(THOMPSON, CT) - Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park crowned it’s first of fourteen champions that will be named this weekend as the track kicked off the biggest racing weekend in New England on Friday, October 16th, the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing, presented by XtraMart.
Friday’s racing action featured intense qualifying races for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Monster Mini Stocks, the Valenti Modified Racing Series, the North East Street Stock Tour, the New England Truck Series and the North East Mini Stock Tour as well as the first feature event of the weekend, the final race of the 2015 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model season that set the pace for what promises to be a wild weekend of non-stop racing action at the Big T.
21 Drivers in the Late Model series didn’t waste any time adding some drama to the title fight with a pair of highly competitive heat races that saw the points lead for the main event stand at only three points. Newly wed Brian Tagg held the points lead over Keith Rocco despite receiving damage in an early crash during his heat race. Tagg recovered from the incident to finish fifth in the heat while Rocco made the most of his heat race by winning the qualifying event.
The action only got more intense once the Late Models hit the track for their feature event. While Rocco appeared to have a smooth race, consistently running in the top five for the 25-lap event, Tagg faced another near miss when a lap one caution in turn two nearly collected his car. William Wall in the beautiful blue and white #4 who has been fast all year and has led a lot of laps was the big casualty. Next contender who has been the fastest all of the 2015 racing season with his 4 big wins was #68 Jeff Rocco who slammed the turn three wall and ended up on the captain hook mobile to the infield.Tagg’s issues didn’t stop there after the driver found himself marred back in 8th place after being penalized for a rough driving incident involving Ernie LaRose and two others who had to pit and make adjustments while Rocco maintained a top three position in third.
Tagg recovered however, working his way to fourth, one position behind Rocco, which would have secured him the championship. With less than two laps to go Rocco made a big move to pass Jeff Smith for second, putting himself two spots ahead of Tagg and in position to win the Late Model championship without winning a single event on the year.“It was very crazy because as soon as I could see Keith in my sights I knew that he was going to be good,” Tagg said. “He was good all night. He was racing Smith really hard and I knew that he was going to give him all he could. All I was thinking was trying to get up to him. My car was just tight. Maybe I was overdriving. I probably was overdriving. It was just tight and it would kind of slide off and I saw these guys and I was trying to figure out what line to use and I was just trying to keep up with them because they run a different line. My car wasn’t working where it usually does.
“It’s one thing when you’re doing that and then you see it happening and you’re trying to not let that get to you. You’re still trying to hit your marks and do everything you possibly can because one little slip and you start losing spots and all of the sudden he’s three more car lengths ahead of you. I was just trying to keep everything focused and do what I was here to do and keep trying for the goal.” With the biggest move of the night, Tagg, who would not be defeated, passed Smith on the final lap to claim third place and win the championship by a single point, Tagg joins his father Tom Tagg who also won a Thompson SK track championship. Brian Tagg will also walk up twice to the annual banquet podium to collect his Rookie of the Year Trophy. Larry Gelinas with a wicked fast lap of 21.340 and 105.421 mph went on the win the race. The event also marked the final race for Danielson, CT native, #3 Glenn Boss, who finished fifth. Boss will help out on the #15 Jeff Smith in 2016 and ends with 8 Track Championship Trophies to admire on his mantle. 6 at Thompson and 56 victories and 2 championships early in his career at the New London Waterford Speed Bowl. Jersey was Bruce Springstein and Connecticut has Glenn BOSS !
LATE MODEL SERIES FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Larry Gelinas (Buxton, ME); 2. Keith Rocco (Berlin, CT); 3. Brian Tagg (Oxford, MA); 4. Jeff Smith (Old Lyme, CT); 5. Glen Boss (Danielson, CT); 6. Wait Sutcliffe (East Haven, CT); 7. Buddy Charette (Woodstock, CT); 8. Lloyd Anderson, Jr. (Wauregan, CT); 9. Brandon Warren (Chicopee, MA); 10. Josh King (Vernon, VT)11Ernie Larose (Plainfield,CT);12 Chad Labastie (Uxbridge,MA)13 Charlie Rose ( Tiverton,RI) 14 Allen King, (Webster,MA) 15 Rick Gentes (Oakland,RI) 16 Anthony Ryan (Ridgefeld,CT) 17 Jeff Rocco (Walingford,CT) 18 Jared Materas ( Westfield,MA) 19 Ray Christian III (Groton,CT) 20 William Wall(Shrewsbury,MA) 21 Art (Goose) Moran III (Preston,CT)
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