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(Stafford Springs, CT)—When the 2025 racing season came to a close at Stafford Speedway, Jason Raymond was the hottest driver going in the Street Stock division. He closed out the 2025 season with a 2-race winning streak, which were also the first two feature wins of his career. Fast forward to the beginning of the 2026 season at the NAPA Spring Sizzler® and Raymond nearly continued his winning streak with a second place finish. Raymond followed that with a sixth place finish that has him sitting second in the Street Stock points going into the May 15th Street Stock feature event. Despite what on paper are good results, Raymond says there is room for him and his #49 Larrabee Landscaping team to be even better.
“I feel like we’re actually not quite as good as we were at the end of last year,” said Raymond. “We’re trying to tune on the car a little to get it better. It feels like to me we’re lacking in the center of the corner. The car is not wanting to rotate good enough to get a good drive off the corner so from the center of the corner to exit is where we need to pick things up a little bit. I think we’re pretty close. The whole field is close and we just need a minor adjustment here or there to find that little bit more. We’re not far off but I think there’s still some room to gain.”
One area that Raymond doesn’t have to worry about is confidence. His two wins at the end of last season eliminated any lingering doubts that Raymond had about his ability to drive his #49 into NAPA Victory Lane.
“Last year was big for us in just knowing that we can win races,” said Raymond. “There was a lot of self-doubt last year because we knew the car was good but the results just weren’t falling in our favor. Winning lifted a lot of pressure and it made things easier for me getting in the car knowing I can drive and I have a good team around me. Once I got my first win it was a big mental thing to know that I can win races.”
Another feather in Raymond’s cap is the fact that his start to the 2026 season has him sitting in second place in the points rather than the typical slow start that Raymond has normally gotten off to during his brief 3-year plus career in the Street Stock division.
“The last couple years, especially last season, we started out a little slow and that allowed the front running guys to build a gap on me in points,” said Raymond. “Towards the end of the season when we started to get things figured out, it was too late to overcome the deficit that we already had. It’s been good to start the year on a consistent note by finishing all the laps and that’s ultimately our goal.”
After winning his first two races last season and ending the season third in the points standings, Raymond is confident that with some small tweaks on his #49 car he can reel off several more wins in 2026. Raymond is looking forward to the hotter summer month races which is where he has shined.
“Through the summer, I feel like I get better when the temperature heats up and I just have to be smart about my driving,” said Raymond. “I’m definitely looking forward to when it gets a little hotter. The car is definitely still good, but compared to some of the other drivers this year it’s just not at the level they are yet. But I expect for us to get there pretty soon with the car and if we can figure out what we need I don’t see any reason why we can’t get a couple more wins this season. My crew does a great job keeping me level headed and in the right mindset every week. I have to thank them for helping out with the car and keeping me level headed, my Uncles Al and Cliff Saunders, my girlfriend, and my sponsors Larrabee’s Landscaping, Tri-State Equipment Repair with Jason Lafayette, J & J Kirby, and Roberts Air.”
Raymond will look for his first win of 2026 this Friday, May 15th. May 15th is a weekly racing program that will see Stafford’s SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, and Limited Late Model teams join the Street Stocks in feature action.
Order Friday, May 15th Tickets
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
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