Rocco Scores Third Win at Waterford; Sears, Williams, Payne & Flannery Get First Wins
Waterford, CT — An entertaining night of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing took place at Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night. Keith Rocco returned to Victory Lane to score his third SK Modified® win of the year in just four events. Norm Sears was a first time winner in the Street Stocks and Chris Williams won for the first time in nearly a year in the Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks. Howard Payne was the victor in the A.B. CDL Training Center Trucks and it was Anthony Flannery taking the win for the Legends Cars.
The SK Modifieds® rebounded from two weeks ago with an exciting 35-lap race. Kyle James raced to the early lead of the event over Tom Abele Jr. and Diego Monahan. On lap seven the first caution flag of the event waved on lap seven when Tyler Chadwick tangled with Todd Ceravolo in turn two sending both cars spinning.
On the restart James prevailed over Abele, but Monahan began turning up the heat. He moved inside and past Abele and pressured the newcomer to the division for the race lead. James countered with his own moves to thwart off Monahan’s challenges. Meanwhile Jeff Paul was looking strong and moved into third. Further back, Rocco and Ron Yuhas Jr. were mired in traffic battling at the back half of the top ten.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Monahan was able to muster his way by James for the lead with a strong move to the inside on lap 8. Paul was trying to make some noise, looking for a way around James while holding off Abele. The heated action continued for several laps before boiling over on lap 15. James shut the door on an outside move by Paul exiting turn four. Paul made contact with the concrete barrier on the front stretch and regained control, but the move jostled the field behind. By turn two the Paul machine faltered further, collecting Chadwick who had been working his way back through the field. Ceravolo had nowhere to go and made heavy contact with Chadwick, bringing out a red flag situation. All drivers were ok following the incident.
Monahan resumed his position at the front for the lap 15 restart. Dennis Charette was having his best run of the young season and moved into second position over Abele. Rocco restarted in sixth but quickly worked his way to third and closed on Charette’s bumper. Jeff Pearl had advanced to fourth and Yuhas rounded out the top five as the field race to halfway.
Rocco sized up Charette for second and looked outside on lap 20. He made the move stick and found himself in position to challenge the leader. Jeff Pearl followed suit to make it a three car race at the front.
Rocco looked both high and low trying to break Monahan’s rhythm, to no avail. Pearl seized opportunity when Rocco looked low and jumped outside to challenge for second. Monahan had his hands full as now Pearl challenged for the race lead from the outside when caution waved behind the leaders on lap 24.
Rocco retained second position for the restart with Pearl third. Rocco powered past the outside of Monahan when the race resumed through turns one and two to become the third leader of the event as the field completed lap 25. The race stayed green and Rocco pulled out to a comfortable advantage. Pearl worked over Monahan and made an inside move down the back chute to take second on lap 31. Monahan held on for third at the checkered. Yuhas finished in fourth and Charette fifth.
The Street Stocks kicked off the program with veterans Jack Aquilina and Jim Procaccini tussling for the top spot. Their battle reached fever pitch with Aquilina bobbling in the low groove, collecting his machine but taking both he and Procaccini up the track into turn four. Norm Sears, Al Stone III, Josh Galvin and defending champion Brandon Plemons were the beneficiaries, moving by to slide into the top four positions.
The race stayed caution free through halfway before the first caution waved for debris, resulting in a brief interruption to the great double file racing action.
On the restart contact in the top four sent Al Stone III momentarily sideways in turn one, slowing his momentum along with Galvin and Plemons. All recovered to stay green after the contact with Walt Hovey and Steve Barrett moving by to give chase to Sears. Hovey challenged Sears on the outside for a lap before the newcomer gathered himself and slowly began to pull out to a four car length lead.
Sears went on to his first career ‘Bowl win over Hovey, Barrett, Ed Puleo and Procaccini who rounded out the top five finishers. The race was yet another highly competitive and entertaining 25-lap event for the Street Stocks.
The 25-lap Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock race was another barn burner. A field of drivers hungry to stop Danny Field’s three race win streak took the green flag and immediately went to work. Bumper tag off turn one of the first circuit saw Louis Bellisle get bounced off the track down the back chute to bring out caution on lap one.
Williams was in control at the front when racing resumed. Greg Moran Sr. raced in second but got crossed up off turn four on lap three and bobbled down the front stretch in front of a tight field of cars. He spun, collecting Charles Canfield and Ray Christian III directly behind, blocking the track into turns one and two. Several cars were collected including Field.
