NWMT: Rocco to Drive Spring Sizzler for Our
Keith Rocco of Wallingford, CT will drive the No. 22 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car for Chris Our in the NAPA Spring Sizzler at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway this weekend. Driver Tommy Barrett, Jr. was suspended for violating the team’s “Code of Conduct policy.
“I think it should be a good run,” Rocco said. “Stafford’s definitely one of my better tracks and Brad (Lafontaine) and Northeast Race Cars and Bill Colton at Troyer Chassis, they’ve got the best stuff out there right now and hopefully we can showcase it.”
“I think things will click very well. I get along great with Brad and Chris Our seems like a great guy, easy to talk to and hopefully things work out.”
“I feel bad for Tommy (Barrett). Everybody makes mistakes in life and you never think of the consequences. … Hopefully everybody can put it behind them.”
The 2012 NWMT Rookie of the Year is open to additional races with Our. He has never run the series full-time. His best finish is third in the 2012 Spring Sizzler. “I think I’d give my right arm to be able to run some races for them.”
The 30-year-old driver brings a healthy résumé to the table, including the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship and two Stafford SK Modified® championships.
Rocco practiced his new No. 88 Troyer racecar at Stafford on Saturday. The John Rufrano car was prepared by Northeast Race Cars and Parts in Pascoag, RI. Northeast houses the Our Motorsport team’s cars. Barrett was scheduled to drive Rocco’s backup car this weekend, but the car was not ready.
“The car was absolutely awesome, very happy with it in practice. But practice to the race is another story, so we’ll really be able to have the verdict come Sunday about 2 o’clock.”
Rocco is two wins shy of a milestone 50th victory at the state’s oldest track. He won his first race in 2005 on the 1/2 mile oval and has averaged 5 wins per year in nine winning seasons.
“50 is a big number for wins at one racetrack. Hopefully, we can get that done here within the first four or five weeks.”
Regulars include NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers like Justin Bonsignore, nine-time track champion Ted Christopher, Rowan Pennink, and 2011 champion Ryan Preece.
“I would put Stafford’s SK Modified division up against any track in the country as far as the stiffest competition around.”
Rocco will have another busy season with a full-time SK Modified effort at New London-Waterford (CT) Speedbowl, Stafford and Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park. Rocco will defend his Late Model crown at New London-Waterford, and enter all the Valenti Modified Racing Series races in Connecticut. He will run the Northeast Race Cars and Parts Tri-Track Open Modified Series (except Monadnock) in his former No. 88 Thompson car. American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model events are being considered, but Rocco admitted “it’s tough. We got a lot of things going on.”
New London-Waterford was purchased last year by Bruce Bemer and will have its NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season opener May 2.
“I don’t think anybody is going to take this for granted anymore. In the past years, people may have taken the Speedbowl for granted, but I think now everybody is going to have a much better outlook on the place.”
Rocco finished second in the 75-lap Sunoco Modified feature April 12. He was driving his father-in-law’s (Todd Ceravolo) familiar No. 16 car and led most of the race at Thompson until a broken spark plug with 5 laps to go.
“Everybody said that Preece was able to save his tires and run me down, but with 5 laps to go we broke a spark plug and I thought we had such a lead I thought we might actually be able to hold on, but we weren’t able to do that.”
Rocco initially drove the car in the Valenti Modified Racing Series (VMRS) at Lee (NH) USA Speedway last fall.
“We get along great and have a lot of fun together. We went there in the last MRS race there at Lee and we had a blast and the history goes back to my father driving for ‘Dickie Doo’ (Ceravolo), so it’s pretty cool.
Thompson is running 7 events this season with 2-point deductions per position. Thompson is also awarding points for heat races, which Rocco supports. “It’s hard to get any kind of jump on the points or make up any ground, so this is good.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com