Jencik & Lafayette Score Casella Waste Open 80 Feature Wins at Stafford Speedway; Rain Postpones Casella Open 80 to June 14th - Speedway Digest

Stafford Speedway hosted the Casella Waste Open 80 on Friday, June 7th. 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 2024 season before rain postponed the remainder of the program. The Casella Waste Open 80 will be resumed from lap-6 next Friday night, June 14^th and all rain checks from tonight’s Casella Waste 80 program will be honored.

In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Connor Jencik led the field to the green 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 too fourth from Devon Jencik on lap-5 with Lavoie following him by to take fifth. Devon Jencik fell back to 8^th place, just in front of Kyle Theriault and Rich Hammann as Connor Jencik continued to lead Patnode, Winter, and Matt Clement.

Matt 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 5 laps to go, Connor Jencik was still the race leader with Patnode, Matt Clement, Lavoie, and RJ 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-5.

In the 20-lap Street Stock feature event, Brandon Warren shot into the lead at the start of the race with Jason Lafayette quickly moving into second. Street Stock points leader Travis Hydar’s car dropped off the pace as the field came around to complete lap-1 and he pulled his car behind the pit wall. Marvin Minkler was third in line behind Warren and Lafayette with Travis Downey in fourth and last week’s winner Tyler Trott in fifth with 4 laps complete.

Lafayette rode behind Warren until lap-8 when he made a move going into turn 3 to take over the race lead. Downey moved into second and Trott took third on lap-9 as Warren slid back to fourth with Jason Raymond now occupying the fifth position.

As the field was coming around to complete lap-15, the caution came out for a spin in turn 2 by Garrett Pease just as Downey made a move in turn 4 to take the lead from Lafayette. With the caution flag displayed, the scoring went back to the previously completed lap, putting Lafayette back in the lead for the restart with Downey in second.

A melee broke out on the restart with Jeff Asselin spinning in turn 1 and collecting the cars of Pease, Jonathon Avery, Minkler, Ashton Young, Matt Martel, and Chris Danielczuk to bring the caution flag right back out. Under the caution, rain began to fall and the race was red/checkered with 14 laps complete, making Lafayette the winner for the first time in 2024. Downey finished second with Trott, Warren, and Raymond rounding out the top-5.

The Casella Waste Open 80 took the green flag with Woody Pitkat taking the lead with Anthony Bello right behind him in second. Teddy Hodgdon and Michael Christopher, Jr. were wheel to wheel for third place with Chris Pasteryak in fifth. Hodgdon moved into second on lap-4 and lap-5 Christopher took third with Bello fourth and Pasteryak fifth. The caution flew with 5 laps complete as Pasteryak went around coming out of turn 2, which collected the cars of Keith Rocco, Anthony Flannery, Nick Salva, George Bessette, Jr., and Eric Goodale. Under the caution flag, rain again started to fall and postponed the completion of the Casella 80 to next Friday night, June 14th.

For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.

Stafford Speedway PR