Rocco returns to SK Modified Victory Lane in exciting fashion; Paul, Hovey, Bellisle and Logan round out winners
Waterford, CT — Beautiful weather graced Speedbowl fans enjoying Saturday night’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing program. Keith Rocco of Wallingford outdueled Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry in a thrilling SK Modified® finish while Jeff Paul of Groton captured his first career Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model checkered flag. Walt Hovey of Chaplin was a winner in the Street Stocks, with Louis Bellisle of Griswold taking the Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock race. Massachusetts native James Logan was the winner of the visiting Allison Legacy Series event.
The 35-lap SK Modified® race had trouble getting underway with two false starts for cars suffering mechanical woes, however when racing began Glen Pressell III used his pole starting position to take the race lead over Tom Abele. The field behind jockeyed for position with Kyle James emerging third, Rob Janovic Jr. into fourth and Rocco to fifth in the opening five laps. A gaggle of cars raced behind including Tucker Reynolds, Todd Ceravolo, Diego Monahan, Doug Coby, Tyler Chadwick and Ron Yuhas among others. That pack diced for position with Ceravolo lightning his way through to join the top five on lap 9.
Ceravolo immediately jumped outside Rocco for fifth, using the outside lane to ultimately pass by the entire top five in impressive fashion to become the new race leader on lap 14. Rocco, Janovic and Abele followed suit using the outside lane to clear Pressell once Ceravolo was out front. Caution finally slowed the action on lap 15 for a spin at the back of the field.
[Photo Gallery] by Adam Fohlin
Ceravolo bolted out to the lead over Rocco when racing resumed. James dropped from the top from contention when his car began smoking heavily, retiring to the infield just past halfway. Janovic and Abele sat third and fourth behind the top two with the best battle on the speedway for fifth position as Pressell fended off both Chadwick and Yuhas. That action heated up, resulting in Pressell going around in front of the field off turn four on lap 26 to bring out the caution flag. Contact sent several pit side including Pressell and Yuhas with flat tires and Jeff Pearl for rear end damage. Joe Perry was towed from the scene and was done for the night.
The top three raced single file following the caution with Chadwick coming through to fourth and Monahan to fifth as the race hit five laps remaining. Abele spun into turn three battling for sixth with Shawn Solomito and Coby to bring out caution on lap 31 and set up the wild finish.
Ceravolo held his lead on the restart, but Janovic took second from Rocco. The final caution flew for Solomito who made contact with the frontstretch wall and slowed, setting up the pivotal final restart. With the green in the air Ceravolo kept Janovic at bay to his outside, but it was Rocco who bolted inside the leaders down the front chute to turn one. Rocco raced to the inside of Ceravolo with the pair battling hard for the win. There was no shortage of excitement over the final two circuits with sparks between the two racing for the win. Ceravolo slipped in turn one of the final lap to the outside of Rocco, enabling Rocco to go on to the checkered flag. Coby steered through all the action over the final laps to score second, with Yuhas coming back for third. Ceravolo ended up fourth with Chadwick fifth.
Paul took the lead at the drop of the green flag in the 30-lap Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature race, leaving behind a battle for second between Vin Esposito and Joe Curioso. Esposito took that spot leaving Curioso in the clutches of Rich Staskowski who would move ahead into third. Jason Palmer and Tim Jordan also found their way by Curioso by lap 5 to occupy the top five positions. Palmer then challenged Staskowksi for third, trying for three laps to find the bite on the bottom of the track to take the spot away before finally doing so on lap 10. Jordan, the point leader, slipped under Staskowski for fourth bringing Jeff Smith with him into fifth.
Out front Paul was unchallenged through halfway. Esposito was a car length back in second, with Jordan beginning to look for a way around Palmer. Paul slowly increased his advantage to three cars as the race stayed caution free and closed to under ten laps remaining. Jordan found opportunity to shoot into third when Palmer slipped up out of turn four, which also enabled Smith to move by into fourth.
Jordan quickly closed in on Esposito for second after clearing Palmer. He looked to the high side, sailing into turn one with an impressive move to overtake Esposito as the field worked lap 27. He had just three laps to try and catch the leader, but Paul would not be denied his first win in the division. Paul regularly competes in the track’s SK Modified division®. Jordan was second, with Smith, Esposito and Palmer completing the top five.
Nate Appell started from the pole in the 25-lap Street Stock feature and raced out to the early lead. Hovey, the point leader, came from third to take the top spot from Appell on lap 3. Appell slipped back to second, but only momentarily as last week’s winner Norm Sears was on the move early and found himself working through the top five to pass by Appell for second on lap 5. Appell held third over Ed Gertsch Jr. and Josh Galvin over the first half of the race.
At halfway, Sears had closed to within a car length of Hovey. Galvin and Appell were locked in a battle for third, with Steve Barrett holding down fifth. Galvin cleared Appell on lap 14, allowing Barrett and Ed Puleo to power under Appell to make up the top five by lap 15. Puleo went around the outside of Barrett a lap later, with his radar set to Galvin ahead in third.
