Friday, May 2nd
Racing
cancelled at
Stafford
due to rain and no, we did not pray for rain!
But although we were not there on Saturday, we did receive several calls
while we were at dinner telling us about a great win it turned out to be.
Congratulations to the Panes and Shane and especially to
Keith, who wanted this so badly! And
Matt Buckler describes it best below. Check
the photo page for Kentucky Derby news.
Auto racing; Yellow stops Gada's charge
By
Matt Buckler
Journal
Inquirer
Published: Monday,
May 5, 2008 10:46 AM EDT
WATERFORD
—
A caution flag can be an ally or a curse, depending on your point of view.
From Keith Rocco’s
vantage point, the flag couldn’t have looked any better than if it had Heidi
Klum’s picture sewn on it.
That’s because the yellow
came out with three laps remaining in Saturday’s 35-lap Sk Modified feature at
Waterford Speedbowl, just when Dennis Gada was on the verge of taking the lead
on the outside.
The yellow negated Gada’s
move, and Rocco held on following the restart to win his first-ever Modified
race at the Speedbowl.
“That caution turned out
to be a savior,” said Rocco, who has won Modified races at Stafford and
Thompson Speedways, but never before at
Waterford
.
For the last 10 laps,
Rocco, 23, needed to use every trick he has learned in his young racing career
to stay one step ahead of Gada, who was coming on strong late in the race.
“I couldn’t give in,
even a little,” Rocco said. “I had to hold my line. When you’re running at
Waterford
and Dennis Gada is behind you, you have to work extra hard.”
Rocco also worked hard as
he took the lead from Ron Yuhas with a strong inside move with 10 laps to go.
Rocco, however, still had to deal with Gada, who had won two of the first three
Waterford
SK
races.
“Gada is the best there
is at running the outside here,” Rocco said. “I couldn’t afford to give
him that much room.”
When Gada found the room
with three laps left, however, he got tangled up in a yellow flag.
For Rocco, the flag was a
beautiful sight. For Gada, who lost his momentum and a chance for a win, it was
as if it was embroidered with a skull and crossbones on it. In auto racing,
beauty is in the eye of the winner.
Spring Sizzler Weekend, April 26/27, 2008
Ah!
The first race weekend of the season always filled with anticipation and
a sure sign that Spring certainly has arrived! And after our very long, cold
winter everyone was in a great mood.
Saturday
proved to be warmer than expected and there were a lot of red noses by the end
of the day. We qualified 3rd
in our heat, and Keith was off to
Waterford
and finished 3rd in what we hear was a great race.
But
not before we celebrated young Phil’s birthday! Heck we even sang off key to
make it official!
Threat
of rain for Sunday morning but the Pit Party went on as planned and a great
crowd of race fans walked the infield.
We
started seventh. The car was very
loose, but we finished fourth for a solid beginning this season!
New tire program this year, new tire brand, but if you check out the
stats --- the lap times reflect faster times than last
year! Time will tell
how well everyone adjusts to the 2 tire per week system.
Jean and I won’t be there
next Friday, but those phones will be busy…
you see we are Kentucky
Derby bound!
Spring Sizzler - mark
the date April 26 and 27!
Keith will once again be a very busy driver --- racing the #6 at Thompson on
Thursday nights, the #78 at Stafford and the #57 at Waterford on Saturdays.
But he has already started his non stop racing activities---throughout the
winter and at Thompson and Waterford. See below---we all look forward to
friends stopping by and warm summer nights!
MOTOTOWN USA
2/24/08 - Keith drives Scott Fearn's Clean 6 Sportsman at Mototown USA.
Finishes 6th out of 13 (first time driving a big car on dirt). Keith looks
forward to returning on March 9th. Photos coming soon.
3/7/08 - Keith WINS in Scott Fearn's Clean 6 at Mototown USA. Keith and
Scott to team up for second feature of the weekend on 3/9/08.
3/9/08 - Keith finishes 3rd after starting 17th. Keith starts last after a
heat race accident, and catches top two with three laps to go. Lapped cars
spoiled a last chance for a win.
3/16/08 - Keith WINS second feature at Mototown USA in Scott Fearn's Clean 6.
Keith battled with Jay Pippen. Both pulled away from the field, with Keith
winning the battle in lapped traffic. Keith and Scott are now 2 for 4 with
a third and a sixth.
THOMPSON
4/6/08 - The Thompson Ice Breaker hasn't been too kind over the past couple of
years, and this year was no exception. Saturday, blown engine in practice,
installed back-up engine and Won heat race. Feature time, lap four, wreck
with Woody Pitkat. The Bannister Motorsports # 6 was heavily damaged.
A Special Thanks go out to Jean-Guy and BrigItte Poulin for the use of the #78
for Sunday's race. All the hard work to convert the car to Thompson's
specs were spoiled by the rain. The completion is to be scheduled for a
later date
WATERFORD
4/12/08 - Keith qualifies the M&M Motorsports #57 11th for Sunday’s
feature. Also look for Keith to make his Late Model debut in Scott Fern's
Blue Deuce.
4/13/08 - Keith finishes second in his Late Model Debut. Keith moved Scott
Fern's Blue Deuce into 2nd place with 12 laps to go. At this point he
reeled in Bruce Thomas Jr. and made a few attempts for the lead. With two
to go, the car began to fade, the left front tire was flat. Keith crossed
the line for the checkers on Bruce Thomas Jr's bumper with a flat left front
tire.
In the Budweiser 150 Keith ended up finishing 6th. Pitting with 42
laps to go, Keith moved quickly back into the top 10. Short green flag
runs and many yellows (over half of the 42) would have Keith fall short.
Congratulations to Dennis Gada.
