Mr. Rooter Racing Team Celebrates Success Filled Season On State Short Tracks

Vin Beedle

Vin Beedle

With Keith Rocco joining his stable of racers for the 2014 season, Mr. Rooter Racing team owner Vin Beedle knew expectations for success would be on the rise for his organization for the season.

But even he was surprised just how big that success was during the 2014 season across the three NASCAR Whelen All-American Series short tracks in Connecticut.

Overall, Beedle’s Mr. Rooter Racing team recorded 48 victories and three championships.

“I would consider the year we had to have been far better than we had expected,” Beedle said. “We had a lot of wins, we had championships and we saw improvements with every team.”

At the Waterford Speedbowl, drivers in Beedle’s SK Modified stable won 14 of 23 events run in 2014. Rocco led the way for the team with 11 victories, nine second place finishes and one third in 23 races at the track. Of the two events he finished off the podium, one included an Aug. 9 event that saw him take the checkered in first place on the track only to be penalized after the event for overaggressive driving on the final circuit.

Rocco ran away with the track’s SK Modified division championship.

“I think he’s going to go down in the history books as one of the best drivers in New England history,” Beedle said. “What he brought to our other drivers was confidence. He mentored our guys, from Ed [Puleo], to Josh [Galvin] and everybody else. That brings a lot to the table for us.”

Puleo had a breakout season in the SK Modified division at Waterford. He grabbed his first career SK Modified victory in the season opening event on April 5, his second win on June 21 and closed out the season by winning at Finale Weekend on Oct. 5. He ended up third in the division standings, two points behind second place Craig Lutz.

“Eddie stepped up to the plate and performed,” Beedle said. “The year before [2013] didn’t quite live up to expectations, but Eddie took the challenge of coming back and he delivered. He was fully, 100 percent focused and it was a great year.”

In the Street Stock division at Waterford it was another Mr. Rooter Racing team car running away with a championship in dominating fashion. Josh Galvin scored his first title in the division in a season that saw him record 11 victories in 24 events.

“Josh finished the last two years second place,” Beedle said. “Josh matured into a better driver this year. He put a lot more thought into what he was doing on the track and the decisions that went into wanting to win. I think two years of being second place was enough for him to take. He wanted that championship, we talked about it all year, and he kept grounded on it. He did an unbelievable job.”

Zac Thomas won the X-Car division as part of the Speedbowl’s Wacky Wednesday program to give the organization it’s third championship at the track in 2014.

The team also had three victories with Shawn Monahan in the Limited Sportsman division at Thompson Speedway in 2014.

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