Hot streaks continue for support division winners
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The moon might not have been full on Sunday, July 8 over Devil’s Bowl Speedway, but the drivers were in rare form. Kevin Chaffee of Bradford, Vt., stood the tallest at the end of the wild, crash-filled “Hometown Heroes” event with his first-ever Devil’s Bowl win in hand, while other drivers to make it out of the carnage and win races included Joey Roberts, Chris Murray, Jason Porter, Brandon Emerson, and Diane Porter.
As part of the annual “Hometown Heroes” event, free grandstand admission was given to all law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue personnel, and active and retired military members, courtesy of event sponsors Rutland Regional Medical Center and Whelen Engineering.
Pole sitter Allan Hammond of Canaan, N.H., set the pace for the first five circuits of the 30-lap main event for the Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified division before Mike Palmer nosed in front. Just after Palmer took control, though, all manner of chaos broke loose behind him as Joey Scarborough and rookie Tanner Siemons bumped together to trigger a massive pileup that collected half of the 26 cars in the field.
The red flag waved for about 15 minutes as the safety and wrecker crews worked feverishly to separate the 13 cars that were wadded together. While most were able to drive away, a handful including championship point leader Kenny Tremont Jr. sustained heavy damage and were forced to pit road; Tremont finished 22nd.
When racing resumed, Salisbury, Vt., veteran Palmer led the next dozen laps. Chaffee stalked Palmer for much of that distance before taking over on lap 19, and then outlasted several restarts and challenges from Palmer, Tim LaDuc, and others to earn his first win under NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanction.
Orwell, Vt., racer LaDuc finished second and was able to leapfrog Tremont to take a 21-point lead entering next week’s double-points Mid-Season Championship event. Vince Quenneville Jr. bounced around in traffic and survived a wild ride down the frontstretch that eliminated Palmer from contention with just three laps left to finish in third place. Scarborough finished fourth and Hammond completed his best night of the season in fifth place.
Adam Pierson completed a successful Independence Day week in sixth place; he was late arriving at the track after winning a USAC Midget race in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, and also won Tuesday night’s special event at Devil’s Bowl. Justin Comes, Ron Proctor, John St. Germain Jr., and Siemons finished in positions 7-10.
Joey Roberts of Fletcher, Vt., posted his second win of the season in the 20-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman feature. Roberts and Kyle Hoard had a scorching battle for the top spot in the first half of the race before Roberts pulled away. Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald finished second in his first start since the season opener. Paolo Pascarella rebounded from a hard multi-car crash in the early laps to finish third.
Hoard was fourth with Adam Piper fifth, and point leader Travis Billington came back from a crash and two trips to pit road for sixth. Brent Warren, Mike Ryan, Tanner Forbes, and Matt Bilodeau were next in line.
Maine resident Jason Porter raised his winning percentage in the Portland Glass Mini Stocks to 80% with a score in that division’s 20-lap feature race. Porter is running a part-time schedule in 2018 and indicated – perhaps to the relief of his competitors – that Sunday’s event will be his last for several weeks due to work commitments; the win was his fourth in five starts in 2018.
Mike Preston and P.J. Cram crossed the finish line in second and third, respectively, but Cram’s transmission failed post-race inspection and he was disqualified. Zach Wood inherited the third-place finish in his first start of the year. Kaleb Shepard took fourth despite two trips to pit road for flat tires, and Chris Conroy was fifth.
Not to be outdone by her husband, Diane Porter scored a popular win in the first Ladies race of the season; the 8-lap race was her first start of any kind. Sami Sargent, driving Wood’s car, was leading on lap 4 when her steering wheel came off, sending her hard into the retaining wall; she was sore but otherwise uninjured. Porter took over at that point, holding off Jessica Moquin, Stephanie Roberts, Morgan Ballard, and Mary Gardner.
Chris Murray of Fair Haven, Vt., continued his domination of the Super Stock class, winning a three-segment scored event. Murray scored one race point for winning the first 10-lap segment, repeated that feat in the second round, and was on his to a perfect score when he got turned around in front of the field with three laps left. Still, Murray put on a show, passing on the extreme outside lane of a four-wide glob of cars in the final lap; he finished fifth in the segment for a total low score of seven points (1, 1, 5) and the overall win.
Kevin Elliott won the third leg and scored nine points (4, 4, 1) to be the overall runner-up. Josh Bussino tallied 10 points (2, 6, 2) in third place, followed by Curtis Condon (16 points) and Joey Trudeau (18 points).
Brandon Emerson of Williamstown, Vt., topped the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division for the third time this season. Austin Chaves led the first 12 circuits but crashed when he and Emerson made incidental contact while racing for the lead; it was the third significant delay of the race, and led to a 15-minute time limit being enacted and ending the race two laps shy of its scheduled 15-lap distance. Leading rookie contender Dakota Green finished second with Colby Beinhaur third. Erick Mulready and Michael Bradley completed the top five.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s next event is on Sunday, July 15 with the “Vince Quenneville Sr. Memorial” Mid-Season Championships. Double points will be on the line for all weekly divisions that are in action, and there will be a special appearance by the ground-pounding Small Block “358” Modifieds with twin 20-lap feature races. Special event general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $5 for teens (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Racing starts at 6:00 p.m.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2, and just 20 minutes from Rutland, Vt. 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.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – “Hometown Heroes” Night presented by Rutland Regional Medical Center & Whelen Engineering
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (6) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
2. (11) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
3. (13) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
4. (7) Joey Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
5. (1) Allan Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
6. (16) Adam Pierson, East Corinth, Vt.
7. (25) Justin Comes, Middlebury, Vt.
8. (4) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
9. (3) John St. Germain Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
10. (5) # Tanner Siemons, Orford, N.H.
