Keith Rocco Looking To Collect Third Consecutive Coors Light SK Modified® 100 Trophy At Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — With the SK Modified® division hitting the track for the 38th Annual Coors Light SK Modified® 100 this Friday night at Stafford, one driver that will be looking forward to the extra distance classic is Keith Rocco. Rocco has won the last two Coors Light SK Modified® 100 events and will look to take home the winner’s trophy and the $2,600 check that goes along with it for the third consecutive season.
“We know we’ll be in contention for the win,” said Rocco. “The cards are going to be stacked against us this year with the handicapping since we’ve won the last two races.”
The last driver other than Rocco to win the Coors Light SK Modified® 100 was Ted Christopher in 2008. Christopher has won the 100-lapper at Stafford four times and Rocco and Christopher have been the combination to watch at Stafford during the last 2 100-lap events. In 2009, they swapped the lead 7 times over the final 35 laps of the race with Rocco beating Christopher to the checkered flag. Last year’s Coors Light SK Modified® 100 saw Rocco and Christopher swap the lead 15 times before Rocco went in front for good on lap-68. Christopher finished last year’s race in third as Woody Pitkat finished second behind Rocco. Rocco is hoping for more of the same when the green flag falls on this year’s 100-lap classic and he is looking to take home the fat winner’s check of $2,600.
“It’s absolutely fun for me in the car,” said Rocco. “As you’re going along, you’re almost smiling and laughing as you’re racing for the lead. Hopefully we can put on another good show for the fans like we have with Teddy the last couple years. I’m sure that Ryan [Preece] is going to be there for sure and hopefully we can come out on top again. Those checks are always nice for the big races, they help us out a lot.”
With the race distance of 100 green flag laps, the Coors Light SK Modified® 100 equates to two and a half times the normal SK Modified® distance of 40 gren flag laps, but Rocco says that he and his team prepare the car just as if they were racing a normal feature distance.
“We really don’t do anything different with the car,” said Rocco. “Our car is really balanced and it stays consistent throughout the race. The first 50 laps or so, you take what you can get and then you try to go racing for the last 50 laps. The key to winning the race is to be there at the end of the race. Racing with Teddy last year we used the car up a little, but we had plenty of car left for the end of the race.”
Rocco has won the last two Coors Light SK Modified® 100 events at Stafford and he comes into tonight’s event as the winner of the last two SK Modified® feature events after nearly destroying his car in a heat race crash on May 20th. “The car is back to where it was before we crashed it,” said Rocco. “Brad LaFontaine from NorthEast Race Cars did a great job putting it back together and I can’t thank him and my team enough for all their hard work on the car.”
Tickets for the 38th Annual Coors Light SK Modified® 100 are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $18.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $20.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 38th Annual Coors Light SK Modified® 100, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR