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(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway was back in action on Friday, May 22nd with the Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down program. The big winner of the night was Nick Anglace, who scored his second consecutive and third overall win in only 5 starts this season. Anglace took home the $1,750 winner’s check from Monaco Ford with contingency bonuses pushing his win total to $2,200. Other winners on the night were Marcello Rufrano in the SK Modified® feature, Chris Meyer in the Late Model feature, Travis Hydar in the Limited Late Model feature, and Jason Raymond in the Street Stock feature.
In the 40-lap Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down feature, Cassandra Cole got into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution out before the first lap could be completed.
Matt Brewer led the field to the green flag and he took the early lead with Amanda West second, Eddie Gomarlo third, Jason Finkbein fourth, and Chris Matthews fifth. Finkbein took third on lap-3 while Matthews took fourth on lap-4. Peter Bennett also got past Gomarlo to move into fifth and drop Gomarlo back to sixth in line. Ben Morrison got into the turn 4 wall to bring the caution flag out with 5 laps complete.
Brewer took the lead back under green but Finkbein got a good run to the inside of Brewer on lap-7 and they race wheel to wheel for the lead with Finkbein getting clear into the lead on lap-9. Matthews took second on lap-10 in turns 1+2 and then he streaked past Finkbein in turns 3+4 to take the lead on the same lap. West was third behind Matthews and Finkbein with Peter Bennett up to fourth and the side by side duo of Tyler Barry and Brewer fighting for fifth. Barry took fifth on lap-3 while Brewer was able to get in line behind Brian Sullivan in eighth place. Sami Anderson came to a stop on the frontstretch just before the entry into turn 1 to bring the caution flag back out with 18 laps complete.
Matthews took the lead on the restart with West in second. Anglace took second from West on lap-20 just before Bob Charland spun coming off turn 4, which collected Dylan Houghton and Norm Sears to bring the caution flag back out.
Anglace took the lead on the restart but behind him Matthews and Sullivan spun in turn 3 which collected Tyler Barry, Robert Bloxsom, III, Travis Downey, and Eddie Gomarlo as well as several other cars to bring the caution flag right back out before a lap could be completed.
The restart saw a bottleneck mid pack that collected Matthews, Anthony Forino, Chad Jones, Casey Vogt, Travis Downey, and several other cars to keep the caution flag displayed.
The next restart saw Finkbein, Stephen Kalogiannis, and Downey all involved in a spin coming out of turn 2 to again bring the caution flag back out before a lap could be completed.
Anglace steamed into the lead back under green with West holding second. Bennett was up to third with Brewer back up to fourth and Ben Morabito up to fifth. Matthews, who had been involved in several previous incidents, took fifth place from Morabito on lap-24 and then he took fourth from Brewer. Matthews continued his charge back to the front bhy taking third on lap-25 and then second on lap-26.
With 12 laps to go the order was Anglace followed by Matthews, Bennett, West, Brewer, Morabito, Daltin McCarthy, Chad Jones, Charland, and John Brunelle. Anglace led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his second consecutive and third overall win of the 2026 season in 5 races. Matthews finished second with Bennett, West, and Brewer rounding out the top-5.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Matt Vassar took the early lead at the green flag with Troy Talman in hot pursuit from second place. Tyler Chapman was third in the early going with Mikey Flynn taking fourth and Jon Puleo took fifth from Dylan Izzo on lap-5. Chapman took second from Talman on lap-4 and nearly took the lead from Vassar on lap-5 before falling back into line in second. Flynn took third place to drop Talman back to fourth with Puleo still fifth.
Chapman made his move to the inside of Vassar on lap-8 to take over the race lead while Puleo took fourth to drop Talman back to fifth. Ethan Durocher and Dylan Kopec both got into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution flag out with 9 laps complete.
Chapman took the lead on the restart with Vassar in second. Flynn was looking to take third on the outside of Talman while Alexander Pearl and Puleo were wheel to wheel for fifth behind Flynn and Talman. Talman took third on lap-13 with Pearl now wheel to wheel with Flynn for fourth place. Pearl took that spot on lap-14 but Flynn came right back to his inside on lap-15 to retake fourth place. A melee erupted going into turns 1+2 with 17 laps complete as Talman went around which collected Pearl, Michael Christopher, Jr., David Arute, Flynn, Keith Rocco, David Flammia, Jr., and Wade Gagner.
Chapman took the lead back under green with Puleo taking second from Vassar after several laps of wheel to wheel racing. Marcello Rufrano took third from Vassar on lap-19 and Vassar then spun on the frontstretch just as the field completed lap-19 to bring the caution flag back out.
On the restart, the car of Meghan Fuller got sideways coming to the green flag and that collected the cars of Josh Morrison, Josh Zentek, Christopher, and Rocco to bring the caution flag immediately back out.
Chapman took the lead on the next restart with Rufrano taking second. Dylan Izzo and Puleo were wheel to wheel for third with Anthony Flannery in fifth. Izzo took third from Puleo on lap-23 and Flannery was now racing wheel to wheel with Puleo for fourth place while Rufrano was searching for a way around Chapman in the fight for the lead. Rufrano took the lead from Chapman on lap-27 with Flannery now third, Izzo fourth, and Puleo fifth.
Chapman ran tight to Rufrano’s back bumper and he nearly took the lead back on lap-34 but settled back in behind Rufrano. With 2 laps to go, Chapman was still glued to Rufrano’s back bumper, looking for a way to take over the lead. Chapman made contact with Rufrano’s back bumper going into turn 3 on the final lap but Rufrano was able to gather his car up and hold on to score his first win of the 2026 season. Chapman finished second with Flannery, Izzo, and Puleo rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature, Adon Burrell took the early lead with Paul Varricchio, Jr. and Chris Buffone lined up behind him. Josh Wood took a trip through the frontstretch grass and rejoined at the rear of the field while up front, Chris Meyer took the lead from Burrell. With 5 laps complete the order was Meyer, Varricchio, Chris Buffone, Adam Gray, and Kevin Gambacorta.
At the halfway point of the race, Meyer was still in command and he was leading a 4-car train including himself, Varricchio, Buffone, and Gray. Gambacorta was fifth with Wayne Coury, Jr. right behind him in sixth place. Burrell was seventh with Darrell Keane glued to his back bumper in eighth place.
Gray worked Buffone over for several laps before he was finally able to make a pass and take over third place on lap-25. Meyer was still in command when the caution came out with 26 laps complete for Michael Bennett, who came to a stop in turn 3 with a flat tire.
Meyer took the lead on the restart with Gray taking second. Varricchio was third with Buffone fourth and Gambacorta fifth. Meyer led Gray to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the 2026 season. Varricchio finished third with Buffone and Gambacorta rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, RJ Surdell led the field to the green flag and he led the first lap before the caution flag flew for a spin in turn 3 by Dana Wray.
Surdell took the lead on the restart with Matt Clement taking second. Travis Hydar quickly moved into third with Devon Jencik fourth and Adrien Paradis, III fifth. Hydar made a move around Clement on lap-5 to take over second place while Jencik was sliding backwards as Paradis was now fourth and Duane Provost was fifth. Jencik fell from fourth back to ninth place with Norm Root, III sixth, Jeremy Lavoie seventh, and Aaron Plemons eighth. The caution came back out with 9 laps complete for a spin by Samantha Dell in turn 2.
Hydar streaked into the lead on the restart with Surdell able to get in line behind him in second. Clement was third in line with Provost fourth and Lavoie fifth. Just behind Lavoie was Jason Lafayette, Paradis, Plemons, Gary Patnode, and Rich Hammann. Hydar had opened up a sizeable advantage over Surdell in second but that lead was erased by the caution flag with 18 laps complete for Tim Poulin, who got out shape coming out of turn 2 and ended up against the wall.
The restart saw Plemons go around in turn 2 which collected Kyle Theriault and Patnode to bring the caution flag right back out before a lap could be completed. The next restart saw Lavoie go around on the backstretch which collected Plemons, Scott Clement, Dave Secore, Theriault, and Wray to bring the caution right back out before a lap could be completed.
Hydar took the lead on the green white checkered restart with Clement in second. Lafayette and Surdell were door to door for third gut it was all Hydar as he took down his first win of the 2026 season. Clement finished second with Lafayette, Surdell, and Paradis rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Street Stock feature, Marvin Minkler led the field to the green flag and he took the early race lead with Charles Beal and Brent Gleason behind him. The caution flag flew with 1 lap on the board for Roger Mahieu and Jon Porter, who got together in turn 3 with Mahieu’s car stopped facing backwards against the wall while Porter was able to drive away.
Gleason took the lead on the restart with PJ Evans moving up to second. Jason Raymond took third with Brandon Warren fourth and Kolton Gambacorta fifth. Ryan Waterman was sixth while Minkler slid from the lead all the way back to seventh place, just in front of Bill Cote who was eighth.
At the halfway point of the race Gleason was still in command with Raymond, Warren, Evans, and Waterman lined up behind him. The caution flew with 10 laps complete for Cote, who got out of shape coming out of turn 2.
Gleason took the lead back under green with Raymond glued to his back bumper in second. Warren was third with Waterman taking fourth from Gambacorta on lap-12. The caution came back out with 12 laps complete for a spin in turn 4 involving Joe Arena and Scott Sundeen with David Ciastko coming to a stop to avoid Arena and Sundeen.
Raymond went door to door with Gleason on the restart but Gleason took the lead by the time they got back to the line to complete lap-13. Waterman moved into third on the restart with Warren in fourth and Gambacorta fifth. Raymond went by Gleason on lap-15 coming out of turn 2 to take over the race lead.
