This Friday night, September 4th will see Stafford Speedway’s Late Model division take to the track for its biggest race of the season, the Paradiso Insurance Late Model 50. Chris Meyer and the #87 Casella Waste / Mayday Oil team are the defending champions of the Paradiso LM 50 and they are looking forward to trying to go back to back in the extra distance event.
“We have the same outlook that we’ve had for the last 5 or 6 races this season,” said Meyer. “A win in this race would be huge for us. With the season we’re having, to get our third win of the season in the 50-lapper would just keep getting us closer to our end goal of winning the championship. We always want to win races but the only thing we really care about is winning that championship.”
One thing that will assist Meyer as he chases after a second consecutive extra distance victory is the fact that his #87 car might not start out as quick as the rest of the competition, but he has a good long run car that should come in handy as the Late Model cars race an extra 20 laps versus a normal Friday night.
“We really look forward to this race,” said Meyer. “I’ve always been better in the longer races and now I have a car that fits the longer runs. We’re actually trying to find a way to get our car to come a little earlier than it has been. We feel like we’re a late bloomer in the races where we don’t quite fire off as good as some of the other cars do to start, but midway through the race we’ve been able to pass a lot of cars. I’m looking forward to the extra 20 laps because that’s extra time that I’ll need to seal the deal. We’re pretty excited about the race.”
Another victory in the Paradiso Insurance LM 50 would certainly boost Meyer and his team as they have their sights set on winning the Late Model track championship at season’s end. Meyer has shaved his deficit from 22 points behind Adam Gray to just 10 points going into the Paradiso LM 50 over the last four events and he will be looking to continue that trend as there will only be three races left in the 2026 season after the completion of the Paradiso 50-laper.
“Our mindset is to score as many points as we can,” said Meyer. “We want to win the 50-lapper like we did last year but we’re also trying to make it out of there with as many points as we can. I think we’ve finished in front of Adam the last 4 races in a row and this race pays the same amount of points as a normal 30-lap race does. We want to take that big cool check home again and put it next to the one we have from last year in the garage and we think we have a good enough car to win the race. We want to win the race, but at the same time I’d rather finish second and pick up 10 points on Adam than win the race and only gain 2 points.”
Of the top-5 cars in the Late Model standings going into the Paradiso Insurance LM 50, Meyer is one of 4 drivers who have won the 50-lap race in a previous season with Kevin Gambacorta the only driver who has yet to taste an extra distance victory. Meyer says that Paradiso Insurance LM 50 is sure to bring the same intensity that the Late Model division has delivered throughout the 2026 season.
“I think you’ll see the same intensity in this race that we’ve seen all season long,” said Meyer. “I know I’m not going to turn down the wick and Adam and the other guys won’t be turning the wick down either. Adam hasn’t become a four-time champion by accident and there’s going to be a lot of intensity to get the job done. Another win in this race would show everyone that we’re a team that can rise to the occasion and not just luck into winning a big race.”
The Paradiso Insurance LM 50 takes the green flag this Friday, September 4th. The Late Models will be joined by all four of Stafford’s other weekly divisions in regular feature action.
