Column By: BRITTANY NUTILE / RPW – STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT – Keith Rocco won a very close SK Modified feature on opening day at Stafford Speedway.
Rocco started the race on the pole position. He took the lead on the start with Todd Owen right behind him looking to take it away.
Before the first lap could be complete, however, there was a caution. On the restart, Rocco took the lead once again with Owen still there challenging.
There were eight cautions through out the race with three of them being in the first four laps. They weren’t quick cautions which meant the top five teams and drivers had to go in conservative mode so they wouldn’t run out of gas.
In the final laps of the event, Rocco was leading with Michael Gervais Jr. and Michael Christopher Jr. right on his heels. Going into turn three of the last lap, Rocco could feel his car running out of gas. That allowed Gervais Jr. and Christopher Jr. to gain him.
Rocco, Gervais and Christopher came to the line all right next to each other. Second and third were pressing the leader as the field came to the checkers, but Rocco held on, winning by a nose.
It was a very exciting ending to the event, leaving fans and everyone wondering who won. It was announced that Rocco’s margin of victory was .001 of a second.
“We ran out of gas going into (turn) 3,” Rocco said. “It’s funny because we went the first yellow and it seemed like it was going to be one of those races, so I put it in high and started saving fuel. Not that we were calling it, but I knew it was going to a close race. We lucked out tonight as it was close getting to the line”.
The top five finishers of the race were: Keith Rocco (88), Michael Gervais Jr. (33), Michael Christopher Jr. (82), Joey Cipriano (78), and Todd Owen (81). The next SK Modified race at Stafford Speedway will be on May 10th.
