STAFFORD – Last August, injuries from a crash on Interstate 384 in Manchester not only cut short Sami Anderson’s 2025 racing season, it left the Wolcott driver wondering if she would ever race again.
Severe back injuries initially left her unable to walk. In her fight through rehabilitation from the injuries, Anderson had getting back behind the wheel of her SK Light Modified as a major goal.
She was able to accomplish that feat by the start of the 2026 racing season and Friday night at Stafford came a long awaited celebration.
Anderson led every lap and held off a charing Dylan Houghton for most of the event to win the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature Friday at Stafford.
It was the first victory at Stafford for Anderson, who is in her fifth full-time season in the SK Light Modified division at the track.
“It burned,” Anderson said of her desire to win an SK Light Modified feature at Stafford. “It definitely burned and I thought about that in the closing laps, that crossed my mind of how much I wanted it. Hit all your marks, do not overdrive the corner. I love over driving corners for some reason, it’s my favorite thing to do. So I was just like, okay, relax, do not overdrive the corner, hold the bottom, do anything you can to get it done and we finally did it.”
Anderson has four career SK Light Modified wins at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, including one on May 30 of this year.
“Wanted this one so badly,” Anderson said. “I was saying earlier that we got a monkey off our backs at Waterford quite early this year and we’ve been fighting for a Stafford win for a long time so to finally get it is like, it’s incredible.”
Houghton, of Springfield, Mass., was second.
Anderson went by Houghton for the lead on the opening lap and then held off numerous low lane moves by him over the course of the feature.
“I wanted to win too but I wasn’t going to wreck her for it,” Houghton said. “You know we were feeling a little confident coming in, starting on the pole obviously, so I knew it was gonna be a decent night. … Being up on the podium, I’ve never really been here before so I haven’t had much experience, so being up in the front racing it’s just awesome.”
Cassandra Cole of Westbrook was third.
“I was just sitting behind [Anderson and Houghton] waiting for them to slip up. I think I maybe I had the car to win, but I didn’t want to wreck myself trying.”
Friday’s race card was halted by rain after two features were completed. Nine laps of the scheduled 20-lap Street Stock race was run before the rains brought the event to a halt, forcing postponement of the Lu-Mac’s Package Store / WTD Logistics Limited Late Model 30 and the 40-lap SK Modified feature. The Lu-Mac’s Package Store / WTD Logistics Limited Late Model 30 will be made on a date to be determined. Josh Wood won the 30-lap Late Model feature.
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Congrats to Sami Anderson! Great run by her. Well deserved. Houghton had a great car. I think the 24 might of cost him a great chance at a pass from the inside lane in the closing laps. Qualifying is very important in the lights. One of the best races of the year at Stafford