Ed Puleo made it to victory lane in the Sk Modified Finale feature at the  Waterford Speedbowl Finale. (Credit: Mr Rooter Race Team photo)

By Lou Modestino

Waterford Speedbowl saw 210 race cars jam its pit area for Finale Weekend Sunday, hosting 13 race divisions for a huge day of motor sports. After rain forced the cancellation of Saturday’s scheduled events, track management crammed all racing into a full day of action Sunday. In then NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races, Corey Barry of Plainfield and Garrett Denton of Hope Valley, RI each used a victory to cement track championships in the respective SK Light Modified and Mini Stock divisions. Ed Puleo of Branford won an entertaining SK Modified feature, Jason Palmer won the Valenti Auto Mall Late Model race, and Josh Galvin topped a thrilling Street Stock finish.

Joining them on the long list of winner’s for the day included Ray Reed of Norwich and Anthony Marvin of Colchester, each titlists in the Speedbowl’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday series, checkering the Super X-Car and INEX Bandolero races. Wayne Shifflett of Preston won the X-Car feature and
Dana Dimatteo of Farmington took the top spot in the INEX Legend Cars. Preston native Jay Stuart won the Outlaw Stock race.

Puleo checkered an entertaining 50-lap race for the SK Modifieds®. Rocco, the division champion for the season, marched to the front early and took the lead from Craig Lutz on lap-12. Rocco pulled ahead and led through a long run of clean racing when his motor began failing. On lap-37 Rocco
retired from the race handing the lead to Puleo, who had moved to second position behind Rocco just three laps prior. Puleo had a charging Ted Christopher shadowing his every move over the next several laps.

Christopher nearly wrestled the lead away on the outside, however a yellow flag for a spin with 48 laps completed set the stage for a green-white-checkered conclusion. Puleo fended off the advances of both Christopher and third place finisher Rob Janovic Jr. over the final two-lap sprint. It was Puleo’s third victory of the year.

Palmer won his fourth Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature of the year with the 50-lap victory. He battled with Anthony Ryan Jr. for the race lead, spending the better part of five laps outside Ryan before taking the lead for good on lap-22. Palmer cruised from there, getting away from a brief three-wide challenge following a lap-37 restart. Marc Curtis was second and Ryan finished third.

Denton secured his first Mini Stock championship with a winning effort, his fifth of the year. He became the youngest NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion in track history at seventeen years old, relinquishing a strange hold veteran racers held in the division for more than a decade.
Denton took the lead halfway through the 30-lap race from Wayne Burroughs Jr. and never looked back. Burroughs was second and Chris Ivory ended up third.

Barry clinched the SK Light Modified division title on a high note, winning his sixth race of the season. He survived what turned out to be a rough event as several cars encountered trouble during the race, which was red-checkered one lap shy of its scheduled 25-lap distance after the seventh yellow flag of the race. Barry was almost collected once, nearly spinning from the lead after contact with Paul Buzel on lap-21, but hung on. He bested D.J. Burnham and last year’s champion Randy Churchill Jr., who finished second and third. Churchill was runner-up to Barry in the season standings.

Galvin already wrapped up his first Street Stock division championship but Sunday’s 30-lap race turned into a great duel with Ryan Waterman. The pair ran the final nine laps side-by-side with neither gaining more than a bumper’s advantage. Waterman, who used a great move to get to Galvin’s inside, stayed there and led through lap-28. Galvin hung tough on the top of the track and led the white flag lap before sprinting to the finish line by inches ahead of Waterman in a photo finish. Ed Gertsch Jr. finished third.

Dimatteo, a past INEX Legend Cars champion at the track, ended a dry spell at the Speedbowl with a win in the division’s 20-lap feature. He avoided an opening lap crash and took control from Ryan Lutz after the race restarted, leading the duration. Dimatteo held off a charging Brendon Bock to the checkered flag. Lutz was third after his best performance of the season.

Marvin, the track’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday INEX Bandolero champion, won the 10-lap feature for the division. Derek Debbis finished second in the final rundown. Reed, the track’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Super X-Car champion, prevailed in an opening race tussle for the lead with Ed Ryan before rolling tovictory in the division’s 20-lapper. Shifflett took the lead on lap-8 of the 20-lap X-Car feature and went on to the win. Stuart led from start to finish in a non-stop 20-lap Outlaw Stock race.

Waterford Speedbowl Sunday 10/5 Finale Weekend Results

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (50-laps): 1. Ed Puleo,
Branford; 2. Ted Christopher, Plainville; 3. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford;
4. Dennis Perry, Ashaway, RI; 5. Diego Monahan, Quaker Hill; 6. Brent
Sweet, Monroe; 7. John Montesanto, North Branford; 8. Adam Gada, Bozrah;
9. Joe Gada, Salem; 10. Craig Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 11. Paul Kusheba
IV, Monroe; 12. Zack Aszklar, Wallingford; 13. Wendell Dailey, Gales
Ferry; 14. Tommy Vigh Jr., Ottisville, NY; 15. Michael Benevides,
Westerly, RI; 16. Keith Rocco, Berlin; 17. Robert Goulet, Southington;
18. Justin Gaydosh, Newtown; 19. Brad Caddick, Wyoming, RI

