Saturday nights and $10,000-to-win Modified event among adjustments
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway has made some exciting schedule changes for the autumn portion of the 2020 dirt track stock car racing season. As fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has forced facilities in nearby states to stop hosting races, the Vermont facility is adapting with the ever-changing times to safely provide racers and fans with more suitable options.
Vermont’s pandemic health and safety guidelines remain firmly in place, helping the Green Mountain State to currently be in a better position than many surrounding areas. With several speedways in New York State forced to interrupt or even end to their seasons prematurely – and as schools begin to reopen – Devil’s Bowl Speedway promoter Mike Bruno has worked to offer favorable date changes and event alternatives for teams and spectators while adhering to COVID-19 policies.
The event planned at Devil’s Bowl for Sunday, August 23, will remain in place as scheduled, featuring the annual “Charlie LaDuc Memorial” 54-lap special for the headline Pepsi Sportsman Modified division. The track’s weekly O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, and Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint divisions will also be on the card for a full night of racing beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Following that event, with the school year on the horizon, Bruno has implemented a switch to Saturday-night racing beginning August 29, as he first announced during the pre-race drivers meeting last week. The “Prelude to the 200” event on Saturday, August 29, will be packed with action: The wild-and-crazy Enduro Series returns for a 50-lap race, and the Sportsman Modified race will offer a “Win and You’re In!” guaranteed Vermont 200 starting position to the winner. The Sportsman Modified “B-Feature” for non-qualifiers will pay a special $250 bonus to the winner.
The Limited Sportsman, Mini Stock, and 500cc Mini Sprint classes will also be on the program on August 29, with the Limiteds running 25 laps for $400 to win. The final Pro Stock/Super Stock combination event has been rescheduled to the Vermont 200 to allow and encourage teams from those divisions to support a special event at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on August 29.
The Interstate All Battery Center Vermont 200 will remain as originally scheduled for Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, with racing at 5:00 p.m. on both nights.
Saturday’s program features the fourth annual “Ron Casey Memorial” Non-Winners Race for Sportsman Modified drivers, as well as a 40-lap “Win and You’re In!” event for the Limited Sportsman class. Qualifying and feature races are also on tap for the Pro Stock/Super Stock and Mini Stock divisions, and the Pro Stock champion will be crowned. The 500cc Mini Sprint division will also qualify and race the first half of a special two-day, two-segment weekend event.
The Sunday portion of the Vermont 200 Weekend features the biggest Crate Sportsman Modified race in the country for the third consecutive year, with qualifying and a 200-lap main event paying $7,500 to win, $300 to the last-place finisher, and more than $5,000 in lap leader bonus money. The winged and wicked-fast Sprint Cars of New England tour will also be in action on Sunday, along with the second half of the 500cc Mini Sprint race.
Saturday night racing returns on September 12 at 6:00 p.m. with a full championship point-counting event for the Sportsman, Limited, Super Stock, Mini Stock, and Mini Sprint classes.
The high-horsepower Big Block and Small Block Modifieds will return on Saturday, September 19 at 6:00 p.m., with the “Slate Valley 100” paying $10,000 to the winner. Fresh off the successful “Battle at the Bowl” event on August 9, and with tracks like Lebanon Valley and Fonda shuttering their regular seasons, Devil’s Bowl is seizing the opportunity for a second high-profile race. The Slate Valley 100 will have a more traditional format of time trials, heats, and a 100-lap main event. The Sportsman, Limited, and Mini Sprint divisions will also be on the program.
The 2020 track champions will be decided on Saturday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m., with a full card of racing for all five regular weekly divisions including the Super Stocks.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 54th stock car racing season will wrap up with the special “Foliage Fun Run” non-points event on Sunday, October 4 at 5:00 p.m. The Foliage Fun Run will feature the long-awaited return of the “Open Competition” format, as well as a 100-lap Enduro race and Mechanics Races in all regular divisions. The Modified class will be an anything-goes, “run what you brung” affair, with any engine, suspension, body, or tire combination permitted; the only two rules are that the car must use a standard Modified-type chassis and weigh a minimum of 2,400 pounds. Rules for the Stock Car, Mini Stock, and Mini Sprint divisions will be announced prior to the event.
Each Saturday event has a built-in rain date of Sunday, and the Vermont 200 Weekend has a rain date of Labor Day Monday. Further news and announcements are expected as each event approaches, and all events are subject to change according to weather or COVID-19 regulations.
A limited number of Grandstand and Infield Drive-In tickets will be available for spectators for each event. Tickets will sold online in advance at https://buytickets.at/devilsbowlspeedway (processing fees apply), or at the speedway on race night until the maximum pandemic-restricted capacity is reached.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2, 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, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
UPDATED 2020 FALL SCHEDULE (as of 8/20/20 – subject to change)
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, VT
• Saturday, August 29 – Sportsman Modified, Limited Sportsman, Mini Stock, 500cc Mini Sprint, Enduro Series 50 Laps (No Pro Stock or Super Stock)
• Saturday, September 5 – Vermont 200 Weekend – Limited Sportsman, Pro Stock/Super Stock, Mini Stock, 500cc Mini Sprint Segment 1 (Plus Sportsman Modified Non-Winners Race and Sportsman Modified Practice)
• Sunday, September 6 – Vermont 200 Weekend – Sportsman Modified 200 Laps, Sprint Cars of New England, 500cc Mini Sprit Segment 2
• Saturday, September 12 – Sportsman Modified, Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, 500cc Mini Sprint
• Saturday, September 19 – Slate Valley 100 – Big Block/Small Block Modified, Sportsman Modified, Limited Sportsman, 500cc Mini Sprint (No Super Stock or Mini Stock)
• Saturday, September 26 – Championship Night – Sportsman Modified, Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, 500cc Mini Sprint
• Sunday, October 4 – Foliage Fun Run – Non-Points/Open Competition Modified, Stock Car, Mini Stock, 500cc Mini Sprint, Enduro Series 100 Laps (Plus Mechanic Races)