PHOTO: Todd Stone (center) took his fourth Bond Auto Parts Modified win of the season at the Coca-Cola Firecracker 44 on Friday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Hunter Bates (left) was second with Ron Proctor (right) third. (MemorEvents photo)
Petronis wins Late Models; Fountain takes wild Enduro
WEST HAVEN, VT – Todd Stone continued his remarkable stock car racing season with a dominant run in the “Coca-Cola Firecracker” special at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, July 5. A huge crowd watched as Stone notched his fourth victory in eight starts in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division, while Dan Petronis, rookie Brad Bushey, Jake Noble, “Wild Bill” Fountain, and Andrew Allen also took victories, and the region’s largest fireworks display was presented by Alonzo Fireworks.
In the special 44-lap Modified event, Middlebury, VT veteran Stone started 10th on the grid and quickly made his way through traffic into third place by lap 10. Joe Williams of Scotia, NY held a large lead but crashed in Turn 3 to bring out the caution flag. Stone jumped ahead of Jim Introne, Jr., and into the lead on the restart, then survived one final restart against fellow Middlebury, VT resident Hunter Bates to take the victory. Bates finished second, followed by Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY, Vince Quenneville, Jr., of Brandon, VT, and Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY.
Dan Petronis of Mechancville, NY and Chris Bergeron of Claremont, NH fought tooth-and-nail throughout the 44-lap Late Model main event. Petronis led the early portion of the race before Bergeron took command on the outside lane, but Petronis clawed his way back in the final laps to pass Bergeron and score the second Devil’s Bowl victory of his career. Rookie Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT finished third for the second-straight race, followed by Chris Curtis of Rutland, MA and Robert Bryant, Jr., of Brooklyn, CT.
Rookie Brad Bushey of Cambridge, VT scored his career-first victory in the two-segment Renegade feature. Bushey finished second in the opening 12-lap leg, then put on an impressive drive from the rear to win the final segment. His total low score of three points was enough to top Richie Turner of Fairfax, VT (4 points) and rookie Richard Lowrey, III of Charlotte, VT (8 points). Robert Gordon and Stephen Donahue completed the overall top five.
Teammates Jake Noble of Benson, VT and rookie Lacey Hanson of Orwell, VT made it a 1-2 sweep in the 15-lap Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock feature. Bobby LaVair of Gabriels, NY was third, followed by Mike Whalen, Jr., and Chuck Bradford.
“Wild Bill” Fountain of Altona, NY lived up to his billing in the 75-lap Enduro Series event. Fountain was involved in at least two wall-banging, metal-crunching crashes but drove to his first win of the year. Eric “Mongo” Messier of Hinesburg, VT was second with Tyler Rhoades of Milton, VT third.
The Daredevil “community” racing division made its 2013 debut with representatives from Coca-Cola taking to the track. Andrew Allen won the six-lap race ahead of Jamie Zsido and Kelly Bullock.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Friday, July 12 with the double-points Rutland Herald Mid-Season Championships at 7:00pm. Regular general admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under. The event also includes a driver autograph session and kids’ racecar rides.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4. 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 at @DevilsBowlSpeed.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Coca-Cola Firecracker Special
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Friday, July 5, 2013
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature (44 laps)
1. (10) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
2. (8) Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
3. (7) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
4. (6) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
