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, MA
8) Adam Gray, Granby, MA
9) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Alexandra Fearn, Hampden, MA
11) Josh Wood, Palmer, MA
12) Adon Burrell, Barkhamsted
13) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, MA
14) Rob Taylor, Jr., Warren
15) Bobby Stirk, III, Naugatuck
SK LIGHT (20)
1) Bob Charland, Stafford Springs
2) Nick Anglace, Seymour
3) Matt Brewer, Norwich
4) Peter Bennett, Windsor
5) Josh Morrison, Ashford
6) Paul Arcari, Somers
7) Sami Anderson, Wolcott
8) Sophya Papp, Goshen
9) Ben Morrison, Ashford
10) David Webb, Nashville, TN
11) Jason Finkbein, Manchester
12) Meghan Fuller, Auburn, MA
13) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
14) Dylan Houghton, Springfield, MA
15) Daltin McCarthy, Oxford, MA
16) Amanda West, Colchester
17) Ron Midford, Jr., Ellington
18) Austin Goff, Stafford Springs
19) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
20) Robert Bloxsom, III, Milford
21) Stephen Kalogiannis, New Hartford
22) Casey Vogt, Windsor Locks
23) Nickolas Hovey, Chaplin
24) Anthony Forino, Waterbury
DNS – Frank L’Etoile, Jr. – Wethersfield
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Travis Hydar, Woodbury
2) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
3) Norman Root, III, Old Saybrook
4) Devon Jencik, Canton
5) RJ Surdell, Willington
6) Rich Hammann, Tolland
7) Kyle Theriault, Three Rivers, MA
8) Matthew Winter, II, Springfield, VT
9) Dana Wray, Northford
10) Connor Jencik, Canton
11) Scott Clement, Wethersfield
12) Shelby Swan, Durham
13) Jason Lafayette, Somers
14) Gary Patnode, Barkhamsted
15) Matt Clement, Wethersfield
16) Darryl Vertefeuille, Willington
17) Kevin Cormier, Springfield, VT
18) Adrien Paradis, III, Plainville
DNS – Scott Nordman, Harrisville, RI
STREET STOCK (20)
1) Kolton Gambacorta, Ellington
2) Brandon Warren, Chicopee, MA
3) Travis Downey, Barkhamsted
4) PJ Evans, Uncasville
5) Brent Gleason, Griswold
6) Tyler Trott, East Hartford
7) Jason Raymond, Somers
8) Bill Cote, Belchertown, MA
9) Sean Petlock, Ware, MA
10) Marvin Minkler, Stamford
11) Aaron Plemons, Uncasville
12) David Macha, Sr., Columbia
13) David Ciastko, Madison
14) Alex Spinnato, Wallingford
15) Pete Cayer, Bristol
16) Rob Sears, Stafford Springs
17) Bert Ouellette, Ellington
18) Jeff Asselin, Granby, MA
19) Roger Mahieu, Goshen
20) David Maille, West Boylston, MA
21) Brennan Murdza, Hampden, MA
22) Andras Bogi, Macungie, PA
23) Matt Martel, Stafford Springs
24) Garrett Pease, Enfield
25) Isabella Minchella, Somers
DNS) Christopher Bissell, Waterford