11. (22) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
12. (16) Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham, Vt.
13. (10) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
14. (12) Alex Bell, Cambridge, N.Y.
15. (23) # Bruce Loomis, Granville, N.Y.
16. (2) Mike Palmer, Salisbury, Vt.
17. (8) Trevor Rocke, Canaan, N.H.
18. (13) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, Vt.
19. (9) Jake Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
20. (26) James Fadden, Plainfield, N.H.
21. (15) David Schilling, East Greenbush, N.Y.
22. (19) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
23. (24) # Marty Kelly III, North Bennington, Vt.
24. (20) # Jeff Washburn, Benson, Vt.
25. (21) Ricky Sanville, Canaan, N.H.
26. (17) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Allan Hammond, Mike Palmer, John St. Germain Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Justin Comes (+18 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Mike Palmer
O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (5) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
2. (11) Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Gansevoort, N.Y.
3. (8) Paolo Pascarella, Troy, N.Y.
4. (3) Kyle Hoard, North Granville, N.Y.
5. (1) Adam Piper, Leicester, Vt.
6. (9) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
7. (10) Brent Warren, Salisbury, Vt.
8. (4) Mike Ryan, Chelsea, Vt.
9. (13) Tanner Forbes, Jay, N.Y.
10. (15) Matt Bilodeau, Pittsford, Vt.
11. (12) Montgomery Tremont, West Sand Lake, N.Y.
12. (14) Ralph Reynolds Jr., Rutland, Vt.
13. (16) Andy Badger, Enfield, N.H.
14. (2) Jamey Ferland, Charlestown, N.H.
15. (7) Mike Parodi, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
16. (6) Josh Rozelle, West Pawlet, Vt.
Did Not Start: Jason Baker, South Glens Falls, N.Y.; R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt.; Dan Lyle, Bennington, Vt.
Heat Winners: Joey Roberts, Travis Billington
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald (+9 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Josh Rozelle
Super Stock Feature (10 laps x 3)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Segment Score
# – denotes rookie
1. (7) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, Vt. – 7 pts.
2. (4) Kevin Elliott, Rutland, Vt. – 9 pts.
3. (6) Josh Bussino, Mount Holly, Vt. – 10 pts.
4. (3) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y. – 16 pts.
5. (10) Joey Trudeau, Hague, N.Y. – 18 pts.
6. (9) Garrett Given, Cornwall, Vt. – 18 pts.
7. (5) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt. – 20 pts.
8. (8) Michael Clark Jr., Salisbury, Vt. – 21 pts.
9. (2) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass. – 23 pts.
10. (1) # Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt. – 25 pts.
11. (11) Randy Alger, Fair Haven, Vt. – 31 pts.
Segment Winners: Chris Murray, Chris Murray, Kevin Elliott
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps) – REVISED ON 7/16/18
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (18) Jason Porter, Freeport, Maine
2. (17) Mike Preston, Panton, Vt.
3. (25) Zach Wood, Georgia, Vt.
4. (10) Kaleb Shepard, Vergennes, Vt.
5. (16) Chris Conroy, Newport, N.H.
6. (20) Chad White, Fort Ann, N.Y.
7. (7) # Craig Kirby, Winooski, Vt.
8. (13) Shawn Moquin, Milton, Vt.
9. (3) # Lynn Denton, Milton, Vt.
10. (1) # Chris Guyette, North Clarendon, Vt.
11. (5) Dakota Desabrais, Whitehall, N.Y.
12. (2) Willie Rice, Poultney, Vt.
13. (12) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
14. (14) Mike Lique, Lebanon, N.H.
15. (8) Jake Barrows, Cornwall, Vt.
16. (6) Tim Simonds, Clarendon, Vt.
17. (20) Morgan Ballard, Fair Haven, Vt.
18. (23) Kyle Rogers, Fair Haven, Vt.
19. (21) # Tanner Lunt, Fort Ann, N.Y.
20. (9) Josh Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
21. (22) Erika Lilly, Castleton, Vt.
22. (11) Cameron Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
23. (4) Shawn Rogers, Fair Haven, Vt.
Did Not Start: Justin Biathrow, West Rutland, Vt.
Disqualified: (15) P.J. Cram, Fair Haven, Vt. (transmission)
Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (13 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Brandon Emerson, Williamstown, Vt.
2. (4) # Dakota Green, Eagle Bridge, N.Y.
3. (12) Colby Beinhaur, Shoreham, Vt.
4. (5) Erick Mulready, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
5. (11) # Michael Bradley, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
6. (8) Cody O’Brien, Springfield, Vt.
7. (16) # Tye Vaillancourt, New Ipswich, N.H.
8. (2) # Joel Belanger, Washington, N.H.
9. (14) # John McPhee Jr., Rutland, Vt.
10. (10) # Gordon Sheehan, West Rutland, Vt.
11. (6) # Samantha Mulready, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
12. (1) Austin Chaves, Chester, Vt.
13. (15) Nadine Coates, Newport, N.H.
14. (13) # Kevin Smith, Brandon, Vt.
15. (7) Mark Mulready, Buskirk, N.Y.
16. (3) # Shawn McPhee, Rutland, Vt.
Ladies Mini Stock Feature (8 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (4) Diane Porter, Freeport, Maine
2. (2) Jessica Moquin, Milton, Vt.
3. (6) Stephanie Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
4. (3) Morgan Ballard, Fair Haven, Vt.
5. (5) Mary Gardner, Granville, N.Y.
6. (1) Sami Sargent, Georgia, Vt.
Did Not Start: Jill Simonds, Clarendon, Vt.
(Photos by Alan Ward and Justin St. Louis/Devil’s Bowl Speedway)