The 2023 season at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl kicked off with a familiar name at the track joining the ranks of SK Modified winners.
Jon Puleo of Branford scored victory in the 35-lap SK Modified feature Saturday at the Speedbowl’s Blastoff event.
It was the first SK Modified win at the track for Puleo, a former SK Light Modified champion at the shoreline oval.
Puleo joined his father on the SK Modified win list at the track. Ed Puleo had three SK Modified wins at the Speedbowl.
Tim Jordan of Plainfield was second and reigning division champion Todd Owen of Somers was third.
Anthony Flannery of East Hampton and Eric Berndt of Cromwell rounded out the top-five in 18-car SK Modified feature.
Jason Palmer of Berlin won the 30-lap Late Model feature, scoring his 40th career victory in the division.
Cory DiMatteo of Farmington was second and Ray Christian III of Uncasville as third.
Nick Hovey of Chaplin topped the field in the 25-lap SK Light Modified feature.
Sami Anderson of Wolcott was second and Evan Bourgeois of East Haddam third.
Brian Norman of Clinton led the way in the 25-lap Street Stock feature.
Tony Macrino of Waterford was second and Al Stone III of Durham third.
John Bavolacco of Stratford was victorious in the 25-lap Mini Stock feature.
Christopher Garside of Groton was second and Bill Sylvia of Preston third.
Tyler Chapman of Mystic led the way in the 25-lap Truck feature. Jason Mongeon of Charlton, Mass. topped the 25-lap Legends feature.
Was Matt Buckler on the mic for Blastoff?
Rafter Fan,
No, Matt was not there.
Still cash only?
Racers getting paid?
Man fan, my sources say the drivers are definitely not getting paid. The stands and pits were not packed. The racing was not awesome. The box office was only accepting coins. And you can’t watch a top notch recap of the racing on Sid’s View… Oh and also the trucks didn’t battle for the lead side by side for almost the entire race. Idiot
Did they make any changes this year are they still selling beer do they have any of their own concessions yet.the food trucks they had there last year were good though.the beer cans were 4 dollars not bad.I know theres no tower still.
Well then Hillary your Dad is doing a great job running the place then.
What are the drivers supposed to get paid right away on that night if they win
If only there was a page on the website that could answer credit card related questions people want answers to.
So I pulled the issue of cash only and a issue with drivers getting paid in the past…. Yep made it all up….Out of thin air…. Is it true the Pred also has a petting zoo? LOL
So I guess no confirmation prior to posts Sean? Place was 3/4 full in the bleachers.Two and Three Deep In Turn One Against the Fence.Im guessing the Standing room crowd was large because you can’t see from a large section of turn one bleachers because of elevation changes done during renovation.As far as Cash only.I was told by the Lady at the Ticket window to call the track office during the week and that Sean Foster is there Daily.9 Late Models Other Divisions were decent for the Bowl.Tge Racing up Front was Good in All Divisions I felt.But it’s Clearly a Have and Have Not Scenario with Equipment.The usual suspects up Front.The Sk Feature Clean Up Debacle with Eight to go was a Killer for Owen and Jordan as Prior to the Caution It was going to be settled between those two along with Puleo.Tires Cooled and Cars went away and the last laps might as well have not been run.Very Disappointed with this Finish.Beer Trailer is the Tracks.9 Dollars for a Tallboy Can of Beer.3 Food Trucks and an Ice Cream Truck I didn’t see any Pizza I would call the prices on the High Side.Not affordable for a Family with Kids,But there is food there and Beer.Also you can bring in your own food and non alcoholic beverages.Now about Racers not being paid I owned race cars for years and typically picked up my check at the track the Following Week when signing in.I never remember ever being paid the same night ever since 1986 to last season.Dick Williams gave me cash when we destroyed our car in qualifying on his own.I also remember NOT being paid by Terry Eames.Im older now.Cant get around as good and the Track is close to home.It fills a need.If you don’t like Ownership fine.Dont Go.But I’m getting tired of misinformation and lack of fact checking on this site.Shaun please tighten it up.Yoyr slip is showing.Also Sid DiMaggio lives the place.His videos about it’s History are Accurate and his videos are well done considering it’s done on a shoestring and with volunteers.Shouldnt Allow mistruths here about the Guy.
Forgot to add.The bus is an abomination.Tires are flat on one side.It resembles the Bus from the Clint Eastwood movie The Gauntlet.Scorers Tower means nothing to me but good God do something cosmetically to make it look better.Same with the office trailer.Withbthe added seating,picnic tables these issues really stand out.I am going to call the track tomorrow regarding the Cash only situation.My bank now gives me a good package regarding interest and fees with my credit card machine at my business.I am puzzled as to why they would not explore this additional payment option as we live in a debit and credit card world.Also noticed no customer service or track security anywhere to be found.
