Changes made to “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” event
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The final Sprint Car event of the Vermont racing season is at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, September 25 at 5:00 p.m. The second annual Fabian Earthmoving “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” is ready to hit the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl with the stars of the wild, winged, and wicked-fast Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour.
Although Devil’s Bowl Speedway officials this week were forced to make modifications to the event for 2016, the race remains the highest-paying Sprint Car race in Vermont in 2016. An unfortunate scheduling conflict with a recently-added event in New York State led to the changes. With the indication that many of the outside Sprint Car teams that were expected to be at Devil’s Bowl will be elsewhere, both the prize purse and the general admission ticket price for the ‘Nationals’ race have been reduced.
“I was beyond disappointed to find out that many of the teams from the Empire Super Sprints series and the Patriot Sprint Tour that participated in the first ‘Nationals’ event last year may be racing somewhere else this weekend,” Devil’s Bowl promoter Mike Bruno said. “We received a lot of help from Dean Reynolds from ESS in trying to pull everything together but neither one of us can control race teams or other track promoters, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to announce these changes now rather than surprise everyone on race day. We will get together over the winter and look at our options for hopefully bringing ESS back to Devil’s Bowl in 2017.”
Without the support of the extra teams that had been expected, Bruno said, Devil’s Bowl Speedway is not able to absorb the total posted purse of more than $12,500 that was previously advertised. The revised payout will still distribute nearly double that of a regular SCoNE purse, with $1,000 to the winner of the 30-lap race and a minimum of $200 to all drivers.
Bruno also noted that while some outside teams may still travel to Devil’s Bowl for the ‘Nationals’ event, the general admission ticket price has been reduced to $18 for adults.
“We’re definitely looking forward to the race this Sunday, but we have to do what’s right for our local fans,” Bruno said. “I’m disappointed that a new promoter added an event for the same cars on the same day as our race, but Devil’s Bowl will still have a fun event with great action. The SCoNE races this year have been outstanding, and we still encourage any outside teams with a 360 or 305 Sprint Car to come try Devil’s Bowl. The straightaways are long and the corners are tight, but there are two good grooves and the driver plays a bigger role than the engine. If you’re brave enough, there’s money to be made on the outside lane here.”
All of SCoNE’s top racers will be at Devil’s Bowl on Sunday evening. “Professor” Chris Donnelly, Bobby Hackel, Will Hull, and Jake Williams have each visited victory lane at Devil’s Bowl this year, while Danny “The Show” Douville, Kevin Chaffee, and local favorite Lacey Hanson each seek their first wins of 2016 at the track. Donnelly clinched his fifth SCoNE tour championship last week at Bear Ridge Speedway, but the Devil’s Bowl track title is up for grabs; Donnelly has just a 10-point lead on Hackel, a Sprint Car rookie, and Williams is only 13 back.
Devil’s Bowl’s weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions are also in action on Sunday as the track championship point battles approach the end of the season. The Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modifieds will run a 35-lap feature race, while the Rosen & Berger Renegades and the Portland Glass Mini Stocks will each run 20-lap features. All divisions will also have qualifying heat races.
General admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors (age 62+), $5 for teens (age 13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Pit passes will be $30 for SCoNE and NASCAR members, and $35 for non-members. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. with racing at 5:00 p.m.
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.