Williams continued to lead as the laps clicked away in rapid fire from that point. He led over newcomer Steve Violette and past champion Ken Cassidy Jr. Cassidy took second on lap 10 with Mark Panaroni behind and they set sight on Williams who had built up a comfortable advantage. Field was making steady progress back through, reaching the top five on lap 16. Cassidy and Panaroni reached Williams and began to look for a way by when the third caution waved on lap 18.
Williams nailed the restart, however the Panaroni machine didn’t come up to speed. He retired moving Field up to third. Cassidy and Field raced the final circuits nose to tail behind Williams. While it looked as though they were waiting to make their move, neither could break out of line to challenge and they would finish in tight formation under the checkered flag. Bellisle rebounded for third and Glenn Colvin was fifth in his first start of the year.
The A.B. CDL Training Center Truck division was paced by a special vehicle in the parade laps, an 18-wheel tractor trailer to the delight of the Speedbowl crowd. Corey Coates led the division to the green flag for the 25-lap race, but it was veteran driver Brad Caddick taking over the race lead in the early going. Payne moved into second and made his way past Caddick for the lead on lap 6. Allen Coates reached the top five by lap eight looking poised to continue his win streak in the division. Bill Leonard moved to second behind Payne and Allen Coates to third before halfway when both the Caddick and Coates trucks began to show signs of mechanical failure. Caution waved when a stranded Allen Coates machine stalled in turn four with just two laps remaining.Payne got a great restart over Leonard in a two lap shootout. Greg Butler moved in under Leonard to challenge for the second spot. Keith Chapman looked to make it a three truck battle for the spot as they reached turn three of the final lap. Contact sent the field behind Payne scattering. Payne crossed the stripe as the winner, with Chapman emerging battered to take second. Dan Butler was third, Corey Coates fourth and John Warren finished in fifth after getting collected in the incident.
The Legends Cars main event saw several young and upcoming drivers at the track do battle in a hotly contested affair, battling for the top five positions throughout the 20-lap race. Teenager Dave Garbo emerged as the leader in the early laps after a three wide battle broke out off turn one of lap one. The field sorted out in the early laps and Flannery used that time to make headway. He moved in to the top three by lap seven and raced inside veteran Ed Field for second on lap eight. Behind Garbo, Flannery, Field, Dana Dimatteo, Alessandro Vitelli and Shaun Buffington were among those jockeying for position, looking to be contenders for the podium finishing spots as the first half of the event stayed caution free.
Flannery reached Garbo and pressured for the lead. He finally darted outside Garbo and used the long way around to move into the race lead on lap 11. Action further back in the top five saw Vitelli pass Field to fourth, bringing Buffington with him into the top five. Buffington went around the outside of Vitelli on lap 13. The first caution of the race came out on lap 14 when Dimatteo and Garbo got together battling for second coming off turn four. They both spun and collected others, eliminating both of their great runs.
The running order for the restart pitted Flannery against Buffington. Vitelli was third, Field fourth and Giovanni Giarratana in fifth. Flannery got the advantage on the restart. The drivers were all up on the wheel in the closing laps trying to advance their position, but that is how the field would finish at the checkered flag.
The next event for the Waterford Speedbowl is Scout Night next Saturday. The ‘Bowl welcomes fans and scouts of all ages for a five division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program. In addition to the SK Modifieds®, the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, Street Stocks, Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks and the Bandolero’s will see race action. Qualifying begins at 5:00pm and main events begin at 7:00pm. Speedbowl fans are encouraged to bring used eyeglasses and cell phones to help the Scouts collect them for needy groups. A donation bin will be set up on the Speedbowl midway.
