Getting On Track: Chris Meyer Scores First Late Model Win Of 2025 At Stafford 

STAFFORD – Over the first eight events of the 2025 season the highlights of the season for Late Model driver Chris Meyer had been three fifth place finishes. 

Friday Meyer and his team came to the track just looking to see some improvement from the struggles. 

They found that improvement in a big way. 

Meyer held on through a green-white-checkered finish to win the 30-lap Late Model feature at Stafford. 

“We just wanted to get our program on track, we didn’t think we were going to win tonight,” Meyer said. 

It was the fourth career Late Model win at Stafford for Meyer, of North Franklin and his first since July 5, 2024. 

“At one point in time I never thought I’d say I ever had a Late Model win, nevermind a late Model start,” Meyer said. “Adversity. Like my dad just said, he just kept telling me to go faster, and that worked. These guys have worked so hard on this car. We’ve struggled this year. I haven’t driven my best. A lot of new guys on the team, a lot of turnover, but everyone has worked so hard. I can’t thank all those guys enough.

“… I think it shows what being a respectful racer gets you. We’ve struggled all year, but I try to race respectfully all the time no matter what and I got the same thing in return from every one of the guys I race with. Kudos to those guys. I love racing this class, love this division. Thanks for racing me clean guys.” 

Bobby Stirk of Naugatuck weaved through a last lap melee in turns three and four to finish second. 

On the final lap Alexandra Fearn got by third place running Paul Varricchio Jr. for third and got a run on second place Andrew Durand coming off turn two. Heading into turn three, contact between Durand and Fearn sent both cars spinning and also collected Varricchio. 

“I kind of peaked my nose out from the inside of Varricchio, trying to get underneath him and everybody else just started stacking up,” Stirk said. “I really don’t know who got into who. I was going to get in the wreck. I believe it was [Bryan Narducci] got into me, I have no clue who got me, but they pushed me in the perfect spot and I just weaseled right through.” 

Narducci, of Colchester, finished third in his second career start in the division. Narducci was filling in for division regular Josh Wood. 

“For my second ever Late Model race, a podium is a like a win,” Narducci said. “… It’s my second week driving for them and hopefully we can do a couple more while Josh is at work and maybe we can be up there a couple spots better.” 

After the event Stirk was disqualified for an illegal carburetor, moving Narducci to second place and Tom Fearn of East Longmeadow to third place.

Meyer went by Tom Fearn for the lead on lap five. Caution flew on lap nine for the spinning car of Adon Burrell in turn two. 

Following the lap nine restart, Meyer checked out from second place Tom Fearn, leaving him to battle with Durand. 

Durand moved past Tom Fearn for second on lap 15 with Darrell Keane following the lane to third and Varricchio to fourth. Varricchio got past Keane for third on lap 16. 

Varricchio found the way past Durand for second on lap 19, but by then Meyer had opened up a three second lead on the field. 

By lap 25 Varricchio had cut Meyer’s lead in half. With Varricchio having cut the Meyer lead down to one second, Kevin Gambacorta ended up in the turn three wall to bring out caution on lap 29. 

On the lap 29 restart, Meyer was able to get the jump at the front with Varricchio losing second place to Durand.