I’m really confused now….I was there in person last night.The place was busy.I would guess Stands 3/4 Full.My opinion about the Racing in General was Good.Good Racing up Front in Every Feature.I was disappointed with a few things.Track Crew is not up to snuff Got the push truck stuck in the mud in turn one after a late caution.8 Laps to go.I watched from the turn one fence while the push truck driver buried himself trying to push Paul Buzel out of the Sippy Hole.The New Quad Guy gets it done and then the wrecker crew can’t figure out how to operate the winch on the truck to get the push truck out.About 20 minutes was wasted and they proceeded to Soak the lower groove in turn one with Debris and Water.In an even bigger debacle Announcers wrongly pointed the finger at Rob Janovic for Causin
Mark Andrews how many gummy bears did Bemer give you ? or was it Jesus juice. 3/4 full?? perhaps the pits NOT the stands.. so smaller shorter stands make it look more crowded? as the bowl always shows one hero who thinks the divebomb is going to work destroys a bunch of cars so I guess one heat race/feature next week. as for skl why bother some kids father goes out and spends more than my house trailer is worth to put his kid in a modified for what?, strictly stocks?? full on late models and then some .. and what 6 or 7 ACT style cars ?? . good thing there was a minuscule amount of food offerings .. the bathrooms haven’t changed in 50 years if I ever needed to go I have to find a log to sit over in the back pits … cash is king at the terry Eames memorial racetrack. he wrote the book. as for the scorers tower announcing booth. the quality of the building /vehicle matches the quality of the announcing.. where did they get that heap at the Graceland auction??? . best part was the national anthem ..
“But I’m getting tired of misinformation and lack of fact checking on this site.Shaun please tighten it up.”
Ooh, ooh, can I help?
Fact check #1. The name is at the top of the page. It’s not Sean nor Shaun it’s Shawn.
Doug is an example of some of the issues in this country today. Doug could offer No Facts, Examples etc…. He went with the 4th grade insult….. The word Lemming comes to mind….. and clearly the questions I asked about Cash only and drivers getting paid struck a True nerve to close to home…. I’m guessing the ones who defend him here are customers away from the track as well.
Waterford attracts the best people, as evidenced in this thread. These are all the people Trump would hire. 😝
Hey Fan man, Shawn is the benchmark for truth. The deplorable folks that post here post the fiction. Tell your fellows to tighten it up.
Me, I’m an example of what’s wrong with the country today you say. That’s quite a heavy burden to carry indeed. Thank goodness I’m only an example and there are other lemmingoid’s in addition to myself.
No facts you say. Mr. Courchesne’s first name is spelled Shawn for real. If you’re being fair I only addressed one point and lets face it knocked it out of the park.
The cash only thing I never addressed nor know anything about. Beer would be my big issue and beyond satisfied that the cold frosty one issue has been rectified for a while now. I can say at Stafford around 1982 we lined up right after the event and were paid in cash. Soon after they went to mailed checks. I couldn’t wait to get my check for $10 for nailing down 18th place on a consistent basis.
I will get to the followers in a bit Duhreal…First I must get another Vaccination shot because as we all know it Prevents you from getting Covid or passing it along to another….. and the Lemmings lined up
Big SHOUT out to Doug who knows how to spell the bloggers name, Crayons and construction paper are working……and be nice to me, I’m trying to have a baby.
From this weekend: Speedbowl had credit/debit capabilities and there was a beer trailer on site. Not sure how the Bud Light sales were.
Congrats to Jon on his first SK win! I’m sure his dad must be very proud!
Call me crazy, but if you can’t spell someone’s name correctly I don’t put much faith in any derogatory comments towards him from you. I thought the exact same thing as Doug when I read it with the spelling. And Dareal is also right. Any info from Shawn on this site that is originally created by him is based on research and confirmation of the info, unless he states otherwise. And I’m sure he gives a good look at any info supplied from other sources for accuracy before posting it as well. He does a great job devotoing his time and effort to a site with primarily a regional following, providing us with A TON of info about all things Modified and then some! AND he even lets us post comments no matter how random they may be and whether they make sense or not! AND with help from Doug he lets us have our pick 6 pool! WE ALL owe him, his contributors, and his adverizers a LARGE debt of gratitude for the existence of this site!
as much as people dislike him and for obvious reasons BEMER as far as I have been told pays his bills and drivers get paid ! the vending was almost non existent . foster needs to get that straightened out or whomever is handling the front of the house needs to fix this .. people want a choice.. its not unreasonable . its blast off for goodness sakes ! its pretty sad when you prioritize beer but insufficient food choices are another reason why people especially families wont come to the track no matter how much money you spend on fixing things .not to mention the vendors there charging outrageous pricing !! drove by the food trucks lined up in new haven coming and going.. it cant be that hard attracting these trucks or is there something I`m missing ? (food vending lic fees/inspection ? ) can anyone shed some light . please enlighten me ! not a single statement from the track !!! keep shooting yourself in the foot foster bemer you got to try harder ! the racing was good with some low to below average car counts .. expect that to remain after a couple cars sustained enough damage where their respective seasons may have ended on opening day. almost all from moronic on track decisions. Is Webster the race director ? he should have stayed on the ATV. guy cant make a call to save his rear . part of the blame is on him.. did the flagger forget to bring his passing flag? wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Eames or the Kortewegs come back .Even the legend in his own mind Monahan could probably manage the joint better . this place is begging to succeed and it wont with the present people making the calls. I guess I will save a ton and bring my own food .. so happy about the stands ,the fence and that’s all I see right now .everything has stopped or come to a grinding halt. I guess the same issues holding back the construction of the tower, more and or newer better choice bathrooms are the same holding back the food service? .wont have to worry about anyone checking my cooler for beer either should I decide to start stocking up for myself. price so high even an alcoholic like me went home sober. I just cant do it anymore .PS who’s watching the front gate ? I used to really like this track. might convert to dirt for sat night in NY. cannot make Stafford and well Seekonk is just to long a haul. what a shame shame shame ..
