2004

The Streak is Ended (part 2)

Ed Reed Jr finally tops Dennis Gada for SK Modified title

Sportsman championship ends the year in exciting fashion

NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series

Wild N Wacky Wednesday Series

• For the 4th consecutive season, Ed Reed Jr and Dennis Gada finished 1-2 in the SK Modified point standings, but this was the first in which Reed came out on top to win his first SK Modified track championship.  Car owner Gordon "Flash" Rodgers, who also won a Late Model title in the early 80's with C.J. Frye, won his 2nd track track championship with Reed (1997 Late Model).  Eddie Reed also became the first driver to win track championships in the Speedbowl's 2 current premier divisions - the SK Modifieds and the Late Models.  James Civali won the season opening SK 150 during Modified Nationals weekend.  1992 Champion Ted Christopher won the 100 lap SK portion of the Pepsi 300, while Dennis Charette took the Finale 100.  Charette, Reed and Jeff Pearl led the division with 3 wins apiece.  There were a total of 14 different SK Modified feature winners during the season.

• Corey Hutchings, who won his 2nd consecutive Late Model and 3rd overall track championship at Waterford, was named the Exide Shortrack New England Region champion by NASCAR.  He also led the division in wins with 6 - including the season opening 50 lapper and the 100-lap LM portion of the Town Fair Tire Finale.   Allen Coates (5 wins) beat out Mark St. HIliare (2 wins) on a tie-breaker for the runner up spot in the final point standings.  Phil Rondeau won his 108th, and seemingly last, Late Model feature on August 7th.  Although never officially announcing his retirement, "Farmer Phil" completed his last full season with 3 feature wins (including the mid-season 100 lapper) and a 4th place finish in the point standings as the driver of the #31 Payless Auto Glass entry.

• For the 2nd year in a row, the Speedbowl held it's Nextel Cup Night.  This year, the visiting superstars from NASCAR's premier division included the legendary Bill Elliot (who won the late model exhibition in Bruce Thomas Jr's #35), Ken Schrader and Kerry Earnhardt.  Larry Goss, who redesigned his Late Model into a replica version of Kevin Harvick's #29 Goodwrench car, unfortunately wasn't rewarded for his team's efforts as Harvick cancelled earlier in the day.

• The Sportsman division had one of the track's greatest point championship battles.  Going into the Finale's 50 lap race, 4 drivers were alive to win the championship.  Norm Root Jr, who was the point leader going into the race, was collected in a late race incident also involving defending champion Ed Gertsch Jr and Keith Rocco.  All three were point title contenders.  While the latter 2 were sent to the rear for the restart, Root's #80 left the track on the hook and was the first of the remaining four to be eliminated from the point championship.  Gertsch's teammate, Dwayne Conant, who started 2nd on the ensuing restart, inherited the up-to-the-lap point lead, but Rocco would come from deep in the field to pass him in the closing laps.  Roger Perry, who finished the season 5th in points, won the race.  Keith, son of former Modified driver Ronnie Rocco, won his first track championship after finishing second to Gertsch the previous season by only 2 points.  He won 3 times, including the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown extra-distance events.  Gertsch Jr, Conant and Root Jr all finished within 12 points of Rocco in the final standings.  Gertsch finished the season tied in points with teammate Conant, but won the wins tie-breaker 6 to 2.  Those 6 wins broke his tie with Chris "Moose" Douton atop the Sportsman Career Win list and established the new mark of 23 feature victories.  

• The May 1st mini stock feature had one of the more unbelievable finishes in the division's history.  Running the outside groove, Richard Brooks was battling with Glenn Colvin for the lead as the two raced side by side through turns 3 and 4 toward the white flag.  As they came to the front stretch, 2-time mini champ Jeff Miller, who was in 3rd, made a move for the win on the inside and for the next complete lap they would drive 3 wide fighting for the lead.  Amazingly, neither driver refused to give up (the cars never hit the wall or each other) until they again reached turn 4 where Brooks, who was still on the outside and closest to the armco barrier, finally backed out.  Jeff Miller crossed the stripe first for the win, followed by Colvin and Timmy Jordan, who got by Brooks through the final turn.  At the time they were the top 4 in the point standings - a battle Colvin, Jordan & Brooks would continue to the final weeks of the season.  Colvin won the points championship while Jordan & Brooks tied for most wins (5).  They also each one a Triple Crown event - Jordan the 30-lap opener, Colvin the mid-season 50 lapper while Brooks took the Finale 50 win and became the only Mini Stock driver to finish a season with consecutive wins.

• Mike Pepe won the Saturday Legend Car Track Championship while George Whitney won the Wednesday series.  Whitney all led the mid-week division in wins (5) and had 6 victories overall.  He also set fast time during the INEX National qualifier time trials.  Young Gun Jeffrey Paul came on strong at season's end, winning 4 of the last 6 Saturday events ( 4 of the last 5 overall) including the INEX 50 lapper in September. 

• This was also the first season that the track implemented transponders to record lap times.  It also provided competitors with more accurate scoring.  Each race team needed to purchase devices to adhere to their car.  Drivers who do not comply were not allowed to compete.  

• Thursday, August 5th was another notable event.  New York City hip hop personality Funk Master Flex held an Invitational Late Model event.  The mid-week event drew close to 8,000 spectators and featured celebrities such as LL Cool J, Lil' Kim and the Orange County Choppers.  The event was later broadcast on Spike TV.  Home track favorite Allen Coates won the event, taking home a vintage Chevy Camaro along with his prize money.  Other notables in the event included 6-time Waterford champion Phil Rondeau and SK Modified legend Ted Christopher.  Jason Fowler set a new Late Model Lap Record with a 15.456 time trial during qualifying for the event.

• NASCAR Tours made three visits to the 'bowl in 2004.  The newly sponsored Whelen Modified Tour held two 150 lap events - won by former weekly SK competitor Ed Flemke Jr (May) and eventual 2004 NASCAR Modified Champion Todd Szegedy (September).  The 150 lap NASCAR Busch North even held in June was won by Mike Johnson.

• Former Legend Car standout Ben Seitz won 3 of the 4 NEMA Midget events at the 'bowl, including the prestigious Boston Louie Memorial in August.  Bobby Santos III won the remaining event during the tour's June visit.

• Jeff Walsh Sr (X-cars) and Philip Balmer (X-mods) both won 5 of the first 8 features in their respective Wednesday divisions.  Both finished with division best win totals (6) although neither won the track championship.  Walsh's season included 4 straight victories from late May to mid June.  Duke Place won his first Super X-car title, Walt Kowalsky repeated as X-car championship and the inaugural champion of the new X-Modified division was John Mianetti Jr.

• Late Model competitor Bruce Thomas Jr, who was sidelined for a majority of the season due to health concerns, returned late in the year to win the last 30 lap Late Model feature of the season.  In his absence, 4-time track champion Jay Stuart drove the Thomas #35 Late Model to 2 victories early in the season.  In fact, including the Nextel Cup Night exhibition, the Thomas team earned trips to victory lane 4 times despite Junior's off track recovery.  Another example of the a dedicated local team producing results despite several set backs throughout the year.