5. (5) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
6. (9) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
7. (3) Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
8. (2) Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
9. (1) Jim Introne, Jr., Hartford, NY
10. (13) # Jamie LaFountain, Plattsburgh, NY
11. (12) Jamie Proctor, Schuylerville, NY
12. (14) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
13. (15) Matt Atwood, Whitehall, NY
14. (11) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
15. (4) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
16. (16) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
17. (17) James Introne, Sr., Hartford, NY
Heat Winners: Hunter Bates, Todd Stone
Sunoco Race Fuels Semi-Feature Winner: Hunter Bates
Late Model Feature (44 laps)
1. (3) Dan Petronis, Mechanicville, NY
2. (7) Chris Bergeron, Claremont, NH
3. (5) # Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
4. (4) Chris Curtis, Rutland, MA
5. (2) Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
6. (8) Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
7. (12) # Brandon Atkins, Plattsburgh, NY
8. (10) Craig Bushey, Fairfax, VT
9. (9) Kevin Elliott, Rutland, VT
10. (6) # Johnny Scarborough, Bomoseen, VT
11. (11) # Seth Bridge, Mendon, VT
12. (14) # Tommy Eriksen, Jr., Ferrisburgh, VT
13. (13) Jesse Carris, Rutland, VT
14. (1) # Carol Parker, Fair Haven, VT
Heat Winners: Robert Bryant, Jr., Dan Petronis
Renegade Feature (12 laps x 2)
1. (2) # Brad Bushey, Cambridge, VT – 3 points
2. (3) Richie Turner, Fairfax, VT – 4 points
3. (4) # Richard Lowrey, III, Charlotte, VT – 8 points
4. (5) Robert Gordon, Milton, VT – 8 points
5. (6) # Stephen Donahue, Graniteville, VT – 8 points
6. (8) Robin Cummings, Milton, VT – 8 points
7. (9) Tony Putzier, Jericho, VT – 14 points
8. (7) Ray Benoit, Milton, VT – 16 points
9. (1) # Ray Germain, Jr., Bristol, VT – 18 points
Segment Winners: Richie Turner, Brad Bushey
Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock Feature (15 laps)
1. (4) Jake Noble, Benson, VT
2. (6) # Lacey Hanson, Orwell, VT
3. (8) Bobby LaVair, Gabriels, NY
4. (9) Mike Whalen, Jr., Plattsburgh, NY
5. (10) # Chuck Bradford, Addison, VT
6. (5) Garry Bashaw, Lincoln, VT
7. (2) John McCarron, Rensselaer, NY
8. (12) Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
9. (11) # Lance Masterson, Lincoln, VT
10. (3) Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
11. (1) Harold LaVair, Jr., Gabriels, NY
12. (14) # Kyle Sorensen, Ballston Spa, NY
13. (13) Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
14. (7) Jason Sabourin, Vergennes, VT
Heat Winners: Jason Sabourin, Bobby LaVair
Enduro Series (75 laps)
Pos.-Car No.-Driver-Hometown-Laps Completed
1. 77 Bill Fountain, Altona, NY – 75 laps
2. 88x Eric Messier, Hinesburg, VT – 75 laps
3. 86 Tyler Rhoades, Milton, VT – 75 laps
4. 666 Andy Botala, Grand Isle, VT – 75 laps
5. 91 Hunter Murray, Cambridge, VT – 75 laps
6. 68 Kevin Sorel, Plattsburgh, NY – 73 laps
7. 3 Shane Wood, Whiting, VT – 72 laps
8. 56 Bret Williams, Sudbury, VT – 71 laps
9. 28 Trevor Sampson, Addison, VT – 68 laps
10. 90 Aaron Connolly, Georgia, VT – 65 laps
11. 14 Chris Mattos, Milton, VT – 64 laps
12. 99 Christian Loomis, Poultney, VT – 63 laps
13. 11 Zach Wood, Georgia, VT – 54 laps
14. 802 Brett Wood, Georgia, VT – 50 laps
15. 35 Jeff Murray, Georgia, VT – 50 laps
16. 7 Shawn Fountain, Plattsburgh, NY – 49 laps
17. 48 Eddie Shackett, Jr., Middlebury, VT – 47 laps
18. 420 Kaleb Shepard, Georgia, VT – 45 laps
19. 22 Ethan White, Hinesburg, VT – 40 laps
20. 15 Eric Douglas, Sudbury, VT – 36 laps
21. 269 Mike Hance, Westport, NY – 16 laps
22. 10 Brad Disorda, Leicester, VT – 8 laps
23. 8Q Tyler Quenneville, Brandon, VT – 4 laps
24. 30 Tom Kudlacik, Milton, VT – 0 laps
25. 51 Alex Laplante, Milton, VT – 0 laps
Coca-Cola Daredevil Feature (6 laps)
1. Andrew Allen
2. Jamie Zsido
3. Kelly Bullock
4. Josh Zsido
5. Paul Allen
6. Jerry Jokinen
PHOTO: Dan Petronis, II gets a hug from his father, Dan Petronis, Sr., as he celebrates his Coca-Cola Firecracker 44 win in the Late Model division. (MemorEvents photo)