Jeff Rocco First Late Model Win in 20/20 Event at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park 7-8-15

                     Posted by Wayne G. Barber and all photos by Wayne G. Barber

 Driving up to the track with the threat of monsoon rains had this scribe wondering if the car count would be up for the late models holding their second year in a row very special 20/20 lap point features and a added 10 lap non-point sprint for a additional $1,000.00.
 The track continued with rotating the divisions of race cars use of the paddock and the Late/Models benefitted from their turn of being in a well lighted clean facility to fine tune their chariots of full metal speed. I took some photos and interviews to develop a story about the special race.
A few race teams traveled here to try and qualify for the ACT Late Model guaranteed spot coming up at the end of the 2015 racing season.
 To my delight the paddock was full of the full size Late Models. At least 20 teams made the trip with the heavy threat of rain. The races would feature twins, Keith and Jeff Rocco who are now very famous in the New England racing circuit.
 The first segment had #68 Jeff Rocco who calls Wallingford, Conn. home and 8 time New England champion #3 Glenn Boss who hails from Danielson,Conn. on the two pole positions for the 20 lap points feature and a 20 car field. Coming into the third weeks action 6 time Late/Model track champion #70 Rick Gentes on the basis of a first and a second and heats was at 103 points. Second was #88 Keith Rocco at 87 points and a tie for third with #9ma Brian Tagg and #15 Jeff Smith at 86 points. #4 William Wall a close 5th at 74 points. The first competitor to drop out at lap 5 was #78 Jariah Roderick, from Taunton, Mass. who was in the Rick Gentes white back up car getting some seat time.
 The biggest movers behind Rocco were the #91 of Buxton, Maines Larry Gelinas and Oxford, Massachusetts #9ma Brian Tagg who picked off 5 cars in two laps on a outside groove that he made work for his driving style.
 The race went green for the first 15 laps and #68 Rocco led everyone until the caution came out for a spin out after brushing the wall by # 14 Bob Hanley from Pomfret Center, Conn.
 The lap 15 restart starting order was now changed to #68 Jeff Rocco, 2 #91 Larry Gelinas and 3rd #9ma Brian Tagg, 4th to #88 Keith Rocco and fifth to #27 Marc Curtis who already has a win in 2015.
 

On the re-start # 44 Chad LaBastie did a 360 which led to another attempt at a green flag. Again another bad re-start and three more cars made contact in turn two and should of had lawn blades on their front fascias to trim the infield grass.
 Next re-start Jeff Rocco pulled a text book start and it was lights out to the finish at lap 20.Jeff Rocco is a good student and learned from his last late model race at Thompson on June,10 2015 when he again was the dominant race car and if not for a late race object on the race track and a late restart missed a gear and 5 cars ran up his tail pipe would had certainly have been in victory lane.
20 Lap Finish, Jeff Rocco, Larry Gelinas ,Brian Tagg ,Keith Rocco ,Marc Curtis ,William Wall, Glen Boss, Rick Gentes ,Ray Parent ,Anthony Ryan ,Jeff Smith , Chad LaBastie, Ernest  LaRose, Les Rose Jr. ,Jared Materas,  Damon Tinio ,Robert Hanley ,Art Moran III ,John Lowinski-Loh and #78 Jariah Roderick

Mr. Late Model still has the Fire ! Rick Gentes

Keith Rocco

Ray Parent made the trip from Tiverton R.I.

Rick Gentes brought his own Donuts to the Paddock

Anthony Ryan Jr. Ridgefield, Conn.

Jersey has Springstein and New England has Glenn BOSS !

Brian Tagg has a great crew and spotter !

John Materas Voluntown, Conn.

Glenn Boss #3 in a tribute to #3  Fred DeSarro