WATERFORD – A little more than 24 hours after surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist and fractured radial bone, Keith Rocco will return to competition at the Waterford Speedbowl, albeit in a likely very abbreviated capacity.
Keith Rocco
Rocco will start the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature tonight and pull off the track after the first caution. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader Doug Coby will then take over the seat for Rocco and finish the event.
Rocco, as the driver of record in the car, will earn any track or NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points based on the eventual finish of the car.
Rocco currently sits at the top of the SK Modified division standings at Waterford – 12 points ahead of Tyler Chadwick – and he is second nationally in the Whelen All-American Series standings.
“I’m racing for wins,” said Rocco, of Wallingford. “When the [national] stats come up on Tuesday it will say Keith Rocco with a win.”
Speedbowl racing director Scott Tapley approved Rocco starting the event but said Rocco will also have to be in the car for his heat race.
Rocco, sporting a nearly arms length cast, said he isn’t worried about driving the physically.
“It isn’t any different from when my shoulder was dislocated,” said Rocco, who competed last year a week after sustaining a dislocated left shoulder. “I use more of my right hand to drive the car. I’m just going to start in high gear and I’m going to be far enough away from everybody else that it isn’t going to matter. It’s going to be like driving down [Interstate] 84 on the way home. I’ll come in [when the caution comes out] and we’ll see what Coby can scavenge out of it. Just hoping for the best.”
Rocco, who owns the team he competes for at Stafford is a confident car owner when it comes to Coby behind the wheel. Coby, of Milford, has won four of the seven Whelen Modified Tour events this year, including Friday night’s Stafford 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
“Doug is a good driver,” Rocco said. “As much as I like to break his balls, his head is swelled pretty bit lately with all these wins, so hopefully it can swell a little more and get one more win. As a car owner, he’s the guy I wanted to pick. There’s other guys I can pick, but Coby is aggressive, but he’s a clean driver and he’ll keep the wheels on it. I’ve kind of got to look at it from an owner’s perspective too.”
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