PHOTO: Ron Proctor (#27), shown here with rookie Jeff Haskins (#95), will have double the pressure to hold onto his lead in the Bond Auto Parts Modifieds at the double-points Rutland Herald Mid-Season Championships. (MemorEvents photo)
Title races tighten entering pivotal double-points event; driver autograph session planned
WEST HAVEN, VT – Stock car drivers at Devil’s Bowl Speedway will look for twice the luck on Friday, July 13 at the double-points Mid-Season Championships event presented by The Rutland Herald. Just as the title races begin to tighten in the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, drivers will fight for double points in the race considered by many as the most important event on the calendar.
With good luck, the Rutland Herald Mid-Season Championships event can jumpstart a second-half push toward a track championship with a good finish. Likewise, bad luck at the double-points event means double the hit, and can leave a top runner scrambling to play catch-up for the rest of the season. Point values will be doubled in qualifying and feature races across all divisions; heat race wins will be worth 10 points, while the runner-up receives eight, third place earns six, fourth place takes four, and all others receive two. Feature wins jump to 100 points, with the runner-up taking 96 points, third place getting 92, and each subsequent position decreasing by four points to a minimum of 20 points (21st place).
Defending Bond Auto Parts Modified track champion Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY has had the best luck so far and holds the lead by 17 points over Vince Quenneville, Jr., of Brandon, VT, 493-476. Quenneville fell behind in the People’s United Bank Twin 20s special on Memorial Day weekend, but has been able chip a dozen points off his deficit in the last three weeks.
With double points on the line on Friday, Quenneville will only need to outperform Proctor by a few positions in order to close in on him at the top. Two-time feature winner Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY sits third at 436 points, well within striking distance of the leaders. Coca-Cola Firecracker 44 winner Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT and veteran Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY are next in line.
Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT holds an impressive 50-point lead in the J&S Steel Late Model class after amassing five victories. Bushey has been seriously challenged up front lately, though, and won’t be able to rest on his laurels at the double-points event, as Matt White, Bryan Town, Kevin Elliott, and Dan Petronis are waiting to capitalize on any mistake.
Milton, VT’s Robert Gordon has three Renegade division victories this year, but only a 12-point lead (452-440) on second-place Ryan Keith of Pittsford, VT. Keith and Jeremy Jones of Leicester, VT have pounced on several opportunities to reel Gordon in, with third-place Jones just 26 points out of the lead.
Rookie Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT has led the Bomber division after each of the first ten events, but his cushion is down to just five slim points (454-449) over Gabriels, NY veteran Harold LaVair. Two-time winner Ray Germain, Jr., of Bristol, VT is third, 29 points back.
A full card of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action is planned for the Rutland Herald Mid-Season Championships event on Friday, July 13, along with a special autograph session at intermission with drivers from all four regular divisions. Regular general admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under. Gates open at 5:00pm with racing scheduled to begin at 7:30pm.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway also offers special fan amenities including the Daredevil community racing division, the Interstate Batteries “Fun Bus” for race track and pit area tours, a video arcade, the “Devil’s Den” lounge with live closed-circuit television, and delicious food at family-friendly prices.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on US Route 4. For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or click www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/devilsbowlspeedway and Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.