{"id":25888,"date":"2019-09-25T08:23:13","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T12:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/?p=25888"},"modified":"2019-09-25T08:23:15","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T12:23:15","slug":"keith-rocco-looks-to-seal-eighth-thompson-sunoco-modified-title-at-sunoco-world-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/2019\/09\/keith-rocco-looks-to-seal-eighth-thompson-sunoco-modified-title-at-sunoco-world-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Keith Rocco Looks To Seal Eighth Thompson Sunoco Modified Title at Sunoco World Series"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kyle Souza, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park<\/strong> 
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THOMPSON, Conn. — <\/strong>Twelve years ago, Keith Rocco hoisted his first championship trophy in the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, it\u2019s hard to think the Berlin, Connecticut, driver knew the title run would begin a stretch of dominance at TSMP. Over the last 12 years, Rocco has seven championships in the division, including the last three \u2013 and he is in position to clinch another as the 57th<\/sup> annual Sunoco World Series — October 11-13 \u2013 draws closer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

He leads Woody Pitkat by 40 points heading into the finale, which is a lead he should be more than comfortable with. Thompson competitors earn 50 points for winning a feature race, while each position down through the field earns two less, meaning second earns 48, third receives 46, etc. In heat races, the winner earns five points, with a one-point drop throughout the top five, with fifth earning just one. Pitkat would need Rocco to have a major stumble to have a shot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is Rocco able to have this success every single year? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a passion for racing. If anything, things seem to get easier with the amount of years that we have run. It isn\u2019t as stressful as it was in the beginning, when I was trying to get those first championships,\u201d Rocco said. \u201cBut the competition is definitely the fiercest it has been in the last couple of years.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 48 different drivers taking a green flag in Sunoco Modified racing so far this season, the competition level has spiked, and Rocco has some stiff contenders to pick up feature wins. But that hasn\u2019t slowed him down. Rocco has four wins in the races to date, which puts him tied with Ronnie Williams for the most in the division. Pitkat has two wins, and the three of them have combined to score 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the first day I went to race Thompson, Woody has been there. We\u2019ve raced a long time and we race really well together,\u201d Rocco said. \u201cWoody is in pristine equipment this year and it\u2019s definitely stepped up his program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the familiar black and orange No. 57, Rocco competes for the Pane family. The success they are having together shows how strong the chemistry is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe thing about racing with the Pane family that separates them from the average team, we ended up getting together, I got a call with an offer for a car and he knew I had a shot at a NASCAR national title,\u201d Rocco said. \u201cWe started working together and we had a few different crew chiefs, and when we really started having a lot of success, he encouraged me and told me I knew these cars better than anyone else. They really backed me to do things how I want to do it and I think that\u2019s what separates us from everyone else. They put all of their trust in me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the stats front, his eighth track title would be his 17th<\/sup> overall NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I track championship. Rocco also has six championships to his credit under the NASCAR sanction at New London-Waterford Speedbowl, and three at Stafford Motor Speedway. Before the World Series ever takes the green flag, Rocco could increase his number by one.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He trails Ronnie Williams and Todd Owen in the Stafford championship battle, and he\u2019s just 16 points from the top. If he can win at least one between the two tracks, he will tie Joe Kosiski for the most Division I track titles in NASCAR history. If he can win both, he will make the record his own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship front, Rocco finished fifth this season, just 18 points from the top. He did win the national title back in 2010, but his competition for the crown includes drivers who compete at three tracks down south. Rocco only competes at two in New England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t looked as those standings all year, we just go out and do our thing,\u201d Rocco said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something I can change because we are limited to two tracks, and it\u2019s tough racing against guys down south. I\u2019m happy to be up there again. I\u2019m also extremely happy to be able to get a National Title back in 2010\u2013 that was a perfect season for us \u2013 and I’m not sure if anyone in New England will ever have the chance do that again. There are so many different drivers that win up here, and it\u2019s hard to dominate like that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Rocco will shift his focus on capturing the title at Stafford Motor Speedway at their Fall Final on Sunday, September 29. After that, all eyes will turn towards the 57th<\/sup> annual Sunoco World Series at Thompson, October 11-13, where the division will open Sunday festivities with a 30-lap feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go out there and try to win the race like we always do,\u201d Rocco said. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s just another number (the eighth title). I\u2019ve always gone to Thompson to win races and it\u2019s always been my type of racetrack. It\u2019s fast, and the way you drive it down in the corner, the adrenaline is a real rush because of the high speeds.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 57th<\/sup> annual Sunoco World Series will take the green flag on Friday, October 11, and roll through Sunday, October 13. The event begins on Friday, with practice sessions running throughout the afternoon, and qualifying heat racing set to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. Feature racing on Friday includes the Granite State Pro Stock Series, Late Models, Open Vintage Modifieds and Senior Tour Auto Racers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, action begins early with practice at 9 a.m., while qualifying racing begins at 2:30 p.m. There are 10 different feature races planned for Saturday night. Sunday, action begins at 1 p.m., with the season-finale for Thompson\u2019s Sunoco Modified division. The NEMA Lites, ISMA Supermodifieds and TSMP Limited Sportsman will also join the headliner of Sunday — the Sunoco World Series 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admission to the paddock area for the entire three days is $75, with grandstand general admission set at $55. Any seniors (65+), veterans and active military will have general admission tickets priced at $50, while kids 12 and under are free in general admission.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thompson\u2019s annual breakfast and dinner buffets will also take place during Sunoco World Series weekend. The breakfast buffet runs from 7-11 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and is $14 per person. The dinner buffet runs from 5-11 p.m. on Saturday night only and is $24 per person. For any children 12 and under, the dinner buffet is $14.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Souza, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park  THOMPSON, Conn. — Twelve years ago, Keith Rocco hoisted his first championship trophy in the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.  At the time, it\u2019s hard to think the Berlin, Connecticut, driver knew the title run would begin a stretch of dominance at TSMP. Over the last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecticut","category-thompson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25889,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25888\/revisions\/25889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}