Welcome Back Gift: Keith Rocco Gives Late Model Team Owner Victory In Return To Waterford

WATERFORD – The Late Model championship at the Waterford Speedbowl was wrapped up by Keith Rocco with a victory on Sept. 21.

Keith Rocco

But it didn’t mean there wasn’t still some burning incentive for the Wallingford driver to grab victory in the division Saturday night.

Call it the win gift wrapped with a bow on top for his team owner Scott Fearn.

Rocco passed Jason Palmer on lap 18 and never trailed again on the way to victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature at Waterford. It was the fourth consecutive Late Model victory for Rocco at the shoreline oval and his 11th in the division this year.

And it proved a perfect return for Fearn, who had been barred from attending events at the Speedbowl since April because of an ongoing court case involving an altercation in the pits at the track early in the season.

The case was settled earlier this week and Fearn’s banishment from the track was lifted.

“I really had to win for Scott Fearn,” Rocco said. “He’s missed about 17 or 18 weeks so I had to make up for those races that he’s missed.”

Palmer held on for second and Jeff Smith of Old Lyme was third.

It was the 21st victory of the season overall at Waterford for Rocco who also competes regularly in the SK Modified division and is chasing the track record of 23 wins in one season.

“We just come out here every week with an awesome car that’s prepared really good in the shop and we get success with it,” Rocco said.