At the front Hovey’s car length advantage over Sears was gone as the race stayed green and the laps counted off. Sears applied pressure to Hovey’s rear bumper seeking his second straight win. Hovey made a great save off turn four on lap 21 after slight contact from Sears. Sears dove outside Hovey but he was able to hold off the outside challenge to move back out front. Hovey drove to his second win of the season just a week following a hard crash knocked him from the event. Sears was second well ahead of Galvin in third. Puleo and defending champion Brandon Plemons rounded out the top five.
The 25-lap Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock event saw the sparks fly on lap 1 when several cars came together exiting turn two. Nick Pappacoda led the early laps once racing settled in. Bellisle was in striking distance early, coming from his third starting position to the race lead on lap 6. Behind, Sean Caron moved up to second. Caron and Chris Williams came together battling for the spot entering turn one on lap 12, with Caron’s machine coming to rest on the infield between turns one and two to bring out caution.
Bellisle had company at the front over the second half of the race by point leader Danny Field. Field had moved up to second but was unable to pull alongside the veteran Bellisle. He went on to the win over Field, Williams, Ben Bargnesi and Ken Cassidy Jr.
Saturday 7/31 Results and standings:
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (35-laps): 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford; 2. Doug Coby, Milford; 3. Ron Yuhas Jr., Groton; 4. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry; 5. Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 6. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 7. Joe Gada, Salem; 8. Adam Gada, Bozrah; 9. Tucker Reynolds Jr., Westbrook; 10. Jeff Pearl, Salem; 11. Mike Sweeney, Meriden; 12. Glenn Pressell III, Gales Ferry; 13. Tom Abele Jr., Norwich; 14. Jeffrey Gallup, Agawam, MA; 15. James Monahan, Quaker Hill; 16. Shawn Solomito, Islip, NY; 17. Jimmy Smith, Woodstock; 18. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford; 19. Joe Perry, Ashaway, RI; 20. Kyle James, Ashaway, RI; 21. Jeffrey Paul, Ledyard.
Standings after fifteen events (top-ten): 1. Rocco, 706; 2. Yuhas Jr., 683; 3. Chadwick, 587; 4. Janovic Jr., 584; 5. Paul, 549; 6. Pearl, 492; 7. J. Gada, 450; 8. Abele Jr., 432; 9. Monahan, 428; 10. Perry, 396
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models (30-laps): 1. Jeffrey Paul, Ledyard; 2. Tim Jordan, Plainfield; 3. Jeff Smith, Old Lyme; 4. Vin Esposito, Seymour; 5. Jason Palmer, Berlin; 6. Richard Staskowski, Hope Valley, RI; 7. Ernie Bertrand, North Branford; 8. Brian Andronaco Jr., Wilton; 9. Joe Curioso, Mystic; 10. Richard Duranti, Quaker Hill; 11. Allen Coates, Ledyard
Standings after nine events (top-ten): 1. Jordan, 429; 2. Smith, 407; 3. Esposito, 381; 4. Staskowski, 364; 5. Palmer, 360; 6. Bertrand, 356; 7. Paul, 341; 8. Andronaco Jr., 329; 9. Bruce Thomas Jr., 316; 10. Dennis Botticello, 310
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (25-laps): 1. Walter Hovey Jr., Chaplin; 2. Norm Sears, Andover; 3. Josh Galvin, Franklin; 4. Ed Puleo, Branford; 5. Brandon Plemons, Uncasville; 6. Nate Appell, Westbrook; 7. Al Stone III, New Haven; 8. Steve Barrett, Preston; 9. Ed Gertsch Jr., East Haven; 10. Kevin Talbot, Moosup; 11. Gregory Moran Jr., Preston; 12. Paul Gaedeke, Southington; 13. Scott Young, Willimantic; 14. Christopher Meyer, North Franklin
Standings after fifteen events (top-ten): 1. Hovey, 686; 2. Stone, 636; 3. Puleo, 630; 4. Sears, 600; 5. Plemons, 591; 6. Galvin, 568; 7. Barrett, 532; 8. Meyer, 507; 9. Oldham, 469; T-10. Appell, 448; T-10. Moran, 448
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks (25-laps): 1. Louie Bellisle III, Griswold; 2. Danny Field, Deep River; 3. Chris Williams, Waterford; 4. Ben Bargnesi; 5. Kenneth Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 6. Bill Leonard, Wood River Jct, RI; 7. Sean Caron, East Hampton; 8. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford; 9. Ian Brew, Wood River Jct, RI; 10. Greg Moran Sr., Preston; 11. Jeffrey Cembruch, Wallingford; 12. Steve Violette, Canterbury; 13. Christina Kellerman, Stratford; 14. Ronnie Young, Plainfield; 15. Dale Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 16. Mark Panaroni, Ivoryton; 17. Ray Christian III, Noank
Standings after fifteen events (top-ten): 1. D. Field, 695; 2. Cassidy, 684; 3. Caron, 635; 4. Bellisle, 571; 5. Williams, 525; 6. Brew, 523; 7. Moran, 496; 8. Charles Canfield, 442; 9. Violette, 428; 10. Pappacoda, 380
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR