Phil Rondeau

Any discussion about the greatest drivers in Speedbowl history almost certainly includes “Farmer” Phil Rondeau. Starting out in the early 1980’s and racing for two decades at the Speedbowl and throughout the northeast, Rondeau rewrote the Late Model record book.

Rondeau started out in 1983 when the division was called Super Stocks, picking #19 because he was a Moose Hewitt fan. He won twice that year and captured Rookie of the Year honors. He won his first Late Model Championship in 1985 after a 4 win season, then won 4 more times in 1986.

In 1987, now competing at all 3 Connecticut short tracks, he drove Jay Stuart’s #66 at the Speedbowl. The car, largely recognized as the first G-metric Late Model to compete at the track, won 11 times to dominate the division and give Rondeau his 2nd title. Rondeau also won the NASCAR Tri-Track Late Model crown, which combined points from all 3 CT tracks that season. Returning to his own #19 in 1988, he won 11 times again and another championship.

His career year came in 1989, when he won a record 14 Late Model races and his 3rd consecutive track championship. Elsewhere in the region, he also won his 3rd straight Stafford Speedway championship and also the Thompson Speedway title in 1989, making him the first driver to win a championship at all 3 Connecticut tracks in the same season. To top it off, Rondeau won the National Peddler Parts Street Stock race at Pocono Raceway against the best drivers in the northeast.

At the Speedbowl, Rondeau continued his winning ways and scoring 2 more track championships in 1991-1992. His 11 wins in 1992 was his record 4th Late Model season with 10 or more wins. He also tied Bob Potter and the only 6-time Speedbowl Champions at the time. The Late Models of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s is considered by many as the Golden Age for the division. In addition to Rondeau, his former car owner Jay Stuart and Tom Fox also won numerous races and multiple championships. Their on-track rivalries during this era were captivating to Speedbowl fans.

Rondeau also drove SK Modifieds in the early 1990’s, winning 3 times for Tony Sylvester and twice in Ron Berndt’s #54 in 1994. In the Late Models, Rondeau became the first driver to win 100 races in a single division and became the track’s Career Wins Leader (until broken by Keith Rocco in 2015). His actual win total is complicated – read more about that here.

Amazingly enough, Rondeau finished runner-up to the championship another 5 times (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001) yet was never able to grab that 7th crown. He last season competing regularly was 2004, winning his last 3 races and putting on a memorable performance in the Funkmaster Flex Invitational that season.

Rondeau returned sporadically in the late 2000’s, and also competed in some drag events held in the early 2010’s. In the 2020’s, he returned as crew chief for stand-out female racer Milania Shilosky. He was inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame in 2022. He is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest Late Model driver in southern New England racing history.

STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT

PHIL RONDEAU
SPEEDBOWL PHOTO ALBUM