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (35 laps): 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford; 2. Jeff Pearl, Salem; 3. Diego Monahan, Quaker Hill; 4. Ron Yuhas Jr., Groton; 5. Dennis Charette, Southington; 6. Tom Abele Jr., Norwich; 7. Justin Gaydosh, Newtown; 8. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 9. Mike Finkeldey, Clinton; 10. Joe Gada, Salem; 11. Glenn Pressell III, Gales Ferry; 12. Joe Perry, Ashaway, RI; 13. Kyle James, Ashaway, RI; 14. Mike Sweeney, Middletown; 15. Adam Gada, Bozrah; 16. Jeffrey Gallup, Agawam, MA; 17. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford; 18. Jeff Paul, Ledyard; 19. Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 20. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry; 21. Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
Standings after four events (top-ten): 1. Rocco, 193; 2. Yuhas, 183; 3. Gaydosh, 162; 4. Janovic, 158; 5. Monahan, 144; 6. Chadwick, 140; 7.(tie) Charette, Finkeldey, 138; 9. Paul 116; 10. Pearl, 110
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (25 laps): 1. Norm Sears, Broad Brook; 2. Walt Hovey Jr., Chaplin; 3. Steve Barrett, Preston; 4. Ed Puleo, Branford; 5. Jim Procaccini, Trumbull; 6. Ronnie Oldham Jr., Old Saybrook; 7. Josh Galvin, Uncasville; 8. Brandon Plemons, Uncasville; 9. Jack Aquilina, Oakdale; 10. Al Stone III, New Haven; 11. Chris Meyer, North Franklin; 12. Sean Curtis, Stonington; 13. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; 14. Phil Evans, Uncasville; 15. Scott Young, Willimantic; 16. Nate Appell, Westbrook; 17. Ray Downing, Clinton
Standings after four events (top-ten): 1. Hovey, 190; 2. Sears, 169; 3. Stone, 164; 4.(tie) Plemons, Barrett, 162; 6. Puleo, 161; 7. Procaccini, 156; 8. Oldham, 151; 9. Galvin, 149; 10. Aquilina, 126
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks (25 laps): 1. Chris Williams, Waterford; 2. Ken Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 3. Dan Field, Deep River; 4. Louis Bellisle, Griswold; 5. Glenn Colvin, Clinton; 6. Steve Violette, Canterbury; 7. Ian Brew, Wood River Jct.; 8. Jeff Mehlenbacher, Groton; 9. John Kelly, Norwich; 10. Sean Caron, East Hampton; 11. Ken Lyke III, Orange; 12. Ben Bargnesi, Norwich; 13. Jeff Cembruch, Wallingford; 14. Doug Curry, Groton; 15. Mark Panaroni, Ivoryton; 16. Alan Hall Jr., North Haven; 17. Ryan Cipows, Seymour; 18. Greg Moran Sr., Preston; 19. Charles Canfield, New Haven; 20. Ray Christian III, Noank; 21. Bo Norman, Clinton
Standings after four events (top-ten): 1. Field, 211; 2. Cassidy, 180; 3. Caron, 156; 4. Williams, 153; 5.(tie) Violette, Mehlenbacher, 140; 7. Bellisle, 132; 8. Moran, 128; 9. Canfield, 120; 10. Nick Pappacoda, 106
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series A.B. CDL Driver Training Center Trucks (25 laps): 1. Howard Payne, Shelton; 2. Keith Chapman, Mystic; 3. Dan Butler, Manchester; 4. Corey Coates, Ledyard; 5. John Warren, Chicopee; 6. Greg Butler Jr., East Hampton; 7. Bill Leonard, Wood River Jct., RI; 8. James Wray, Mystic; 9. Jonathon Zoller, Ayer, MA; 10. Brad Caddick, New London; 11. Allen Coates, Ledyard; 12. Keith Rocco, Wallingford; 13. Chris Correll, Old Lyme; DNS – Gee Perry, Granby
Standings after three events (top-ten): 1. Payne, 141; 2. A. Coates, 140; 3. G. Butler, 126; 4. Warren, 116; 5. Leonard, 112; 6. Correll, 106; 7. Caddick, 104; 8. Chapman, 88; 9. Scott Gregory, 84; 10. C. Coates, 78
Legends Cars (20 laps): 1. Anthony Flannery, East Hampton; 2. Shaun Buffington, Plainfield; 3. Alessando Vitelli, Woodbridge; 4. Ed Field, Deep River; 5. Giovanni Giarratana, Newington; 6. Carl Blandina, Milford; 7. Michael Blaskey, Bethany; 8. Thomas Gray, Sprague; 9. William Munro, North Branford; 10. Jake Spillers, Ashburnham, MA; 11. Dylan Izzo, Monroe; 12. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 13. Angelo Belsito, Auburn, MA; 14. Joey Campbell, Berlin; 15. Joey Mucciacciaro, Wolcott; 16. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury; 17. Dana Dimatteo, Farmington; 18. Dave Garbo Jr., Stonington; 19. Troy Talman, Oxford, MA; 20. Joe Bavolacco, Stratford; 21. Peter Cirilli, Farmington
Standings after three events (top-ten): 1. Giarratana, 145; 2. Vitelli, 128; 3. Flannery, 125; 4. Buffington, 120; 5. Blandina, 104; 6. Munro, 96; 7.(tie) Field, Gray, 90; 9. Belsito, 82; 10.(tie) Ladyga, Dimatteo, Bavolacco, 80