PHOTO: Vince Quenneville, Jr., ran to his second-straight Bond Auto Parts Modified victory to open the year on Mother’s Day. (MemorEvents photo)
Dragon takes first Late Model checkers
WEST HAVEN, VT – Vince Quenneville, Jr., made it a perfect two-for-two start to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series stock car racing season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Brandon driver headlined a Mother’s Day Special card that included first wins of the year for Brent Dragon and Frank Monroe and a repeat by rookie Josh Masterson.
Quenneville, of Brandon, VT, was helped by a little bit of luck in winning his second 35-lap Bond Auto Parts Modified feature in as many starts. Quenneville ended up starting on the pole position by virtue of a random inversion draw determined by fans. He led every lap and was able to drive away from a lap 2 tangle with Ron Proctor that left several cars heavily damaged. Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY finished in second place with Olmstedville, NY youngster Jessey Mueller third.
“I didn’t expect two wins to start,” Quenneville said in victory lane. “I was just hoping for top-five finishes and to not wreck anything. This is awesome.”
Rookie Joey Roberts was fourth with Alex Bell fifth. Don Scarborough, Proctor, Hunter Bates, and rookies Jeff Haskins and Andy Smith completed the unofficial top ten in order.
Brent Dragon of Milton, VT became the first winner in the J&S Steel Late Model division with a back-to-front drive on the outside lane. Dragon started 11th and worked past Kevin Elliott on lap 9 of the 30-lap feature, then fended off a full-contact bid from Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT in the final laps. Matt White of Northfield, VT finished third ahead of Elliott and Dennis Demers.
Former champion Frank Monroe of Granville, NY won a thrilling 25-lap Renegade feature by inches at the finish line over Robert Gordon of Milton, VT. Monroe led only the final two laps and beat Gordon by an official margin of .008 seconds at the line. Jeremy Jones of Leicester, VT was third, followed by Bill Duprey and rookie Robin Cummings.
First-year racer Josh Masterson continued a dream start to his rookie season by winning the 20-lap Bomber feature for the second-straight week. The Bristol, VT driver came from sixth on the starting grid to battle with Harold LaVair in the final laps; contact between the two sent LaVair bouncing through the infield and gave Garry Bashaw second place. Ray Germain, Jr., was third, LaVair recovered for fourth, and Bobby LaVair was fifth.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Sunday, May 20 for Central Vermont Motorcycles Trophy Dash at 1:30pm. General admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, six miles north of Exit 2 on US Route 4. For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or click www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Mother’s Day Special
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
Bond Auto Parts Modified (35 laps)
1. Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
2. Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
3. Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
4. # Joey Roberts, Georgia, VT
5. Alex Bell, Cambridge, NY
6. Don Scarborough, Brandon, VT
7. Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
8. Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
9. # Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
10. # Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
11. James Introne, Sr., Hartford, NY
12. Jamie Proctor, Schuylerville, NY
13. Jim Introne, Jr., Hartford, NY
14. Matt Atwood, Whitehall, NY
15. Paul Braymer, Granville, NY
16. Mike Bush, Hudson Falls, NY
17. Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
18. Jason Bruno, Plattsburgh, NY
19. Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
Heat Winners: Don Scarborough, Alex Bell
J&S Steel Late Models (30 laps)
1. Brent Dragon, Milton, VT
2. Craig Bushey, Fairfax, VT
3. Matt White, Northfield, VT
4. Kevin Elliott, Rutland, VT
5. Dennis Demers, Sheburne, VT
6. # Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
7. Norm Andrews, Northfield, VT
8. # Dan Petronis, II, Mechanicville, NY
9. # Jesse Carris, Rutland, VT
10. Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH
11. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT
12. Chris Wilk, Mendon, VT
13. # Danny Sullivan, Morrisonville, NY
14. # Johnny Chesnut, Grantham, NH
Heat Winners: Brent Dragon, Danny Sullivan
Renegade (25 laps)
1. Frank Monroe, Granville, NY
2. Robert Gordon, Milton, VT
3. Jeremy Jones, Leicester, VT
4. Bill Duprey, Hydeville, VT
5. # Robin Cummings, Milton, VT
6. Randy Miller, Ballston Spa, NY
7. Ryan Keith, Pittsford, VT
8. # Bob Monroe, Granville, NY
Heat Winner: Frank Monroe
Bomber (20 laps)
1. # Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
2. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln, VT
3. Ray Germain, Jr., Bristol, VT
4. Harold LaVair, Gabriels, NY
5. Bobby LaVair, Gabriels, NY
6. Eddie Bruno, Fair Haven, VT
7. Dan Collins, Rennselaer, NY
8. # Gerald LaFlam, Hinesburg, VT
9. Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
10. John McCarron, Rennselaer, NY
11. Jake Noble, Benson, VT
Did Not Start: # Shane Doran, Benson, VT
Heat Winners: Garry Bashaw, Josh Masterson