Rocco takes SK-100; Thomas, Puleo and Caron score 50-lap wins; Coates and Flannery 25-lap winners
Waterford, CT — Waterford Speedbowl hosted the mid-season Speedbowl.com 300 on Saturday, an extra-distance extravaganza for its NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions. In total, fans were treated to six divisions and 300 laps of feature racing. Keith Rocco of Wallingford nailed his seventh track win of the year in the SK Modifieds®, Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton returned to the winner’s circle in the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, while it was Ed Puleo of Branford and Sean Caron of East Hampton each scoring their third win of the year in the Street Stock and Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock races. Allen Coates of Ledyard continued his mastery of the A.B. CDL Driver Training Center Truck division and Anthony Flannery topped the Legends Cars field once again.
Rocco’s fast lap in qualifying landed him the pole starting position for the 100-lap SK Modified® race. He spent lap one battling with Ron Yuhas Jr. before taking control. Yuhas tucked into second with Rob Janovic Jr. and Tyler Chadwick battling for third, with Jeff Paul racing in fifth position to set the early running order. After three laps Chadwick tucked in behind Janovic content to ride out the early laps. Further back, Todd Ceravolo and Tom Abele Jr. battled for sixth. The first caution waved on lap 12 when Frank Mucciacciaro Jr. spun off the front chute.
Rocco led again when six more laps were clicked off before Tucker Reynolds Jr. spun in turn one. Moments earlier Ceravolo’s night came to an end when he pulled his car off the pace, mechanical failure again the culprit in a season filled with misfortune for the former track champion. Two more restarts slowed the pace over the first third of the event.
The running order was jostled following a lap 40 restart. Chadwick advanced by both Yuhas and Janovic to race his way into second position behind Rocco. Paul was third, with Yuhas back to fourth and Abele rounding out the new top five. They raced nose to tail as the race reached halfway at lap 50. Caution on lap 53 for a turn four incident between Jeff Gallup and Reynolds halted any change in running order of the new lead pack.
Rocco again got the restart advantage by turn one. Chadwick spent two laps outside Paul who challenged for second spot to his inside, but Chadwick hung on to the position. Paul continued in third with Abele taking fourth from Yuhas. Gallup spun exiting turn four on lap 66 to put the field back under yellow one final time.
Paul again challenged the inside of Chadwick when racing went back to green, enabling Rocco to get away out front. The two drivers raced hard for second with Paul finally taking the spot on lap 73. Chadwick pulled in behind, with Yuhas and Janovic in fourth and fifth position behind. Rocco’s lead on lap 80 was five car lengths over Paul.
Rocco ran a smooth pace over the final 20 circuits to win by eight car lengths, his seventh Speedbowl checkered flag of the season. Paul finished second holding off the advances of Chadwick. Yuhas finished in fourth with Janovic fifth.
Jason Palmer led lap one of a 50-lapper for the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model race but had both Tim Jordan and Thomas hot on his tail from the drop of the green flag. Jordan powered outside Palmer to take the lead on lap two. Thomas followed that move a lap later to take second, with Vin Esposito challenging Palmer for third. Marc Curtis rounded out the top five in the opening circuits as the race settled in to rhythm.
At the front, Jordan held a two length advantage over Thomas. Palmer began coming on stronger and distanced himself from Esposito, chasing back after Thomas in second. Rich Staskowski made his way under Curtis on lap 15 to enter the top five, dropping Curtis to sixth ahead of Ernie Bertrand. Staskowski then began to close in on Esposito for fourth as the race moved past halfway and remained under the green flag.
Jordan continued to keep the tandem of Thomas and Palmer at bay to remain in control. While trying to track down the leader, Thomas momentarily got out of shape in turn two on lap 32. He was able to maintain his spot, but at the expense of losing ground on the leader. Thomas set his sights back on running down Jordan after keeping Palmer in check. Just as the race appeared headed for a clean finish, the only caution flag of the race came out on lap 48 when Bertrand spun in turn four. That set up a restart with two laps remaining between Thomas and Jordan, the division’s most successful drivers of the last four seasons.
With the green flag in the air, heartbreak set in on Jordan when he was the victim of a right rear tire going down, allowing Thomas to take over. Jordan struggled into turn one causing the field behind to bottleneck and bring out caution with cars spinning. Jordan headed to the pits to change his soft tire and would resume at the tail of the lead lap cars.