The SK race is up on YouTube if anyone wants to take a look. Quite a few cautions but a lot of terrific side by side action as well. I don’t thing Puleo was ever a natural he’s more the grinder that has to work a little harder at it to have success. Good to see him hold off the heavy hitters he sure had that buggy humming.
Aside from some of whacky banter, me included there’s been some great info on the event in this thread.
The billboard situation is symbolic isn’t it? Creepy Bruce’s propane bus and Monaco are pretty much it are they not? It really is the best track for great racing in Connecticut and beyond and you can’t help but wonder what it could be without the stigma the current ownership brings. That entire backstretch should be packed with signs of local businesses with many providing event and race sponsorship and contingencies.
The drivers being paid deal is a wild card that got a little out of control isn’t it? A reference to issues long ago under a different management. Of all the problems the track has dealt with paying the teams has never been a recent problem has it?
Well said Eddie. I’ll never get the reasoning for coming to a place that’s providing content at no cost to you, demanding changes be made or marginalizing the person providing the service it just seems so short sighted.
I must admit my spelling mistake was fat fingers on a little keyboard! 🙂 Re: advertizers.
To all the cry babies,I recommend you just leave your feelings at home. You just might have a better time. Great job JP.
Trifecta says “cash is king”. Oh is it? Guess that’s why the bowl accepts cards. And then to take the stupidity level up a notch “matches the quality of the announcing”. Oh really. Because Kyle Ricky and Dave B. are horrible announcers. Horrible! 🤡
Nice to see the place open yet another year. Sad to see divisions turning into have and have not packs, but that’s not necessarily the tracks fault. Maybe constructive suggestions and a open minded meeting on it could spark ideas?
Good to wander around and watch some live action vrs drooling in my big chair asleep to the nascar races.
Aside from the Pred owner and his Bobblehead fans the joint is a Great Modified track. I can’t wait to go back when its under new ownership or a truck stop.
Did Hillary ever return from that walk in the woods??? LOL Thank you again Mr. Trump 45/47.
Any changes to the Bowl’s Saturday night schedule this week given the conflict with the Sizzler?
Just watched the SK and SKL features on Sids View – First of all would like to thank Sid for the great job. Thankful that the Bowl is still open – great place for the racing competitors to go racing, racing is still really good. Remember this is the only race track in CT that has racing on Saturday and Wednesday Nights. So many people behind the scene that keeps the track open – Thank you Speed Bowl staff. Great tribute to Billy Greco also.
Rafter Fan,
No changes have been announced.
Glad Timmy Jordan didn’t win. Don’t need another cheated up car from the Steven Kopcik Cheater Camp winning a race.
saw sids video that doesn’t lie. Stands 1/2 full. better than i saw at riverhead on flo racing . almost zero food choices .. the 41 and 22 skl`s are morons. racing product ok. still lots to be done at the shoreline oval. once again totally inept management. funniest clip was eric webster trying to instruct the track crew from outside the fence.. why he was NOT on the track is news to me. why are bert marvin and tom abele running with the little kids ?? .hopefully someday terry eames will return and get the place straightened out
Good luck with that Give teenagers… The Predator owner has a decent % of fans who are clueless and incapable of thinking for themselves and would defend Hitler if he was running SKs on a Saturday night.
Dude.. eanes started the lites as xmods. Fun times, lots of camaraderie with people out to have fun in open wheel that can’t afford the money or time investment in sk. But it was designed for older drivers and older cars that are sitting in garages. His words. Great idea. Then idiots who wanted to buy trophies showed up with 12k engines for $250 to win and new chassis. Terry never claimed a motor and people abused that. Bad idea. Then people showed up with their kids and grandkids to buy them the trophies that they could never get when they were young. It’s not Abeles fault, he has as much right to be there as anyone. Hell, bring back some of the guys who used to run sk and make it fun again. Crate motors used to be a good idea, but now it’s what, 6-7 grand then you have to bring it to rad who will modify it to the rules? Stupid. Bemer has money. Toss these cars back on wed night with anything goes for a motor $2500 to claim competitor or track, and claim a couple. Let the old guys have fun.