Keith Rocco (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
WATERFORD – Once again back is the incredible …
On June 27 Keith Rocco was forced to miss the racing at the New London Waterford Speedbowl because of a conflict with a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.
Saturday the Wallingford driver brought things right back to normal in Waterford.
Normal of course being Rocco populating victory lane regularly.
Early during Saturday’s racing card at Waterford Rocco picked up his 200th career short track victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature.
He wasted no time in jumping in that number up one more.
Rocco held off Ted Christopher to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at the New London Waterford Speedbowl.
It was the fifth victory in eight SK Modified starts this year at Waterford for Rocco.
“It was a lot of restarts toward the end and of course [Christopher] had to be second and put the pressure on,” Rocco said. “He might be up there in age, but man he can still make me sweat. It’s not even the restarts. You look at the lap times between me and Ted and it’s like we’re driving the same exact car. It’s a race to the front between me and him and tonight we beat him to the front.”
Christopher, of Plainville, was second and Joey Gada of Salem third.
Rocco went by Tyler Chadwick for the lead with 25 laps remaining and never trailed again, through Christopher put the pressure on him over the final 18 laps.
“I think a lot of it is whoever gets to the front first,” Christopher said. “The lanes, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Once we get [the front] it’s a lot of fun racing. It was good tonight.”
A big crowd and great weather, a terrific night at The Bowl. The SK feature had too many restarts but it was still a fun race.