Waterford - Jeff Smith had a chance to race in last week's SK-Modified feature at Waterford Speedbowl. In fact, he had his choice of three different cars, mostly due to the fact that everyone at the track thinks highly of the mild-mannered and humble Smith.

The problem was the Old Lyme resident couldn't get his 6-foot-4-inch frame to fit in any of them.

Just as well.

In Sunday's season finale, Smith fit into his No. 15 Late Model just fine and clinched his first career division championship with a fourth-place finish in the 50-lap feature.

Smith used a pit stop midway through the race to make some adjustments, then narrowly avoided a wreck in front of him two laps later before watching Keith Rocco, Bruce Thomas Jr. and Jason Palmer do battle in front of him.

"I was a little worried, knowing I had to come back through the field," the 21-year-old Smith said. "The car just wasn't there."

Rocco finished first - his first Speedbowl Late Model win - and Thomas, a three-time division champion, was second, but it was Smith who had the best seat in the house.

"It's a great experience, and it's emotional, too," Smith said. "I felt like we were underdogs overall. It's a great feat. I wanted to win, but everyone wants to win a championship. The last two years, we've been doing better and better each year."

Smith thanked SK-Modified drivers like Rob Janovic Jr. and Jeff Pearl for helping him this season.

"Hats off to Jeff Smith and his team," said Thomas, who finished 10 points behind Smith. "They just kept plugging away all season long."

As did Rocco, who also won his track-record 13th SK-Modified feature of the season, a double-win that was the first of its kind at the Speedbowl since 1954 when Moe Gherzi accomplished the feat. Rocco, who clinched his second straight division crown last week, has led the division in wins four years in a row. Rocco has 27 wins among the three Connecticut tracks this season.

"The first year we ran here full-time I think we won six (races) and we were shocked at that," Rocco said. "Every year you think it's impossible to do more and you come back and do more."

In the Street Stocks, Al Stone III came into Sunday knowing he had to win and hope Ed Puleo finished out of the top 10 to win his second straight title and third overall.

Stone did his part, winning his season-high eighth feature of the year, but Puleo was fifth to clinch his first title at the Speedbowl.

"The difference this year was we never had that bad night," Puleo said. "We won a championship at Thompson my first year (1998), but I won my first race here. I felt we had unfinished business here. It's a competitive place. Whether there are 10 cars or 30 cars, it's always tough here and things change fast."

Both Puleo and Stone plan on running full-time in the SK-Modified division next season.

"People say we're rivals and this and that," Puleo said. "We're just competitors. Beating him for the title is big because he's that good."

Glenn Colvin won the Mini Stock feature and the title and did not finish outside of the top 10 all season.

Dave Garbo Jr. won his fourth straight Legends feature to end the season, while division winner Dana Dimatteo was third. Paul French won the SK-Modified Light feature and wrapped up that division.

o.poole@theday.com