August 10, 2008

First career modified win for Don Mattison

WEST HAVEN, VT –  Bad luck, mechanical problems, flat tires… you name it, and Don Mattison has had it this season.

But on Sunday night, he got something different – his first career 358-modified victory at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

Mattison used a restart on lap 12 to get the lead, and then easily outran defending track champion Ken Tremont Jr. to finally join the list of 358-modified winners at “Vermont’s Fastest Half-Mile.”

The last time Mattison was in victory lane at Devil’s Bowl was in 1999, when he was competing in the sportsman division. He moved up to the 358-modifieds in 2000, when the CVRA began running one division of open-wheel cars at the Bowl.

Mattison has been a consistent threat this season. He ran second to Tremont on June 8, and looked like he had a victory wrapped up two weeks ago, until he got caught up in an incident with lapped cars. But on Sunday night, he finally got out from under the black cloud that has followed him this season.

Tremont was over three seconds behind when Mattison took the checkered flag, and Vince Quenneville Jr., who started on the pole and set the pace for the first 11 laps, finished third. Jimmy Ryan and Ray Hoard completed the top five.

It was a night for milestone victories, as Jon Bates got his first career win in the 30-lap Twin State Series budget sportsman feature, which drew a good contingent of drivers from Bear Ridge Speedway in New Hampshire. Seth Howe set the early pace, but Bates, who started sixth, used a couple of early cautions to quickly work his way to the front. He finally found a way around Howe with 10 laps to go, and left Howe and Gary Siemons to battle for second. A caution with two to go gave Siemons the opportunity he needed, and he charged around Howe on the white-flag lap to nail down the runner-up position.

Howe hit the stripe third, with Adam Pierson fourth and Cullen Howe fifth.

Chuck Towslee, who won Friday night’s pro-stock feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, held off Carl Vladyka Sunday night to record a weekend sweep. The win was Towslee’s first of the year at the Bowl.

Joey Trudeau drove to his fifth win of the season in the limited division feature, Erwin Smith Jr. took the checkered flag in the Duke stock feature and Charles Bradford won the Mountain Man enduro.

Devil’s Bowl will return to action on Sunday, Aug. 17, with the annual Judith L. Richards Memorial. All divisions will be in action, with racing beginning at 6:45 p.m., and there will a spectacular fireworks displayduring the evening.

MODIFIEDS: DON MATTISON, Ken Tremont Jr., Vince Quenneville Jr., Jimmy Ryan, Ray Hoard, Todd Stone, Gardner Stone, Ron Poctor, Tim Laduc, Rob Langevin, Gene Munger, Don Ackner, Frank Hoard Sr., Darren Keyser, Robert King, Kris Vernold, Brian Whittemore, Kris Bradbury.

BUDGET SPORTSMAN: JON BATES, Gary Siemons, Seth Howe, Adam Pierson, Cullen Howe, Don Miller, C.V. Elms, D.J. Brundige, Chris Thorpe, Bill Williams, Tom Lilly, Anthony Marro, Billy Lussier, Jeremy Dygert, Frank Hoard III, Ken Towne, Frank Hoard Jr., Tim Anagnos, Jeremy Bishop, Jamie Introne, Jack Swinton, Gene Pierson, Jared McMahon.

PRO-STOCKS: CHUCK TOWSLEE, Carl Vladyka, Fred Little, Jeff Washburn, Mike Paquin, Pat McLaughlin, Jacob Losaw, Roger Siliski, Lori Langevin, Justin Perry, O. Smith, Tim Brunelle.

LIMITEDS: JOEY TRUDEAU, Bill Duprey, Kevin Elliott, Rob Ketcham, Bill Vradenburg, Jeremy Jones, Bill Burlingame.