Thomas used a great restart to cruise to his third straight victory in the mid-season extra-distance event. Curtis had moved to second but trouble in turn three of the final lap sent his car spinning around. Palmer was able to snake by the Curtis car to take second, his best finish in the division. Last week’s winner Jeff Smith finished third ahead of Bertrand and Esposito who both steered clear of the trouble in turn three.
Puleo got a great start on the initial green flag in the 50-lap Street Stock race to take command. Norm Sears wasted no time testing Puleo at the front over the first six laps. The first caution flag waved on lap-6 when Nate Appell spun into turn one and collected Ronnie Oldham Jr., momentarily sending his car airborne.
Puleo got the jump on the restart but Sears continued as a threat to his lead. Sears dove inside on lap-7, edging ahead to lead lap-8 with Puleo remaining to his outside. Puleo was able to hang tough and ultimately reclaimed the lead on lap-10. Mark Cooper raced third behind the battle up front. Josh Galvin was fourth and Al Stone III fifth over the first third of the event.
Stone pulled out of line to race his way inside Galvin for fourth on lap-17. Stone was able to gain in the corners but Galvin’s horsepower on the straightaway enabled him to hold down the spot. The race continued under green flag past halfway when handling on Galvin’s machine started to go away, dropping him back from fourth through the top ten. Caution waved again on lap-30 when Walt Hovey Jr., in contention to challenge Galvin, spun between turns three and four also collecting Chris Meyer.
Puleo continued to lead on the restart with Cooper taking second from Sears. Both Stone and Galvin were also able to get by Sears as he slipped back. Brandon Plemons brought out caution on lap 34, with Sears bringing his car to the pits for adjustments during the stoppage. The next restart brought Stone to second behind Puleo, with Hovey rebounding from his earlier trouble to come up to third place over Galvin as Cooper got bounced out of the racing groove losing several positions. Behind them, Sears and Plemons were also back on the move, advancing up to challenge Galvin for fourth. Plemons spun again in turn two on lap 40 to slow the pace.
Puleo raced out to a five car length advantage on the restart. Stone won a torrid battle for second over Hovey and Sears. Puleo persevered over the final laps to win his third race of the season. Stone was second, Hovey rebounded from early trouble to finish third, with Moran fourth and Sears fifth.
Caron backed up his fast time trial effort by jumping to the early lead of the 50-lap Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock feature. Caution on lap 2 slowed the action when Christina Kellerman spun off the front stretch. Caron was able to hold the lead through three early caution flags within the opening nine-laps of the race.
Mark Panaroni challenged Caron on the next restart, staying glued to Caron’s outside door for three laps before Caron was able to move back out front. Danny Field and Ken Cassidy Jr. battled for third position behind, spending several laps locked in their battle. Bill Leonard rounded out the top five positions through lap 15. Cassidy claimed possession of third on lap 16 and the top five singled out, leaving battles further back through the field.
At the front Panaroni shadowed Caron’s every move as the race reached the halfway point. Those two were able to pace the race, stretching out their advantage over third by nearly a straightaway. Field moved back in on Cassidy for the third position, racing underneath him and the pair again battled side-by-side for several laps.
Field finally got the best of Cassidy on lap 37 after nearly 30-laps of great action from the two veteran competitors of the division. Caron and Panaroni were well ahead, but the two leaders raced within a car length of one another as the race reached 10 laps remaining. Panaroni picked up the intensity over the final five laps trying to make a move to the outside lane, but Caron was too strong to overcome. He picked up his third win on the season over Panaroni who ran strong all race to finish second. Field maintained his point lead with a third place finish, with Cassidy and Leonard completing the top five.
Coates jumped out to the lead at the start of the 25-lap A.B. CDL Driver Training Center Truck race. Gee Perry was second while a battle between Howard Payne and Chris Correll for third picked up seven laps in. Payne won that battle and Bill Leonard moved in to challenge Correll for fourth. Leonard took that spot before caution fell on lap 13 when Corey Coates lost an engine.
On the restart contact behind Coates sent the field scrambling. Several were collected including Perry, John Warren and Leonard with each pitting for repairs. Coates got the jump over Payne on the restart and went on to his 77th career Speedbowl victory. Payne maintained second position over the remaining laps to score the runner-up finish. Perry rebounded from the early trouble to climb back to finish third with Correll and Leonard also coming back nicely to complete the top five.
