STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. — Stafford Speedway hosted the Casella Waste Open 80 on Friday night.
Connor Jencik was a first-time Stafford feature winner in the limited late model feature and Jason Lafayette notched his first street stock feature victory of the season before rain postponed the remainder of the program.
The Casella Waste Open 80 will be resumed from lap six next Friday night.
In the 20-lap limited late model feature event, Jencik led the field to the green flag and he took the early lead with Gary Patnode taking second from Matthew Winter II. Devon Jencik quickly moved into fourth with Matt Clement in fifth.
Matt Clement took fourth from Devon Jencik on lap five with Lavoie following him by to take fifth. Jencik fell back to eighth place, just in front of Kyle Theriault and Rich Hammann as Connor Jencik continued to lead Patnode, Winter and Matt Clement.
Clement made a move on lap 11 to take third from Winter and Lavoie again followed him through to take fourth and drop Winter back to fifth while Connor Jencik was still in the lead with Patnode in second.
With five laps to go, Jencik was still the race leader with Patnode, Matt Clement, Lavoie and R.J. Surdell lined up behind him.
Patnode made a bid for the lead on lap 18 but Jencik was able to hold him off and maintain the lead. Patnode couldn’t get close enough to Jencik to make another bid for the lead as Jencik became a career first-time feature winner at Stafford.
Patnode finished second with Matt Clement, Lavoie and Surdell rounding out the top five.
In the 20-lap street stock feature event, the event ended under caution as rain began to fall and the race was stopped at 14 laps complete, making Lafayette the winner for the first time this year.