LOU'S SPORTS PAGE
The Backstory On Local Sports
Compiled and edited by O-N Radio Sports Director, Lou Mandeville.
June 30th 2009
Ok sorry for the wait both of you who read this..HAHA
Anyway the info is incomplete and never let it be said I went off halfcocked about something.
So the BIG news I spoke about on the show the 21st will have to wait.
VRRRRROOOOOOOOM
Time to give a local racer some INK
Last years "Breakout Driver" as declared at the Speedway Expo..Keith Rocco...Stafford Motor Speedway 2008 SK Mod Track Champion, and the 2008 Whelen All-American Racing Series State Champion, and the Thompson Speedway 2007 Sunoco Modified Track Champion. Also the 2008 fourth place finisher in the Whelen All-American Racing Series Championship
Picking up where he left off last year to say the least
The Defending SK Modified Champ at Stafford is in Third only 32 points behind Ted Christopher and Jeff Malave BUT he has won 3 of the 6 starts at the track,Including the 100 lap feature in which he and Christopher put on probably the best show of the year swapping the lead at least a dozen times in the last 40 laps..
Rocco leads the Sunoco Mods points at Thompson by 22 over the talented Woody Pitkat in second and nearly 100 points over rival Ted Christopher who sits in 10th.
At the ultra fast 5/8 mile Rocco won the saturday Icebreaker race, had a 3rd on the Sunday race, won the opening TNTT feature,and also has a runner up in 5 starts.
For good measure he leads the SK points at Waterford Speedbowl by 30 over local hero Rob Janovic Jr....not bad for a 24 year old former crew member of the Christopher entry....oh did I mention he can build engines too....
Woonsockets own Rick Gentes was having a stellar season until a 16th place finish in the last Late Model feature at Thompson.
Gentes has 2 wins a 2nd and 5th in his only starts of the year thanks to the Rain that's played havoc with local racing schedules.
Still the Driver of the #70 Late Model has a chance at the track championship as he finds himself 4th overall only 34 points back of Jeff Zuidema
with a BIG race coming up July 11th in Thompson's annual Full Fender Frenzy.
Get your tickets now for Full Fender Frenzy. I went 2 years ago and watched Joey Logano and Sean Caisse in the Camping World East feature. Caisse won basically wire to wire and now races in select Nationwide races, While that Logano kid .......oh yeah he became the youngest Sprint Cup winner ever at the ripe old age of 19 years 35 days, in the rain shortened Sylvania tools 301 at Loudon NH.
This year Steve Park, one of the most popular drivers to ever have raced at Thompson,and former driver of the #1 in Sprint Cup entry, will return to the Connecticut oval as part of the feature race.
There....now until next time
VRRRRROOOOOOOMM
The opinions expressed on this page are Lou's. He works here, but we don't neccessarily agree with him all the time.