PHOTO: Jeff Haskins (#95) carries the checkered flag after winning the Bond Auto Parts Modified Non-Winners Shootout at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday. (MemorEvents photo)
Vermont State Late Model Championship decided Sunday
WEST HAVEN, VT – The Vermont 200 stock car racing weekend began at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in exciting fashion on Saturday, September 15. Rookie open-wheel Modified driver Jeff Haskins of Wells, VT posted his first-ever win, and 2012 champion Robert Gordon of Milton, VT held off young Stephen Donahue to win the Renegade race.
The victory for Haskins’ No. 95 Fuller Sand & Gravel/TPW Management entry came in a special 10-lap Shootout for drivers who had not previously won a Bond Auto Parts Modified feature race in 2012. He defeated Cody Sargen, Jason Bruno, Mike Bush, and Andy Smith for the win.
First-round qualifying was held for the Modifieds as well, locking in the top-12 starters for Sunday’s 100-lap main event. Vince Quenneville, Jr., of Brandon, VT won the first 10-lap heat race, while Roger Labreche of St-Remis, QC won his heat in his first-ever appearance at Devil’s Bowl. Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY won the third heat; Proctor won the 2012 Devil’s Bowl championship last week.
Gordon ran to his seventh Renegade win of the season after a late charge by 14 year-old rookie Donahue, of Graniteville, VT. Like Proctor, Gordon wrapped up his first career championship at Devil’s Bowl last week. Ryan Keith of Pittsford, VT finished third in the race, followed by David Emigh and Paul Braymer.
Tyson Drown of Morrisonville, NY won the first segment of the “Triple 12s” feature for the Bomber division. The three-segment, cumulatively scored event will completed over the two-day Vermont 200 Weekend. Drown earned one point for his win, but the finish order will be inverted, placing him at the rear for the second segment on Sunday. Track champion Josh Masterson earned two points in second place, Bobby LaVair took three points in third. The driver with the lowest three-round total score will be declared the overall winner.
A special 10-lap non-winners Shootout was also held for the Bomber division, and Chris LaVair of Gabriels, NY picked up the victory. John McCarron, Mitchell Dundon, Kyle Watrous, and Dan Collins were next in line.
Two wild races were held for the Daredevil division for race team crew members. Brad Bushey of Cambridge, VT, brother of J&S Steel Late Model track champion Craig Bushey, survived a scrape with Shawn Magowan of Forestdale, VT, a crew member for Ryan Keith’s Renegade team, to win the first event.
A crash by Guy Forden in the first five-car race cut the field to four cars for the second event, but the action kept going. Roger LaBounty of Plattsburgh, NY won after spinning Joe Bouyea, and Steve Grandfield of Moretown, VT bounced airborne through the infield.
First-round qualifying for the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series finale begins at 1:30pm on Sunday, September 16. General admission for the Sunday-only ticket is $25; kids 12 and under will be admitted free. Also on the card are last-chance qualifying for the 100-lap Modified event, a 50-lap Renegade feature, and the final two segments of the Bomber “Triple 12s” event. Gates open at 12:00 noon.
Nick Sweet of Barre, VT and Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, VT enter the Vermont State Championship race tied atop the point standings, with Brent Dragon, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, Brooks Clark, and Ricky Rolfe close behind. As many as 30 Late Models and 30 Modifieds are expected to swell the pit area, including Modified star Kenny Tremont, Jr., of West Sand Lake, NY.
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.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Vermont 200 Weekend – Saturday Events
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Bond Auto Parts Modified Qualifying Heat 1
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
2. Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
3. Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
4. Travis Bruno, Plattsburgh, NY
5. Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
6. Joey Roberts, Georgia, VT
7. Mike Bush, Hudson Falls, NY
Bond Auto Parts Modified Qualifying Heat 2
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Roger Labreche, St-Remis, QC
2. Alex Bell, Cambridge, NY
3. Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
4. Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
5. Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
6. Brian Whittemore, Florence, VT
Bond Auto Parts Modified Qualifying Heat 3
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
2. Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
3. Gardner Stone, Middlebury, VT
4. Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
5. Jason Durgan, Plattsburgh, NY
6. Jack Speshock, Malta, NY
Bond Auto Parts Modified Non-Winners Shootout (10 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
2. Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
3. Jason Bruno, Plattsburgh, NY
4. Mike Bush, Hudson Falls, NY
5. Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
Renegade Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Robert Gordon, Milton, VT
2. Stephen Donahue, Graniteville, VT
3. Ryan Keith, Pittsford, VT
4. David Emigh, Ballston Spa, NY
5. Paul Braymer, Granville, NY
6. Brian Pugh, Peru, NY
Heat Winner: Robert Gordon
Bomber “Triple 12s” Feature – Segment #1 (12 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Tyson Drown, Morrisonville, NY
2. Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
3. Bobby LaVair, Gabriels, NY
4. Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
5. Ray Germain, Jr., Bristol, VT
6. John McCarron, Rennselaer, NY
7. Gerald LaFlam, Hinesburg, VT
8. Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
9. Mitchell Dundon, Orwell, VT
10. Harold LaVair, Gabriels, NY
11. Dan Collins, Rennselaer, NY
12. Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
13. Mike Whalen, Jr., Plattsburgh, NY
Heat Winners: Josh Masterson, Tyson Drown
Bomber Non-Winners Shootout (10 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
2. John McCarron, Rennselaer, NY
3. Mitchell Dundon, Orwell, VT
4. Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
5. Dan Collins, Rennselaer, NY
6. Gerald LaFlam, Hinesburg, VT
7. Mike Whalen, Jr., Plattsburgh, NY
Daredevil Feature #1 – Crew Members (6 laps)
1. Brad Bushey, Cambridge, VT
2. Shawn Magowan, Forestdale, VT
3. Glen Sorensen, Greenfield Center, NY
4. Bill Morse, Middlebury, VT
5. Guy Forden, Clifton Park, NY
Daredevil Feature #2 – Crew Members (6 laps)
1. Roger LaBounty, Plattsburgh, NY
2. Gordie Stone, Georgia, VT
3. Joe Bouyea, Plattsburgh, NY
4. Steve Grandfield, Moretown, VT