Therrien scores ACT opener at Oxford; Pierson tops GRIT at Canandaigua
(NOTE: The Devil’s Bowl Speedway “Regional Racing Report” is a semi-regular feature highlighting affiliated drivers and series competing at other race tracks.)
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s landmark 50th season of stock car racing opens with a big two-day, two-track event on May 21-22, but some of the drivers from Devil’s Bowl are already getting a jump start on the action. Two drivers who are no strangers to Devil’s Bowl fans came back to Vermont with some hardware over the weekend, as Adam Pierson and Bobby Therrien won big races.
ASPHALT RACING REPORT:
American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models
Oxford Plains Speedway – Oxford, Maine
- Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, Vt., won the season opener for the ACT Late Model Tour on Sunday, April 17, topping a field of 33 entries to win at Oxford Plains Speedway. Therrien was a two-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) winner in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division at Devil’s Bowl in 2015.
- Therrien led the final 51 circuits of the 100-lap race. Maine’s Rowland Robinson Jr. was a career-best second. Eddie MacDonald, who finished eighth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, finished third, ahead of three-time Devil’s Bowl ACT winner Wayne Helliwell Jr.
- Other Devil’s Bowl notables included Brandon Atkins (10th), Nick Sweet (11th), and Emily Packard (13th).
- The American-Canadian Tour will visit Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday night, June 4, for the annual People’s United Bank 100; Joey Polewarczyk Jr. beat Sweet, Helliwell, and Devil’s Bowl champion Josh Masterson for the win last year.
Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Super Late Models
Oxford Plains Speedway – Oxford, Maine
- Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, won the PASS 150 on Sunday, April 17, in a thrilling, three-wide, photo-finish at Oxford Plains Speedway. Rowe escaped a late tangle with then-leaders Bryan Kruczek and Dan McKeage on lap 147, then out-dragged D.J. Shaw and Johnny Clark for the win after a green-white-checker restart with two laps remaining.
- Brent Dragon of Milton, Vt., who is scheduled to compete at Devil’s Bowl in the NWAAS Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division in up to eight races in 2016, finished fourth in his first start driving the house car for Dale Shaw Race Cars, matching the best finish of his PASS career.
- Todd Stone of Middlebury, Vt., a multi-time Devil’s Bowl champion in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division, was involved in an early accident and finished 32nd.
DIRT RACING REPORT:
GRIT Racing Series
Canandaigua Motorsports Park – Canandaigua, N.Y.
- Adam Pierson of East Corinth, Vt., won the season opener for the GRIT Racing Series Sportsman Modifieds on Saturday, April 16. Pierson, the first-ever champion on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl in 2014 and an 11-time champion at Bear Ridge Speedway, bested a field of 45 entries at the “Cabin Fever II” event in his first career start at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.
- Dave Marcuccilli, Rob Bussey, Ron Davis III, and Rocky Warner rounded out the top five finishers.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, N.Y.
- Many NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks across the country opened their gates for the first time over the weekend. Closest to home, Utica-Rome Speedway held twin 20-lap features for its Modified division, with Larry Wight and Matt Sheppard splitting the victories. Rocky Warner won the 602 Sportsman race, Jeremy Vunk took Open Sportsman honors, and Luke Horning grabbed the Pro Stock win.
Opening Night
Five Mile Point Speedway – Kirkwood, N.Y.
- Marty Kelly III, of Bennington, Vt., took down the victory in the Tobias Slingshot division at Five Mile Point Speedway on Saturday, April 16. Kelly recently displayed his car at the Diamond Run Mall car show in Rutland, Vt.
Open Practice
Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, N.Y.
- Several area dirt tracks held open practice sessions over the weekend, including Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., on Sunday, April 17. A handful of Devil’s Bowl regulars were on hand, including Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified rookie Justin Severance of Rutland, Vt., who said that his new ride was quick and “nothing like a Mustang” like he was used to driving in the Portland Glass Mini Stocks!
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 50th season is scheduled to open with an all-new schedule and format in 2016. The track’s half-mile asphalt oval has a new date of Saturday nights at 6:00 p.m., beginning on Saturday, May 21, and the 3/10-mile dirt track has expanded to a full 13-race schedule on Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m., starting on Sunday, May 22. Regular general admission at most events will continue to be $12.00 for adults, while kids age 12 and under will get in for free at all stock car racing events in 2016.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of Exit 2 off of U.S. Route 4 and just 20 minutes from Rutland, Vt. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter and Instagram at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
PHOTOS:
1. Bobby Therrien (#5) celebrates his ACT Late Model Tour win at Oxford Plains Speedway. (Alan Ward photo)
2. Adam Pierson (#15) on his way to the front in GRIT Racing Series action at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. (Chris Berleue Photography photo)
3. Justin Severance (#4J) was one of the Devil’s Bowl Speedway regulars in attendance at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. (Justin Severance photo via Facebook)