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    Thursday, May 09, 2024

    Rocco wins twice on opening night at New London-Waterford Speedbowl

    Corey Barry (39) leads Paul Buzel down the front stretch of the SK Light Modified feature on Saturday night when the New London-Waterford Speedbowl kicked off its 2015 racing season under new ownership. Barry, the defending champion, went on to win the race. (Tim Cook/The Day)
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    Waterford — The New London-Waterford Speedbowl made its 2015 debut under a new ownership and management team on Saturday night, but one thing remained unchanged.

    Keith Rocco, the Speedbowl's most dominant racer of the past decade, continues to win races.

    Rocco picked up right where he left off in 2014 by winning a pair of features and closing in on the track's career wins record of 106 held by Phil Rondeau.

    Rocco captured the 35-lap SK-Modified feature for his 104th career win Saturday night and came back later in the evening to secure career win No. 105 by taking the checkered flag in the 30-lap Late Model feature.

    Other feature winners on opening night were Corey Hutching of Salem (Limited Sportsman), Street Stocks), Wayne Burroughs Jr. of Oakdale (Mini Stocks), Corey Barry (SK Light Modifieds), Cory Dimatteo (Legend Cars) and Roger Turbush (New England Truck Series).

    In the SK-Modified feature, Rocco took the lead from Waterford's Rob Janovic Jr. on the opening lap and survived a challenge by Ted Christopher (the two exchanged blows during a pair of mid-race restarts) to win the race, which featured four cautions.

    Christopher finished second, but racing website RaceDayCT.com reported Sunday that Speedbowl officials disqualified the veteran racer for failing a post-race inspection, allowing Janovic to finish second and Craig Lutz third.

    Barry, the defending SK Light Modified division champion, checkered the division's 25-lap feature with ease, used a qualifying race win to start from the pole and rolling to victory. Paul Buzel finished second.

    Hutchings beat Waterford's Moose Douton to win the Limited Sportsman feature while Burroughs survived a pair of red flags and dominated the 25-lap Mini Stocks feature (Dave Trudeau was second and Lisbon's Ken Cassidy Jr. was third), brothers Cory and Dana Dimatteo finished 1-2 in the Legends Car race and Turbush took advantage of a lap-12 crash to win the Truck Series event.

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