Tyler Chadwick rolls into victory lane Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl (Photo: Mark Caise/Waterford Speedbowl)
WATERFORD – There was a time a few years ago when battles on the track between Tyler Chadwick and Keith Rocco often lead to flying spark, bent parts and angry words.
Though these days it seems the biggest winners when the two pair up at the front of the field at the Waterford Speedbowl are the fans in the grandstands.
Saturday night fans were treated to another feisty but clean showdown between the two with Chadwick coming out on top of the 35-lap NASCAR All-American Series SK Modified feature at the Waterford Speedbowl.
It was the first victory of the season for Chadwick, of Ledyard. Rocco, of Wallingford, was second and Rob Janovic Jr. of Waterford third.
Chadwick used the outside lane to go by Jeffrey Gallup for the lead with 24 laps left. With 16 laps remaining Rocco was there hounding Chadwick’s bumper and looking for a lane on the outside.
Rocco spent the final 15 laps looking for a way around Chadwick, with no success.
“It was fun,” Chadwick said. “It’s nerve wracking and fun at the same time. It’s always a blast when you’re out front and you’re racing somebody like Keith who you can trust. You can race as hard as you possibly can and know you’re not in danger of wrecking stuff. That’s what makes it more fun.
“I knew if I could just keep the car on the bottom we were going to beat him off the corner every time. There wasn’t a ton of grip on the outside. My car was a little tight, but it kept getting better. I knew if I just kept plugging away and stick to the bottom and don’t slip up, we were just getting better and better as the race went on.”
Rocco now has two seconds and a victory in three SK Modified races at Waterford.
“Tyler ran a good race,” Rocco said. “He kept the car right on the bottom and when I got to the top he took just enough lane away to mess me up.”
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