Regional Late Model stars headed to Rutland County for May 7 opener
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway is ready to roar for its 51st season of stock car racing, and the schedule opens with the return of one of the year’s biggest and most important traditional events: The “Spring Green.” The sleek Late Model cars and the regional stars of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) join the local favorites of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for a pavement-pounding show on Sunday, May 7 at 1:30 p.m.
The Spring Green race has a storied and somewhat quirky history. The event began at the former Catamount Stadium in Milton, Vt., in 1974, running 74 laps in distance. After Catamount closed in 1987, the event bounced between three facilities including the 1/2-mile Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, which previously hosted the race four times. The Spring Green returns to West Haven, Vt., in 2017 with a 117-lap distance.
The list of past Spring Green winners reads like an all-star lineup. Brothers Beaver and Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, Jean-Paul Cabana, Stub Fadden, and Robbie Crouch are former winners, along with Vermont NASCAR star Kevin Lepage and Canadian icon Junior Hanley. Modern-era winners include Governor Phil Scott, second-generation star Brent Dragon, and former Devil’s Bowl champs Todd Stone and Jean-Paul Cyr. ACT greats Brian Hoar and Wayne Helliwell Jr. each won the Spring Green twice during its previous Devil’s Bowl run in 2011-2014.
Devil’s Bowl champion Josh Masterson of Bristol, Vt., will try to become the first local to win an ACT event on May 7. Masterson is running the full ACT schedule in 2017 and is certain to be a contender at the Spring Green. Drivers from all six New England states are expected to enter the event including former ACT race winners Scott Payea, Bobby Therrien, Jimmy Hebert, and Scott Dragon of Vermont, Connecticut’s Dillon Moltz, and New Hampshire drivers Kyle Welch and Miles Chipman; several Devil’s Bowl regulars are also expected to race. For more information on the American-Canadian Tour including the full season schedule, visit www.ACTTour.com.
Drivers from the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series ranks will also kick off their season at the Spring Green on May 7. Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, N.Y., will begin defense of his O’Reilly Auto Parts Sportsman Modified division championship and Jim McKiernan of Moriah, N.Y., will do the same in the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stocks. The Portland Glass Mini Stock title race is wide open and has a large crop of rookie drivers.
General admission the Spring Green special event will be $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (62+), just $5 for teenagers (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Camping and parking are always free at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Green flag racing action begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 7.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
PHOTO: Scott Payea, who won the ACT Spring Green in 2009, will be one of the drivers leading the charge to Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, May 7. (T.J. Ingerson/vtmotormag.com photo)
| Year | Winner | Hometown | Track | Laps | Division |
| 1974 | Beaver Dragon | Milton, VT | Catamount Stadium | 74 | NASCAR Late Model Sportsman |
| 1975 | Bobby Dragon | Milton, VT | Catamount Stadium | 75 | NASCAR Late Model Sportsman |
| 1976 | Dave Dion | Hudson, NH | Catamount Stadium | 76 | NASCAR Late Model Sportsman |
| 1977 | Beaver Dragon | Milton, VT | Catamount Stadium | 77 | NASCAR Late Model Sportsman |
| 1978 | Jean-Paul Cabana | Beloeil, QC | Catamount Stadium | 78 | NASCAR Late Model Sportsman |
| 1979 | Beaver Dragon | Milton, VT | Catamount Stadium | 79 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1980 | Mike Barry | Bolton, VT | Catamount Stadium | 80 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1981 | Jean-Paul Cabana | Beloeil, QC | Catamount Stadium | 81 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1982 | Hector Leclair | Fairfax, VT | Catamount Stadium | 82 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1983 | Claude Leclerc | Repentigny, QC | Catamount Stadium | 83 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1984 | Tom Glaser | Shelburne, VT | Catamount Stadium | 84 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1985 | Joey Kourafas | Sharon, MA | Catamount Stadium | 85 | NASCAR North Tour |
| 1986 | Stub Fadden | North Haverhill, NH | Catamount Stadium | 86 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1987 | Paul Richardson | Georgetown, MA | Catamount Stadium | 87 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1988 | Robbie Crouch | Tampa, FL | Sanair Super Speedway | 100 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1989 | no event held | ||||
| 1990 | Claude Leclerc | Repentigny, QC | Airborne Park Speedway | 90 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1991 | Kevin Lepage | Shelburne, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 91 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1992 | Junior Hanley | Oakville, ON | Airborne Park Speedway | 92 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1993 | Junior Hanley | Oakville, ON | Airborne Park Speedway | 93 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1994 | Ralph Nason | Unity, ME | Airborne Park Speedway | 94 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1995 | Brad Leighton | Center Harbor, NH | Airborne Park Speedway | 95 | ACT Pro Stock Tour |
| 1996 | Pete Fecteau | Morrisville, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 96 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 1997 | Steve Renaudette | Colchester, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 97 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 1998 | Chris Fisher | Shelburne, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 98 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 1999 | Brian Hoar | Williston, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 99 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2000 | Phil Scott | Barre, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2001 | Todd Stone | Middlebury, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2002 | Jacob McGrath | Killington, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2003 | Jean-Paul Cyr | Milton, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2004 | Brent Dragon | Milton, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 66 (rain) | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2005 | Robin Wood | Plattsburgh, NY | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Tiger Tour |
| 2006 | Robin Wood | Plattsburgh, NY | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Tiger Tour |
| 2007 | Ryan Nolin | Georgia, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2008 | Jean-Paul Cyr | Milton, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2009 | Scott Payea | Milton, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2010 | Brian Hoar | Williston, VT | Airborne Park Speedway | 100 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2011 | Brian Hoar | Williston, VT | Devil’s Bowl Speedway | 111 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2012 | Wayne Helliwell, Jr. | Dover, NH | Devil’s Bowl Speedway | 112 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2013 | Wayne Helliwell, Jr. | Dover, NH | Devil’s Bowl Speedway | 113 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2014 | Brian Hoar | Williston, VT | Devil’s Bowl Speedway | 114 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2015 | Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. | Hudson, NH | Airborne Park Speedway | 115 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2016 | Eddie MacDonald | Rowley, MA | Airborne Park Speedway | 116 | ACT Late Model Tour |
| 2017 | ??? | Devil’s Bowl Speedway | 117 | ACT Late Model Tour |