The Closer: Wayne Coury Jr. Gets Late Model Victory At Stafford; Bobby Stirk III Tops Street Stocks



Wayne Coury Jr. celebrates victory in the Late Model feature Friday at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Jim DuPont/RaceDayCT)

STAFFORD – The nerves were kicking in for the final month of the season at Stafford Speedway for Late Model division veteran Wayne Coury Jr. 

The idea of going winless for the 2022 season wasn’t sitting well with the Fairfield driver. 

“[The nerves] have been bad knowing that we had gotten a little bit faster,” Coury said. “I knew we were that close. There was definitely some nerves. But once you know you’ve got a good car and you’ve got the crew around you and everyone is doing their thing, it’s pretty calming. I knew that we could do it, we just had to catch a couple breaks.” 

Coury used the final three events of the season to methodically climb the podium. In third third to last event of the season on Sept. 9 Coury was third in the Late Model feature. In the penultimate event for the division on Sept. 23 he was second. 

And Friday, the climb ended perfectly for him. 

Coury held off Tom Fearn to win the 40-lap Late Model feature Friday at Stafford for his first win of the season. 

“I’ve got to thank the Arute’s for tacking on an extra week to the end of the season, otherwise we wouldn’t have won a race this year,” Coury said. “This is amazing. We struggled this year a little bit in the beginning. It took a while to get this car right, to get me used to the car. And we just kept digging as a team.” 

Fearn, of East Longmeadow, Mass., was second and Darrell Keane of Enfield third. 

Coury became the eighth different winner in 19 Late Model features this season at Stafford Speedway. 

Fearn, who held off Coury for the win last Friday, is a co-owner of Coury’s car with Pat Kretschman. 

“They struggled a lot this year and they got it going pretty good the last few weeks,” Fearn said. “I finished ahead of him last week and he got ahead of me this week. If I was going to have to finish second I’d want to finish second to him.” 

Bobby Stirk III of Naugatuck scored his division high sixth victory of the season in the 20-lap Street Stock feature. 

Travis Hydar of Woodbury, who clinched the division’s championship on Sept. 23, was second. Hydar, of Woodbury, had five victories. Adrien Paradis III of Plainville was third. 

Adam Gray celebrates the 2022 Late Model championship at Stafford. Gray clinched the title on Sept. 23 (Photo: Jim DuPont/RaceDayCT)

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