Rocco, Field & Coates Repeat Winners; Oldham & Giarratana Score Waterford Victories
Waterford, CT — Waterford Speedbowl opened its Saturday night NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program with an exciting five division race program. Repeat winners were the story of the night as multiple competitors carried momentum from last weekend’s Budweiser Blastoff opener into week two. Keith Rocco took a hard fought SK Modified win® while Dan Field and Allen Coates repeated in the Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock and Truck divisions respectively. Other winners were Ronnie Oldham Jr. in the Street Stocks and Giovanni Giarratana in the Legends Cars.
The 24-car SK Modified® field was led to green by Tom Abele Jr. and Mike Sweeney. Abele, of Norwich, took the lead at the drop of the green flag. Newcomer to the division Kyle James moved into second and former Legends Car track champion Mark Bakaj settled into third. The first caution waved on lap eight when Sweeney bobbled in turn two, putting moisture onto the track. Todd Ceravolo had been steadily progressing through the competitive field when he lost an engine just as the yellow flag waved, eliminating him from the competition.
Abele resumed at the front on the restart. Bakaj, from Lebanon, moved past James to second as the field completed lap nine and immediately looked inside the leader on lap 10. Bakaj couldn’t make that move stick and the second caution came out for Glenn Pressell III who crashed into the turn four wall before another lap could be completed.
[Photo Gallery] by Adam Fohlin
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Bakaj and Abele drag raced to turn one when racing went back green, and Bakaj had the handling in the outside groove to stay with Abele and power ahead to lead lap 11. The action intensified behind with Abele second, James third, and Rocco and Justin Gaydosh racing hard in a battle for fourth. Rocco began to make his presence felt in the event, eventually winning the tussle for fourth and brought Ron Yuhas Jr. into the top five as Yuhas jumped outside Gaydosh and quickly disposed of him for the fifth position.
At halfway, Bakaj had stretched his lead over Abele in second. Rocco turned up the pressure on James for third. He completed a move to take third a lap later and set his sights on Abele. Rocco took the position with an inside move on lap 19. One lap later Yuhas tangled with James battling for fourth sending both cars to a rest against the wall in turn three to draw caution.
Rocco got the best of Bakaj on the restart using the ‘Bowl’s very capable outside lane. He was the new leader when the race hit lap 21. His lead grew as a heated battle for the second spot was underway between Bakaj, Gaydosh, Rob Janovic Jr. and Jeff Paul who had emerged into the top five. Gaydosh edged ahead of Bakaj in the inside lane after a couple lap battle. Tyler Chadwick added himself to the pack waiting for a lane to open. That action was halted when caution waved with four laps to go to set up the final restart.
Rocco nailed it and went on to his second straight win to start the season. Gaydosh hung on for second, Janovic took third, Bakaj ran up front all night to finish fourth and Jeff Paul rounded out the top five.
The 25-lap Street Stock race got started with pole-sitter Jack Aquilina of Oakdale leading through lap eight when Oldham moved inside to take command. Josh Galvin looked strong early, first moving past Aquilina for second on lap nine and then challenging Oldham inside for the race lead. Galvin, from Uncasville, became the third leader of the race just after halfway on lap 14.
Galvin pulled away until a heart-breaking mechanical failure set in on his car on lap 22. He slowed, yielding the lead back to Oldham who went on to win the caution free and cleanly competed event. Barrett rebounded from a hard crash a week ago to finish second and Hovey, defending champion Brandon Plemons and 2008 champion Al Stone III rounded out the top five.
Coates, from Ledyard, raced his way to a second straight win in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Truck feature, hanging on through two restarts to take his 73rd career Speedbowl win. He bested a field that put on a competitive race for the podium. John Warren, Bill Leonard, Howard Payne and Speedbowl veteran Brad Caddick completed the top five finishers.
The Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks started the night off with a great 25-lap main event. Ray Christian III of Preston moved out to the race lead and opened up a five car length advantage in the early going. Three time and defending division champion Dan Field closed in on lap 10, reaching and making contact with Christian’s back bumper off turn two. Christian held on but Field, from Deep River, pounced outside the leader a lap later down the backstretch. After a one lap side by side battle, Field edged ahead to take command at the front. He pulled out to a commanding lead as the race stayed under green until the first caution waved on lap 21.
Field mastered two restarts to checker his second straight event to start the season. Sean Caron of Hartford looked strong to claim second at the stripe. Greg Moran Sr., also of Preston, moved into third at the finish. New Haven competitor Charles Canfield was fourth and veteran Nick Pappacoda of North Branford finished fifth. The win was Field’s 25th career in the Mini Stocks, good to move him into a tie for the division’s all-time wins list.
Tom Gray of Sprague was the early leader in the 20-lap Legends Car main event. He led through two cautions before Anthony Flannery moved out front with a strong move. Shaun Buffington of Plainfield was also impressive in the early going and sat close in the third position when the race’s third caution flag came out just before halfway.