The 25-lap Legends Cars race saw Anthony Flannery lead from his pole starting position through caution on lap four. On the restart, massive trouble broke out headed down the backstretch. Dana Dimatteo and Flannery came together with Flannery losing control of his machine, spinning around with several cars becoming collected and making heavy contact in turn three. Nick Ladyga, Angelo Belsito, Jake Spillers, Alessandro Vitelli, Kyle Rogers, Troy Talman and Joe Bavolacco were all eliminated. Flannery and others pitted for repair and resumed at the rear.
The running order for the restart had George Whitney and Ed Field on the front row. Whitney took control over Field, with Giovanni Giarratana moving up to third. Caution for debris on lap 10 set up a restart for Giarratana to take the lead from Whitney with an inside move. Flannery was able to race his way back through the field to second. He got to Giarratana on lap 12, and pulled out of line looking underneath for the lead. He was unable to complete that move with Giarratana moving back ahead. Flannery then challenged him again on lap 14 and the pair raced side-by-side in a dead heat for the lead for three laps when Flannery was able to take the lead on lap 16. Giarratana’s car burst into flame on lap 20 racing into turn one bringing out the red flag.
With Giarratana eliminated, Flannery went on to his 13th consecutive win. Dimatteo finished second with Dave Garbo Jr., Field and Michael Blaskey completing the top five.
Saturday 7/3 Results and standings:
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (100-laps): 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford; 2. Jeffrey Paul, Ledyard; 3. Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 4. Ron Yuhas Jr., Groton; 5. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 6. Tom Abele Jr., Norwich; 7. Joe Gada, Salem; 8. Kyle James, Ashaway, RI: 9. Tucker Reynolds Jr., Westbrook; 10. Joe Perry, Ashaway, RI; 11. Jeff Pearl, Salem; 12. Adam Gada, Bozrah; 13. Diego Monahan, Quaker Hill; 14. Mike Sweeney, Middletown; 15. Glenn Pressell III, Gales Ferry; 16. Jeffrey Gallup, Agawam, MA; 17. Corey Hutchings, Salem; 18. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford; 19. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale; 20. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry; DNS – Paul Varricchio Sr., Meriden
Standings after twelve events (top-ten): 1. Rocco, 571; 2. Yuhas, 547; 3. Janovic, 480;
4. Chadwick, 454; 5. Paul, 451; 6. Pearl, 395; 7. Monahan, 376; 8. Abele, 370; 9. Dennis Charette, 336; 10. Perry, 326
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models (50-laps):
1. Bruce Thomas Jr., Groton; 2. Jason Palmer, Berlin; 3. Jeff Smith, Old Lyme; 4. Ernie Bertrand, North Branford; 5. Vin Esposito, Seymour; 6. Joe Curioso, Mystic; 7. Tim Jordan, Plainfield; 8. Richard Staskowski, Hope Valley, RI; 9. Dennis Botticello, Suffield; 10. Marc Curtis, Worcester, MA; 11. Brian Andronaco Jr, Wilton; 12. Jeffrey Paul, Ledyard; 13. Mark Hudson, Norton, MA; 14. Larry Goss, North Windham; 15. Richard Duranti, Quaker Hill.
Time Trial Results: 1. Palmer, 15.216; 2. Jordan, 15.229; 3. Thomas, 15.347; 4. Curtis, 15.441; 5. Esposito, 15.467; 6. Staskowski, 15.490; 7. Curioso, 15.498; 8. Bertrand, 15.521; 9. Andronaco, 15.525; 10. Smith, 15.543
Standings after seven events (top-ten): 1. Jordan, 326; 2. Smith, 313; 3. Esposito, 295;
4. Thomas, 286; 5. Botticello, 284; 6. Palmer, 280; 7. Staskowski, 278; 8. Bertrand, 274;
9. Andronaco, 257; 10. Paul, 252
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (50-laps): 1. Ed Puleo, Branford; 2. Al Stone III, New Haven; 3. Walt Hovey Jr., Chaplin; 4. Gregory Moran Jr., Preston; 5. Norm Sears, Andover; 6. Mark Cooper, Northford; 7. Josh Galvin, Franklin; 8. Kevin Talbot, Moosup; 9. John Bercham, West Greenwich, RI; 10. Brandon Plemons, Uncasville; 11. Phil Evans, Uncasville; 12. Matthew Doyon, Salem; 13. Steve Barrett, Preston; 14. Nate Appell, Westbrook; 15. Christopher Meyer, North Franklin; 16. Ronald Oldham Jr., Westbrook.