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models
(50-laps): 1. Jason Palmer, Berlin; 2. Marc Curtis, Spencer, MA; 3.
Anthony Ryan Jr., Danbury; 4. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 5. Ken Morin Jr.,
Old Saybrook; 6. Jordan Churchill, Lisbon; 7. Matt Carlson, Griswold;
8. Rich Duranti, Quaker Hill; 9. Mike Sweeney Jr., Meriden; DQ – Derryck
Anderson Jr., Warwick, RI; DQ – Brett LeBlanc, Uxbridge, MA

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (30-laps): 1. Josh
Galvin, Franklin; 2. Ryan Waterman, Danielson; 3. Ed Gertsch Jr., East
Haven; 4. Chris “Moose” Douton, Waterford; 5. Monte Gibbs, Higganum; 6.
Joe Arena, Bristol; 7. Dwayne Dorr, Ledyard; 8. Jack Aquilina, Oakdale;
9. Lloyd Anderson Jr., Wauregan; 10. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; 11. Al
Stone III, Durham; 12. Billy Hahnel, Uncasville; 13. Gary Stone,
Killingworth; 14. Brandon Fisher, Plainfield; 15. Nate Appell,
Westbrook; 16. Darrell Carslon, Chester; 17. Jim Boyle, East Windsor;
18. Kaitlyn Brice, Manchester; 19. Jake Bercham, West Greenwich, RI; 20.
Jon Porter, Canterbury; 21. Norm Root Jr., Old Saybrook; 22. Travis
Jurcik, Chaplin; 23. Phil Evans, Uncasville; 24. Jeff Rocco,
Wallingford; 25. Chris Meyer, North Franklin; 26. Steve Barrett, Preston

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mini Stocks (30-laps): 1. Garrett
Denton, Hope Valley, RI; 2. Wayne Burroughs Jr., Oakdale; 3. Chris
Ivory, Oakdale; 4. Charles Canfield, New Haven; 5. Ray Christian III,
Groton; 6. Pete Zaikarite, Niantic; 7. Larry Loomis, Moosup; 8. Dave
Sylvia, Preston; 9. Ken Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 10. Mark Panaroni,
Ivoryton; 11. Doug Curry, Groton; 12. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford;
13. Ian Brew, Wood River Junction; 14. Joe Fogarasi, Columbia; 15. Dale
Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 16. Eric Finkbein Jr., East Hartford; 17. Jeff
Lee, Uncasville; 18. Sean Caron, East Hampton; 19. Brandon Plemons,
Uncasville; 20. Ed Field, Deep River; 21. Nate Taylor, Wauregan

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Light Modifieds (25-laps): 1. Corey
Barry, Plainfield; 2. D.J. Burnham, East Hartford; 3. Randy Churchill
Jr., Oakdale; 4. Paul Buzel, Trumbull; 5. Paul French, Andover; 6.
Larry Goss, North Windham; 7. Crystal Serydynski, Johnston, RI; 8. Kyle
Startz, Oakdale; 9. Jeff Fialkovich, Shelton; 10. Rick Williams, Haddam;
11. Joe Ferrigno, East Hartford; 12. Victoria Bergenty, Plainville; 13.
Calvin Therrien, Vernon

Outlaw Stocks top-five (25-laps): 1. Jay Stuart, Preston; 2. Duane Noll,
Monroe; 3. Mike Kluczinsky, Oakville; 4. Allen Coates, Ledyard; 5.
Cassie Coates, Ledyard

Super X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Ray Reed, Norwich; 2. Jon Porter, Canterbury;
3. Ed Ryan, Preston; 4. Marc Shafer, Groton; 5. Bill Reiman,
Southington; 6. Dan Butler, Waterford; 7. Mitch Bombard, Willimantic;
8. Dave Yardley III, Berlin

X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Wayne Shifflett, Preston; 2. Zac Thomas, New London;
3. Eddie Loomis, Plainfield; 4. Chris Lee, Uncasville; 5. Rich Mollo,
Seymour; 6. Rich Nye, Stonington; 7. Michael Olsen, Ledyard; 8. Ray
Herman, Oakdale; 9. Craig Tavernier, Moosup; 10. James Stewart Jr.,
hometown unavailable; 11. Tom Sheehan, Baltic; 12. Kim Bickford,
Griswold; 13. Terry Bombard, Willimantic; DQ – Jordan Hadley, Quaker
Hill; DQ – Jeff Dombrowski, Oakdale; DQ – William Rheaume, Uncasville

INEX Legend Cars (25-laps): 1. Dana Dimatteo, Farmington; 2. Brendon
Bock, Franklin Square, NY; 3. Ryan Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 4. Mike
Christopher Jr., Wolcott; 5. Jordan Churchill, Lisbon; 6. Cornelius
Flynn, Hampden, MA; 7. Colin Haley, Ashford; 8. Cassandra Cole,
Westbrook; 9. David Johnson, Arlington, MA; 10. Kurt Krieger, Miller
Place, NY; 11. Joey Ternullo, Middletown; 12. Tim DePizzol, North
Franklin; 13. Cory Dimatteo, Farmington; 14. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury;
15. Art Marrero, Baltic; DNS – Robert Poloski, Chicopee, MA

INEX Bandoleros (20-laps): 1. Anthony Marvin, Colchester; 2. Derek
Debbis, Oakdale; DQ – Ken Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; DQ – Andrew Morin,
Old Saybrook