Rocco rewrites Speedbowl history book with two more titles

Examine what Keith Rocco has done in the past 15 seasons — 149 wins, including 13 this season. He has collected 43 more wins than the next closest driver, Phil Rondeau, who has 106.

Rocco has captured 12 championships, more than any competitor in the 67-year history of the track.

He has won seven SK Modified championships, trying Dennis Gada’s mark. He has also won five titles in a row, trying another Gada record.

He has won four out of five Late Model championships and has 49 victories, tying him with Allen Coates for third on the all-time list.

“This is awesome,” Rocco said. “The Speedbowl is where I started in full-sized cars. I always considered this to me my home track. I remember when I won my first race here. And I’ve kept it going.”

This season could be considered to be his greatest year. In the SK Modifieds, he won nine of 15 races. He finished in the Top 3 a total of 13 times, an amazing percentage of podium finishes.

Yet, the 2017 championship race turned into a nail-biter. 

With 17 laps remaining in the final race of the season, Rocco was involved in an accident and was squeezed into the wall, suffering severe front-end damage.

He made some emergency repairs, however, and Rocco returned to the competition just seven laps down. Running on just smoke and mirrors, he completed enough laps to edge Kyle James by one point.

“It was stressful,” Rocco said. “The key was hoping that the patch job we put on the front end would hold together. It was nerve-racking.”

Lost in the drama of those final laps, however, was the dominance that Rocco enjoyed all season. The seeds to his successful season were planted in the off-season.

“Over the winter, we decided to update our program,” Rocco said. “We felt that we weren’t winning the way that we used to. So we started over and built a new car, and it paid off. It was the first time we ever built a new car for the Speedbowl. But our other stuff was outdated.”

There was one more nervous moment, however, before Rocco got up to full speed.

“In the first heat race on opening day, we were leading when I heard something,” Rocco said. “I thought we had a motor issue. So we started dead last in the feature and we won the race. And it was smooth sailing after that.”

“Our cars usually hold together well, and that was the case.”

Rocco’s sponsors include Cuf Realty, D & G Paving, Dunleavy Truck and Trailer  repair, Del’s Vinyl Siding, Belltown Motors and Wheeler’s Automotive.

His crew members include Junior, Sandra, Nicky, Mikey, and his dad, ex-driver Ronnie Rocco.

While Rocco won the Late Model season opener, it took him a little longer to get comfortable.

“It took us a while to get rolling,” Rocco said, “but once we got it rolling, it was pretty good.”

It had to be. Rocco says drivers such as Anthony Flannery provided tough competition all season.

“I think our consistency gave us the edge,” Rocco said. “That was the biggest thing we had going for us.”

That consistency is reflected in the record book. In nine races, his worst finish was sixth. He grabbed four wins, finished second once and also had a third and fourth place finish.

He was able to wrap up the title with one race still remaining.

Rocco’s sponsors include B & M Maintenance and Lin’s Propane and Propane Plus. Mikey and Junior made up his crew.

“I think the big key for us was our focus,” Rocco said. “No matter what happens to us, we don’t give in. We always give it 100 percent.”

That “never back down” attitude has helped Rocco achieve more than any driver in Speedbowl history. Even when things looked doubtful in the final race of the season, Rocco and his team keep digging until Speedbowl history was made.