Time Trial Results: 1. Puleo, 17.413; 2. Sears, 17.423; 3. Cooper, 17.440; 4. Stone, 17.461; 5. Moran, 17.463; 6. Hovey, 17.466; 7. Plemons, 17.477; 8. Oldham, 17.501, 9. Barrett, 17.511; 10. Evans, 17.604
Standings after twelve events (top-ten): 1. Hovey, 555; 2. Stone, 508; 3. Puleo, 505; 4. Galvin, 482; 5. Plemons, 473; 6. Barrett, 458; 7. Sears, 453; 8. Oldham, 425; 9. Meyer, 411; 10. Appell, 342
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks (50-laps): 1. Sean Caron, East Hampton; 2. Mark Panaroni, Ivoryton; 3. Danny Field, Deep River; 4. Kenneth Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 5. Bill Leonard, Wood River Jct, RI; 6. Louie Bellisle III, Griswold; 7. Ian Brew, Wood River Jct., RI; 8. Ray Christian III, Noank; 9. Charles Canfield, New Haven; 10. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford; 11. Greg Moran Sr., Preston; 12. Chris Williams, Waterford; 13. Steve Violette, Canterbury; 14. Alan Hall Jr., North Haven; 15. Dale Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 16. John Kelly, New London; 17. Jeffrey Cembruch, Wallingford; 18. Al Stone III, New Haven; 19. Christina Kellerman, Stratford.
Time Trial Results: 1. Caron, 17.517; 2. Panaroni, 17.586; 3. Leonard, 17.590; 4. Field, 17.616; 5. Cassidy, 17.630; 6. Bellisle, 17.718; 7. Canfield, 17.725; 8. Pappacoda, 17.778; 9. Christian, 17.807; 10. Williams, 17.825
Standings after twelve events (top-ten): 1. D. Field, 554; 2. Cassidy, 541; 3. Caron, 519;
4. Bellisle, 432; 5. Brew, 401; 6. Williams, 399; 7. Canfield, 394; 8. Moran, 398; 9. Violette, 380; 10. Christian, 290
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series A.B. CDL Driver Training Center Trucks (25-laps): ABCDL Truck Results: 1. Allen Coates, Ledyard; 2. Howard Payne, Shelton; 3. Gee Perry, Granby; 4. Christopher Correll, Old Lyme; 5. Bill Leonard, Wood River Jct, RI; 6. Keith Chapman, Mystic; 7. Doug Dunleavy Jr., Bridgewater, MA; 8. John Warren, Chicopee, MA; 9. Corey Coates, Ledyard
Time Trials Results: 1. A. Coates, 16.712; 2. Leonard, 16.770; 3. Chapman, 16.776; 4. Payne, 16.786; 5. Perry, 16.792; 6. Correll, 16.915; 7. Warren, 16.942;8. Dunleavy, 17.340; 9. C. Coates, 19.756
Standings after seven events (top-ten): 1. A. Coates, 360; 2. Payne, 329; 3. Leonard, 282;
4. C. Coates, 242; 5. Warren, 194; 6. Correll, 190; 7. Keith Rocco, 156; 8. Chapman, 128;
9. Greg Butler Jr., 126; 10. Harold Burdick, 116
Legends Cars (25-laps):. 1. Anthony Flannery, East Hampton, 2. Dana DiMatteo, Farmington; 3. David Garbo Jr, Stonington; 4. Edward Field, Deep River; 5. Michael Blaskey, Bethany; 6. Carl Bohn, Waterford; 7. Dylan Izzo, Monroe; 8. George Whitney, Westbrook, 9. Joey Campbell, Berlin; 10. Ben Erlandson, Fort Sill, OK; 11. Giovanni Giarratana, Newington; 12. Matt Cavanaugh, East Hampton; 13. Alessandro Vitelli, Woodbridge; 14. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury; 15. Joey Mucciacciaro, Wolcott; 16. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 17. Troy Talman, Oxford, MA; 18. Angelo Belsito, Auburn, MA; 19. Joe Bavolacco, Stratford
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR