STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. — Stafford Speedway returned to weekly racing action with the Late Model division taking center stage with their extra distance Paradiso Insurance Late Model 50 feature event on Friday night.
Chris Buffone was the big winner of the night with a dominating drive that saw him lead all 50 laps of the Paradiso Insurance LM 50 to pick up his second win of the 2026 season.
Buffone took the early lead with Paul Varricchio, Jr., Darrell Keane, Chris Meyer, and Wayne Coury, Jr. making up the top-5. Adam Gray was sixth in the early going with Michael Wray, Josh Wood, Kevin Gambacorta, and Adon Burrell making up the top 10.
With 10 laps complete Buffone was still in command with Varricchio, Meyer, Coury, and Keane making up the top-5. Coury was starting to apply heavy pressure to Meyer for third place but Meyer was able to hold him off. Coury was finally able to make a move and pass Meyer on lap 12 to take over third place. Gambacorta took fifth place from Keane on lap 18 while Buffone was comfortably leading Varricchio and Coury.
As the race approached the halfway point, Coury was all over Varricchio in the fight for second and lap 25 is when Coury was able to make the pass to take second. Varricchio dropped a place to third with Gambacorta fourth and Meyer fifth as Buffone was continuing to stretch out his lead.
With 10 laps to go, it was still all Buffone out front as he had stretched his lead out to a tad over 5 seconds over Coury in second. Gambacorta was still third with Michael Wray charging from sixth to fourth, going by both Meyer and Varricchio in the process.
Buffone led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his second win of the 2026 season in dominant fashion, leading all 50 laps in a green to checkered race. Coury finished second with Gambacorta, Wray, and Varricchio rounding out the top five.
Todd Owen was a winner for the second time this season in the SK Modified® feature, Amanda West won for the first time in nearly 2 years in the SK Light feature, Norm Root, III was a first time career winner at Stafford in the Limited Late Model feature, and Brent Gleason won for the first time this season in the Street Stock feature.