Gleason couldn’t get close enough to Raymond to make a bid for the lead as Raymond scored his first win of the 2026 season. Warren finished third behind Raymond and Gleason with Waterman surviving a huge slide on the final lap to hold on to fourth and Gambacorta rounded out 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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MONACO FORD SK LIGHT DOUBLE DOWN (40)
1) Nick Anglace, Seymour
2) Chris Matthews, Stafford
3) Peter Bennett, Windsor
4) Amanda West, Colchester
5) Matt Brewer, Norwich
6) Ben Morabito, Mooresville, NC
7) Daltin McCarthy, Oxford, MA
8) Chad Jones, Quakertown, PA
9) Bob Charland, Stafford Springs
10) John Brunelle, Stonington
11) Sami Anderson, Wolcott
12) Paul Arcari, Somers
13) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
14) Jason Finkbein, Manchester
15) Stephen Kalogiannis, New Hartford
16) Travis Downey, Barkhamsted
17) Norm Sears, Coventry
18) Casey Vogt, Windsor Locks
19) Ed Chicoski, New Hartford
20) Austin Goff, Stafford Springs
21) Anthony Forino, Waterbury
22) Brian Sullivan, Tolland
23) Tyler Barry, Griswold
24) Eddie Gomarlo, Swanzey, NH
25) Robert Bloxsom, III, Milford
26) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Coventry
27) Dylan Houghton, Springfield, MA
28) David Webb, Nashville, TN
29) Ben Morrison, Ashford
30) Cassandra Cole, Westport
DNQ
Aaron Goff, Stafford Springs
Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
Jim Storace, Kingston, NH
Connor Christmas, Enfield
Jake Hines, North Haven
Andy Marchese, Tolland
Aiden D’Agata, Willington
Rob Pederson, Stafford
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Marcello Rufrano, North Haven
2) Tyler Chapman, Ellington
3) Anthony Flannery, East Hampton
4) Dylan Izzo, Monroe
5) Jon Puleo, Branford
6) Todd Owen, Somers
7) Chase Cook, Norwich
8) Riely O’Keefe,
9) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, MA
10) Matt Vassar, Berlin
11) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
12) Ethan Durocher, Canterbury
13) Keith Rocco, Berlin
14) Jacob Burns, East Greenwich, RI
15) Art Caruso, Windsor
16) Curt Brainard, Canton
17) David Flammia, Jr., Waterbury
18) Wade Gagner, East Longmeadow, MA
19) Josh Zentek, East Haven
20) David Arute, Stafford Springs
21) Alexander Pearl, Salem
22) Josh Morrison, Ashford
23) Meghan Fuller, Auburn, MA
24) Troy Talman, Oxford, MA
25) Mikey Flynn, Hampden, MA
26) Dylan Kopec, East Longmeadow, MA
27) Wesley Prucker, Stafford Springs
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Chris Meyer, Franklin
2) Adam Gray, Granby, MA
3) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
4) Chris Buffone, Belchertown, MA
5) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
6) Adon Burrell, Barkhamsted
7) Josh Wood, Palmer, MA
8) Darrell Keane, Enfield
9) Michael Bennett, Willington
10) Bobby Stirk, III, Naugatuck
11) Bert Ouellette, Ellington
12) Wayne Coury, Jr., Milford
13) Robert Taylor, Jr., Warren
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Travis Hydar, Woodbury
2) Matt Clement, Rocky Hill
3) Jason Lafayette, Somers
4) RJ Surdell, Willington
5) Adrien Paradis, III, Plainville
6) Rich Hammann, Tolland
7) Duane Provost, Palmer, MA
8) Norman Root, III, Old Saybrook
9) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
10) Dave Secore, Union
11) Tyler Secore, Union
12) Samantha Dell, Pascoag, RI
13) Ari Jencik, Canton
14) Scott Clement, Wethersfield
15) Aaron Plemons, Uncasville
16) Kyle Theriault, Three Rivers, MA
17) Dana Wray, Northford
18) Gary Patnode, Barkhamsted
19) Connor Jencik, Canton
20) Shelby Swan, Durham
21) Tim Poulin, Thompson
22) Devon Jencik, Canton
STREET STOCK (20)
1) Jason Raymond, Somers
2) Brent Gleason, Griswold
3) Brandon Warren, Chicopee, MA
4) Ryan Waterman, Danielson
5) Kolton Gambacorta, Ellington
6) Jon Porter, Baltic
7) Marvin Minkler, Stamford
8) Bill Cote, Belchertown, MA
9) Joe Arena, Bristol
10) Scott Sundeen, Sutton, MA
11) David Ciastko, Madison
12) Rob Sears, Stafford Springs
13) PJ Evans, Uncasville
14) Brennan Murdza, Chicopee, MA
15) Charles Beal, Ledyard
16) Roger Mahieu, Goshen
