Gada takes second SK Modified win of season; Botticello takes Late Models – Hovey, Coates, Brew also win
Waterford, CT — On a chilly late summer night, the Waterford Speedbowl hosted Cystic Fibrosis Night and completed its NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race program with a first time winner and great battles in all the divisions taking center stage. Dennis Gada returned to victory lane in the SK Modifieds and Dennis Botticello ended a lengthy hiatus to Speedbowl Victory Lane in the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models. Walt Hovey Jr. won his fourth Street Stock event of the year, Allen Coates checkered his seventh NEATV Truck Series race, and Ian Brew won his first ever Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock race.
After the pre-race Cystic Fibrosis festivities, seven-time Speedbowl champion Dennis Gada of Salem used his pole starting spot to move to the SK Modified race lead when the green flag came out. Jeff Pearl, also of Salem, moved to second with Rob Janovic Jr. of Waterford in third. Tyler Chadwick moved inside Jeffrey Paul for fourth on lap six. Contact in turn one of lap 15 left Glenn Pressell III of Gales Ferry slowing to bring out the first caution flag.
On the restart Gada jumped out over Pearl. Janovic moved in to challenge Pearl for second on the inside. Out of turn two on lap 16, Pearl and Janovic got crossed up triggering a chain reaction behind. Pearl and Janovic were able to continue through, however several cars made contact behind drawing the second caution when they stacked up into turn three.
Gada again got out front over Pearl on the restart. Pearl began to look for a way around Gada. Janovic raced third and Chadwick in fourth. Keith Rocco was a man on the move, pressuring Tom Abele Jr. for fifth after starting from last after a qualifying race wreck. Ron Yuhas Jr., contending for the championship with Rocco, sat in seventh. Rocco made the move inside Abele on lap 23, advancing his way to the top five.
Up front Gada opened up a one car length lead over Pearl when Joey Gada spun in turn two with seven laps remaining. The restart was more of the same. Gada, Pearl and Janovic occupied the top three spots. Rocco moved up past Chadwick and immediately set his sights on Janovic, racing outside for third when caution came out with three laps remaining for Jeff Gallup and Rich Hammann who came together.
Gada survived the final restart to go on to his second win of the year, but first since May 9. The win is his 64th career at the shoreline oval. Pearl took second and Janovic held off the challenges of Rocco for third. Chadwick completed the top five. Rocco was able to sustain his points lead over Yuhas with his finish.
The Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model field got started with teenager Jeff Smith of Old Lyme out front over Suffield’s Dennis Botticello. Points leader Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton moved to fifth driving the Jeff Miller #54 after competing in the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway earlier in the day. Caution waved on lap 13 after Larry Goss came to rest on the apron of turn one, regrouping the field.
Smith got the lead over Botticello on the restart, but Botticello sat behind waiting for opportunity to present itself. That opportunity came with 12 laps remaining as Smith slipped up in turn one. That opened the door for Botticello to dive underneath and make his way to the race lead as the pair headed down the backstretch.
Once out front, Botticello opened out to a comfortable advantage. Ernie Bertrand of North Branford moved past Smith for second with five laps to go. They raced that way to the checkered flag with Rich Staskowski of Hope Valley, Rhode Island taking the fourth spot and Larry Goss of North Windham passing Thomas for fifth. The win was Botticello’s first at the track since 2007.
Steve Barrett took the lead from his pole starting spot in the 25-lap Street Stock feature. Barrett moved out in front of Greg Moran Jr., both from Preston. Al Stone III of New Haven took third on lap three. Behind the lead trio, the field diced for track position including point leaders Brandon Plemons of Uncasville and Ronnie Oldham Jr. of Old Saybrook. The pair entered the event tied in the standings.
Up front the top three cars broke away with Barrett, Moran and Stone nose to tail. Further back Walt Hovey Jr. of Chaplin looked outside Ed Puleo of Branford for fourth. Plemons followed into fifth. The first caution waved on lap eight when Matt Burr spun exiting turn four.
Stone moved to second behind Barrett on the restart, and Hovey challenged Moran on the inside for third. The battle for third got hairy in turn three when Moran went up the hill into the marbles. After losing several positions trying to save his car, the Moran machine made contact with the frontstretch wall to bring out the second caution of the race on lap 10.
Hovey was able to get past Stone on the restart and immediately duck under Barrett for the race lead. Hovey cruised by Barrett to take over at lap 12. Plemons progressed forward on the inside, first moving past Stone and then challenging Barrett for second down low. Further back, Oldham made a three wide move under a Galvin � Stone battle for fifth. Stone got the spot while Galvin held off Oldham who fell back into the clutches of Diego Monahan for sixth. On lap 19 Galvin and Oldham got tangled together on the backstretch with Galvin hard into turn three wall to draw caution again. Oldham was able to continue.
From there, Hovey cruised to his fourth win of the season beating out Plemons and Stone. Oldham made his way past Barrett for fourth on the final lap. Barrett hung on for fifth. With the finish Plemons moves out to a four point advantage over Oldham in the points hunt. Hovey sits third just 12 points back.
“Just taking care of business” was Hovey’s sentiments after the race when asked about the points battle. “I just have to go out there for myself and not worry about those other guys and hope for the best”. Hovey chases his first points title after finishing second in the standings a year ago.
Greg Moran Sr. of Preston was out front of the 25-lap Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock field at the drop of the green flag. Moran led over Ian Brew of Wood River Junction, Rhode Island and points leader Danny Field of Deep River. Field was looking to strike early after seeing his points lead diminish in recent weeks.
Field poked underneath Brew for second on lap seven, then took a look under the race leader off turn four but couldn’t make the move stick as they raced to turn one. Brew challenged Moran on the outside and took over at the front on lap eight. Field got shuffled back behind Moran, moving last week’s winner Louis Bellisle of Lisbon into second.
The race stayed green with Field moving back to third, Bill Leonard into fourth and a pack of cars battling behind to race into the top five. Points contender Kyle James was mired in that traffic, picking his way through to emerge into sixth past Ken Cassidy Jr. on lap 20.
Meanwhile at the front, Brew was still in command. He would go on to score his first career Mini Stock win by a car length over Bellisle with Field behind in third in the green-to-checkered 25-lap race. Leonard and Mark Panaroni of Ivoryton completed the top five. With his third place finish, Danny Field accepted the bid to represent the Speedbowl at the Fall Final Mini Stock race at Stafford Motor Speedway as well as maintain control in the points hunt.
After his win, Brew was quick to praise changes to his race program over the winter. “We went with APE Engines and JMD Chassis and it really made a big step up in our program. Without them we wouldn’t be here. I also have to thank Madison Signs and my crew chief Larry Brew.”
Allen Coates of Ledyard moved outside early race leader Gee Perry of Granby on lap eight of the 25-lap NEATV Truck Series event. Perry had actually lost the lead to Shelton’s Howard Payne briefly, but Payne met misfortune on lap seven giving the lead back to Perry. Brad Caddick of Norwich moved past Perry for second on lap 15, and Greg Butler Jr. moved inside Perry a lap later to take third. Coates distanced himself from the field over the remainder of the race to win his seventh Truck race of the year and the 71st career ‘Bowl win
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR