July 31, 2005

Tremont back in victory lane

WEST HAVEN, VT –  Ken Tremont Jr. finally found the right recipe for success at Devil’s Bowl Speedway Sunday night. All he had to do was add a little water.

After sitting out two rain delays, Tremont went out and dominated the 30-lap 358 modified feature, picking up his second win of the season at the fastest half-mile in Vermont.

In recording his 39th career win at the Bowl, Tremont became just the second modified driver with more than one victory this season. Ray Hoard leads that category with three.

On a night when it would have been easy to send everyone home, the track crew did a whale of a job getting the racetrack in top-notch condition. The racers also chipped in, helping run in the racing surface. All deserve a tip of the hat.

Tremont came from his 12th starting position and was hooked up to the heavy surface early. He had broken into the top five when a tangle involving Gardner Stone and Matt Depew brought out the first caution on lap nine, and Tremont used the subsequent restart to move to third, behind Ron Proctor and Denny Young, who were locked in a great battle for the lead.

But the restart made all the difference. On lap 11, Tremont rocketed past both Proctor and Young to go out in front and then just turned the feature into a runaway. When he took the checkered flag, Tremont was over four seconds ahead of Proctor, who finished in the runner-up position for the third time this season.

Vince Quenneville Jr. made a late run and crossed the finish line third, getting nosed out by Proctor for the No. 2 position. Jimmy Ryan got up for fourth, with Todd Stone rounding out the top five. Completing the top 10 were Mike Perrotte, Ray Hoard, Young, Tim Laduc and Gene Munger.

Teammates Joe Santoro and Scott Duell switched cars for the night in the pro-street stock division, but it didn’t really make a difference, as Santoro picked up his third win of the season behind the wheel of Duell’s car.

Santoro put the wraps on this one early. Despite starting eighth, Santoro had the lead after just three laps, and easily held off Duell for the victory. Rob Langevin came across the line third, with Jeff Martin fourth and Scott Fowler fifth.

The best race of the night came in the 15-lap Rentway Limited feature, which was billed as the North-South Border War. And it turned into a war, with William Duprey getting his second straight win and third of the season.

By the luck of the draw, Duprey started on the pole and went right to the lead, but Adam Piper came up to provide the late-race fireworks. Piper, who had started eighth, took over the No. 2 spot on lap 12, and quickly reeled Duprey in, but he ran out of time in his bid for the victory, losing by less than half-a-car-length. Tim Shaw was right with the leaders at the checkered flag, creating a wild three-car finish.

The Pro-Built Mini-Stocks were also in action Sunday night, with Mike Clark recording his fifth win of the year.

Devil’s Bowl will host its annual Mountain Man Weekend Sunday, with all divisions in action. The racing card, which starts at 7 p.m, will also include an enduro.

FAIR HAVEN DODGE MODIFIEDS: KEN TREMONT JR., Ron Proctor, Vince Quenneville Jr., Jim Ryan, Todd Stone, Mike Perrotte, Ray Hoard, Denny Young, Tim Laduc, Gene Munger, Brian Whittemore, Bob Savoie, Frank Hoard Sr., Stan Lemiesz, Rick Davis, C.V. Elms, Matt Depew, Lance Harting, Gardner Stone, Kevin Perry.

ED DAVIS AUTO & RV PRO-STREET STOCKS: JOE SANTORO, Scott Duell, Rob Langevin, Jeff Martin, Scott Fowler, Ed Thompson, Billy Lussier, Jon Bates, Walt Brownell Jr., Danny Eastman, Don Williams, Jeff Washburn, Cale Kneer, Jim Groncki.

RENTWAY LIMITEDS: WILLIAM DUPREY, Adam Piper, Tim Shaw, Kevin Elliot, Jim Monroe, Pat Cram, Steve Taran, William Vradenburg, John Sullivan, Shannon Donnelly, Jared McMahon, Tony Condon, Steve Williams, Bill Burlingame, Joey Trudeau, Tim Brunelle, Adam Forbes, Tracy Ash.

PRO-BUILT MINI-STOCKS: MIKE CLARK, Randy Manhey, Jamie Gearwar, Carl Whittemore, Jason Bishop.