PHOTO: Bond Auto Parts Modified champion Ron Proctor (center) with Alayne and Austin Bruno. Proctor collected a championship trophy from Devil’s Bowl Speedway and a plaque from NASCAR for his Whelen-All American Series track title. (MemorEvents photo)
Track promoter Mike Bruno wins inaugural John Bruno Award
RUTLAND, VT – A sold-out room of more than 230 stock car drivers, team members, sponsors, and fans honored the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champions from the 2012 season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, February 2. The Devil’s Bowl Speedway Banquet of Champions was held at the Holiday Inn Rutland-Killington in Rutland, VT.
Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY collected his second-straight championship in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division after a sterling season that saw him tally three victories and finishes of seventh or better in all 18 regular-season events. Car owners Debbie Eddy and Ron White of Fair Haven, VT were also honored for their title, and Marcy Proctor accepted the team’s UNOH Ultimate Mechanic Challenge award.
Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT was crowned the champion of the J&S Steel Late Model division after a dominant eight-win campaign for Freedom Eagle Racing team owner Leigh Sykes. Robert Gordon of Milton, VT won the first title of his long career in the Renegade class, and Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT took championship honors in the Bomber division.
Masterson was also honored as the Bomber division’s Rookie of the Year, while Joey Roberts of Georgia, VT won similar honors in the Modified division, Robert Bryant, Jr. of Brooklyn, CT took Late Model honors and Robin Cummings of Milton, VT grabbed the Renegade title.
First-year track owner and promoter Mike Bruno received a standing ovation when he was announced as the surprise winner of the inaugural John Bruno Award, an annual trophy named for his father and established as Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s highest honor. John Bruno was a champion racer and team owner for more than three decades before his passing in 1998. The award will be dedicated each year to a person or group who has dedicated their life to the sport of stock car racing while maintaining high standards of conduct on and off the track.
Charlie Brown of Castleton, VT was named the inaugural winner of the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Award of Excellence, given annually to a person or group who commits to fostering the prosperity and future growth of the speedway. Brown was a top Modified and Late Model racer from the 1970s through the 1990s whose family-owned companies – Brown’s Quarried Slate and Brown’s Orchard & Farm Stand – now enthusiastically sponsor the speedway. Brown also presented the John Bruno Award to Mike Bruno.
Sportsmanship Awards were presented in all four Devil’s Bowl Speedway divisions; winners were decided by a vote of drivers. Cody Sargen of Greenfield Center, NY was the winner of the Sportsmanship Award for the Modified division, with similar honors going to Late Model driver Bryan Town of Charlestown, NH, Renegade championship runner-up Ryan Keith of Pittsford, VT, and Bomber racer Dan Collins of Rensselaer, NY.
Gift certificates from Five Star Race Car Bodies and Bond Auto Parts were awarded by a random draw from eligible competitors. Town received a $500 product certificate from Five Star, while Gordon won the $125 certificate. Bond Auto Parts $50 gift cards were won by Sargen, Town, Gordon, and Bomber driver Kyle Watrous of Bomoseen, VT.
A keynote speech was delivered by Karl Fredrickson, Editor and Publisher of Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated magazine to begin the evening, and a rousing address was given by NASCAR Hall of Fame honoree Ken Squier to close the ceremonies.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 2013 racing season kicks off on Sunday, May 5 with the 39th annual “Spring Green” for the American-Canadian Tour Late Models and Devil’s Bowl’s weekly NASCAR divisions. General admission season passes are available by visiting www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com or calling (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is also on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Banquet of Champions
Saturday, February 2, 2013 – Holiday Inn Rutland-Killington, Rutland, VT
2012 Award Winners
John Bruno Award
Mike Bruno, Devil’s Bowl Speedway Owner/Promoter
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Award of Excellence
Charlie Brown, Brown’s Quarried Slate/Brown’s Orchard & Farm Stand
Bond Auto Parts Modified Division
Champion Driver – Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
Champion Car Owners – Debbie Eddy & Ron White, Fair Haven, VT
UNOH Ultimate Mechanic Challenge – Marcy Proctor, Charlton, NY
Rookie of the Year – Joey Roberts, Georgia, VT
Sportsmanship Award – Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
2nd Place – Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
3rd Place – Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
4th Place – Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
5th Place – Joey Roberts, Georgia, VT
6th Place – Alex Bell, Cambridge, NY
7th Place – Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
8th Place – Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
9th Place – Jamie Proctor, Schuylerville, NY
10th Place – Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
11th Place – Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
12th Place – Jason Bruno, Morrisonville, NY
13th Place – Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
14th Place – Matt Atwood, Whitehall, NY
15th Place – Mike Bush, South Glens Falls, NY
J&S Steel Late Model Division
Champion Driver – Craig Bushey, Fairfax, VT
Champion Car Owner – Leigh Sykes, Bolton, VT
Rookie of the Year – Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
Sportsmanship Award – Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH
2nd Place – Matt White, Northfield, VT
3rd Place – Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH
4th Place – Dan Petronis, Mechanicville, NY
5th Place – Kevin Elliott, Rutland, VT
6th Place – Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
7th Place – Norm Andrews, Northfield, VT
8th Place – Jesse Carris, Rutland, VT
9th Place – Johnny Chesnut, Elizabethtown, NH
10th Place – Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT
Renegade Division
Champion Driver – Robert Gordon, Milton, VT
Rookie of the Year – Robin Cummings, Milton, VT
Sportsmanship Award – Ryan Keith, Pittsford, VT
2nd Place – Ryan Keith, Pittsford, VT
3rd Place – Jeremy Jones, Leicester, VT
4th Place – Bill Duprey, Hydeville, VT
5th Place – Frank Monroe, Granville, NY
6th Place – Robin Cummings, Milton, VT
7th Place – Bob Monroe, Granville, NY
8th Place – Kevin Brisson, East Middlebury, VT
9th Place – Richie Turner, Fairfax, VT
10th Place – Stephen Donahue, Graniteville, VT
Bomber Division
Champion Driver – Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
Rookie of the Year – Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
Sportsmanship Award – Dan Collins, Rensselaer, NY
2nd Place – Bobby LaVair, Gabriels, NY
3rd Place – Ray Germain, Jr., Bristol, VT
4th Place – Harold LaVair, Jr., Gabriels, NY
5th Place – Gerald LaFlam, Hinesburg, VT
6th Place – Garrett Given, Cornwall, VT
7th Place – Dan Collins, Rensselaer, NY
8th Place – Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
9th Place – John McCarron, Rensselaer, NY
10th Place – Jake Noble, Benson, VT
11th Place – Tyson Drown, Morrisonville, NY
12th Place – Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
13th Place – Mitchell Dundon, Orwell, VT
14th Place – Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
15th Place – Bruce Schwab, Jr., Whitehall, NY
Five Star Race Car Bodies Awards
$500 Certificate – Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH (Late Model)
$125 Certificate – Robert Gordon, Milton, VT (Renegade)
Bond Auto Parts Awards
Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY (Modified)
Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH (Late Model)
Robert Gordon, Milton, VT (Renegade)
Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT (Bomber)