Flannery, of East Hampton, powered back to the lead over Gray when racing resumed. Buffington moved to second, racing in the tire tracks of Flannery waiting for the young racer to make a mistake. The pair stretched out to a straightaway lead over a developing battle for third as Gray held off a hard charging Giovanni Giarratana and Alessandro Vitelli. Caution waved with just two laps remaining setting the stage for a wild finish.
Trouble broke out mid-pack on the restart, collecting several competitors as the green flag waved. As that action unfolded on the front stretch, the lead two of Flannery and Buffington tangled entering turn one sending both cars spinning into the wall, eliminating both.
Giarratana, from Newington, used the outside lane on the final restart to pick up his first career victory at the track in impressive fashion. He pitted before the green flag and drove a great race to come through the field. Gray was second, Vitelli placed third, Nick Ladyga was fourth and Ed Field completed the top five.
The Speedbowl returns with another five division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing event next Saturday, April 10. The five division program gets underway with qualifying at 5:30pm and main events at 7:00pm. The SK Modifieds® lead the way with another 35-lap race with several drivers looking to stop Keith Rocco’s early season run. The Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks and New England Champ Kart series join the action, which gets started with qualifying at 5:30pm. More information including a detailed schedule is available at www.speedbowl.com
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds (35 laps): 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford; 2. Justin Gaydosh, Newtown; 3. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 4. Mark Bakaj, Lebanon; 5. Jeff Paul, Groton; 6. Ron Yuhas Jr., Groton; 7. Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 8. Joe Perry, Ashaway, RI; 9. Diego Monahan, Quaker Hill; 10. Tom Abele Jr., Norwich; 11. Dennis Charette, Southington; 12. Joe Curioso, Pawcatuck; 13. Mike Finkeldey, Clinton; 14. Kyle James, Ashaway, RI; 15. Shawn Solomito, Islip, NY; 16. Jeffrey Gallup, Agawam, MA; 17. Dean Christensen, Granby; 18. Mike Sweeney, Middletown; 19. Joe Gada, Salem; 20. John Montesanto, East Hartford; 21. Jeff Pearl, Salem; 22. Glenn Pressell III, Gales Ferry; 23. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry; 24. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (25 laps): 1. Ron Oldham Jr., Old Saybrook; 2. Steve Barrett, Preston; 3. Walt Hovey Jr., Chaplin; 4. Brandon Plemons, Uncasville; 5. Al Stone III, New Haven; 6. Jim Procaccini, Trumbull; 7. Nate Appell, Westbrook; 8. Jack Aquilina, Oakdale; 9. Ed Puleo, Branford; 10. Phil Evans, Uncasville; 11. Chris Meyer, N. Franklin; 12. Norm Sears, Broad Brook; 13. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; 14. Josh Galvin, Uncasville; 15. Chris Kvaka, Stratford; 16. Mark Cooper, Northford; 17. Scott Young, Willimantic; 18. Mathew Burr, Quaker Hill
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Trucks (25 laps): 1. Allen Coates, Ledyard; 2. John Warren, Chicopee, MA; 3. Bill Leonard, Wood River Jct, RI; 4. Howard Payne, Shelton; 5. Brad Caddick, New London; 6. Scott Gregory, Westbrook; 7. Greg Butler Jr., East Hampton; 8. Doug Dunleavy Jr., Brookfield; 9. Chris Correll, Old Lyme; 10. Gee Perry, Granby; DNS – Corey Coates, Ledyard
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mini Stocks (25 laps): 1. Dan Field, Deep River; 2. Sean Caron, Hartford; 3. Greg Moran Sr., Preston; 4. Charles Canfield, New Haven; 5. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford; 6. Ken Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 7. Ken Lyke III, Orange; 8. Steve Violette, Canterbury; 9. Chris Williams, Niantic; 10. John Kelly, Norwich; 11. Jeff Mehlenbacher, Groton; 12. Alan Hall Jr., North Haven; 13. Christina Cunliffe, Stratford; 14. Doug Curry, Groton; 15. Ian Brew, Wood River Jct., RI; DNS – Ben Bargnesi, Norwich; DNS – Louis Bellisle III, Lisbon; DQ – Ray Christian III, Preston
Legends Cars (25 laps): 1. Giovanni Giarratana, Newington; 2. Tom Gray, Sprague; 3. Alessandro Vitelli, Woodbridge; 4. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 5. Ed Field, Deep River; 6. Dave Garbo Jr., Stonington; 7. Joe Bavolacco, Stratford; 8. Joey Campbell, N/A; 9. William Munro, North Branford; 10. Joey Mucciacciaro, Wolcott; 11. Carl Blandina, Milford; 12. Anthony Flannery, East Hampton; 13. Shaun Buffington, Plainfield; 14. Angelo Belsito, Auburn, MA; 15. Dana Dimatteo, Farmington; 16. Dylan Izzo, Monroe; 17. Peter Cirilli, Farmington; 18. Jake Spillers, Ashburnham, MA; 19. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury; DNS – Troy Talman, Oxford
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR