Duranti Begins 34th Speedbowl Season
Waterford, CT — Be it selling hotdogs or driving racecars, Rich Duranti has been spending his summers at Waterford Speedbowl for 33 years. The hometown boy, a Late Model competitor, will be on hand when the Speedbowl opens the season April 12-13 with the 12th annual Budweiser Modified Nationals.
Highlighted by the $20,000 SK-150, the weekend also includes the Speedbowl’s Sportsman, Mini Stocks and Legends divisions. The NEMA Midgets, NEMA Lites, Legends, AllStar Race Trucks, Pro4 Modifieds, and Allison Legacy Cars are part of a busy agenda as well.
“Sometimes it’s hard to believe how long I been there” states the Quaker Hill. resident. “It all started when I was just a kid, about eight-years old. I picked up trash for the original track owners after watching the races. It then progressed to running the hot dog booth.”
He put-together a 55’ Chevy and started racing in the Sportsman class when he turned 18. “Since I was a little guy, I’d really wanted to race, and that old Chevy got me out there,” he continues. “It was a humble beginning, but it was a blast just like I’d imagined all those years.”
Duranti is the consummate “low-bucker”. Working with fewer resources than most of his contemporaries, his modest operation gets the job done. It’s rare, if ever, that the team misses an event.
“We’re a small family-operation,” he says. “My wife Pat has been my biggest supporter over the years. She’s been involved since we were high-school sweethearts. Our daughter Stacy is the spotter and does a heck of a job. My nephew Josh Vlvan and Keith Buttermore also contribute.”
The operation gets help from Par Four Restaurant, Benvenuti Oil, and Local 2705 Union and picked-up Handyman Dan this season.
Duranti is looking forward to the 2008 campaign, and says that his team is in the “best shape it’s ever been.” He will run just a Late Model this year after a couple seasons trying to run both a SK-Modified and Late Model. With two cars at his disposal, Duranti is excited about the potential of the primary car.
“We’re in great shape with good equipment,” he says. “It’s a former Allen Coates championship car constructed by Flash Rodgers. The motor was built by Larry’s Auto Machine, and needless to say, it’s got a lot more power than my usual homegrown efforts. I think we’ve got a pretty good shot at some top-finishes in 2008. We’re also building an X-Car for Stacy, so it’s going to a busy season.”
The SK “has a lot of Speedbowl history” and the new owners plan on running it with a vintage club. It had been campaigned by, among others, the Gada family and Rod Tulba in the 80’s. “It’s not often that you see an Escort-bodied modified anymore,” says Duranti. “We’re happy that it went to a good home.”
Sources: Dave Dykes/Waterford Speedbowl PR