Jeff Rocco Awarded Victory in the Late Model's at Thompson Speedway 7-29-15

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photos from the Wayne G. Barber C
ollection

A very hot night in New England on two levels. Temperatures, humidity and and late model racing action.The 3,100 lb. full fendered race cars held their heat races earlier on the racing card.
 The fastest times were posted by  #88 Keith Rocco at  21.665   104mph
                                                       #27 Marc Curtis at   21.671   103.8 mph
                                                       #91 Larry Gelinas at 21.697   103.7 mph
                                                       #68  Jeff Rocco     at 21.718   103.6 mph
                                                       #4 William Wall   at 21.726    103.5 mph
                                                       #9ma Brian Tagg  at 21.788     103.4 mph

Keith Rocco fastest in the Heats at 21.665

 of the 17 race cars in attendance.



The 25 lap feature drew #97 Ernie Larose and #27 Marc Curtis ( 1 win) at point to take the green flag on a very clean start. The point leader entering tonight's race was 9ma Brian Tagg (1 win) who started in the 10 hole with #70 Rick Gentes (1 win) 2nd in the standings attached to his rear bumper with the two Rocco twins #68 Jeff Rocco(1 win) and Keith Rocco entering in the 3rd position in the early season standings. This late model division had no multiple winners in  2014 and the 2015 racing season has started out the same way with the fierce competition.
 Curtis set a blistering pace and led from post to post with Jeff Rocco applying the pressure from lap 3 to the final checkered flag.
 It was announced before the race that this may be the last racing season for 8 time champion (6) Thompson and (2) Waterford for #3 Glenn Boss. Stay tuned on this breaking news.
 In this scribes opinion the Thompson Late Model weekly division is the second most competitive in all New England. Gentes, Boss, Rocco, Gelinas, Tagg, Smith, Wall, LaRose etc.
 This division with its two heats and a always fierce feature is certainly worth the price of the admission.

Jeff Rocco awarded victory after the DQ on #27 Marc Curtis

Crafty veteran Rick Gentes

Anthony Ryan

Glenn Boss may retire at the World Series, stay tuned !

Tagg entered the day in first.

Very proud uncle

Previous 20/20 Late Model Victory Lane Photo

The Late Models, which ran caution free for a 25-lap feature was dominated by the Rocket Ship of Mark Curtis who started on the front row. The race featured bumping and banging by several drivers as they worked their way to the front, however Curtis never blinked in his quest for his second Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park victory of the season.
Following the win Curtis said, “We got that good start up front – We had just a really good car. We made some wholesale adjustment to tighten it up with the slippery conditions out there today and I just paced myself trying to hit my marks.”

The Curtis Rocket Ship was put through Tech and the celebration was short lived on a post race dis-qualification on a fuel test. 
                                   68 88 70 9Ma 15 97 4 91 3 14 2 13 11 96 44 6 27
 Jeff Rocco, (win #2) Keith Rocco, Rick Gentes, Brian Tagg ,Jeff Smith ,Ernest  LaRose, William Wall ,Larry Gelinas. Glen Boss, Buddy Charette ,Anthony Ryan, Jared Materas Randy Tucker, Art Moran III , Chad LaBastie, Joe Gada, Marc Curtis DQ