Joey Gada celebrates victory Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl (Photo: Mark Caise/Waterford Speedbowl)
WATERFORD – The early season bad luck in the SK Modified division at the Waterford Speedbowl had Joey Gada arriving at the track Saturday with a pretty simple goal.
“All I’ve wanted to do is finish this year, just finish a race without being wrecked or spun out or anything like that,” Gada said. “Just finishing was the goal tonight.”
And the goal was met, in style.
Gada started on the pole and led every lap to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl.
It was the first victory of the season and second overall in the division for Gada, of Salem.
Ed Puleo of North Branford chased Gada to the line in second and Keith Rocco of Wallingford was third.
“It’s incredible right now,” Gada said. “Every race I’ve felt like I’ve had a car to win, every single one. And something always happens, whether it’s electrical or bad luck or getting taken out. The circumstances that have come up have been incredible this year. In the beginning of the year all I wanted to do was finish races and I haven’t been able to capitalize on any of them so this is incredible.”
Puleo stalked all over Gada for the final 10 laps, but couldn’t find a lane around him.
“I just wanted to keep the bottom at the end because I lost my brakes with probably five or six [laps] to go and I had nothing,” Gada said. “The thing was right to the floor. So I was just rolling it in nice and easy.”
Said Puleo: “I don’t think I could have got by him without wrecking him. I took some chances, but I just didn’t want to wreck him, especially after last week with what went on. I guess we’ll take it. … I can’t thank my guys enough, we brought a great car here. To be disappointed to finish second, that’s how good this car was.”
It marked the first time in six SK Modified events this season at Waterford that Rocco didn’t finish first or second.
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