Hackel, Ryan, Duprey increase win totals
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Chris Donnelly put on a clinic at the Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, September 25, dominating the second annual Fabian Earthmoving “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” race for the division’s biggest payday of the season. “The Professor” headlined a winners list that also included NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victories by Bobby Hackel, Mike Ryan, and Billy Duprey.
Donnelly, of Piermont, N.H., started on the pole of the 30-lap main event for the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour and never faced a serious challenge, lapping cars at will. The win was his second in five races at the track, and he clinched the first-ever Sprint Car division championship awarded at Devil’s Bowl. The $1,000 victory capped a big season that also saw Donnelly win the SCoNE title and the Bear Ridge Speedway track championship.
Behind Donnelly on the track, Jake Williams of Center Tuftonboro, N.H., and Plainfield, Vt., veteran Will Hull put on an exciting see-saw battle for the runner-up position. Williams finally took the spot with under 10 laps left and held on until the finish. Hull was third, followed by Empire Super Sprints regular Chad Miller and Tyler Austin. Kevin Chaffee was sixth, followed by Scott Holcomb, Luke Greenwood, Bobby Hackel, and Lacey Hanson.
Double-duty driver Hackel, of Rensselaer, N.Y., won the 35-lap Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified feature for his seventh win in 13 starts in the division. Rookie Lenny Pillsbury of Cornish, N.H., led the opening 15 laps before Justin Comes of Middlebury, Vt., made a power move on the outside lane to take the lead.
Comes looked like a sure winner until lap 31, when top-five drivers Brian Whittemore and Jackie Brown Jr. crashed to bring out the caution flag and set up the final restart. Hackel restarted on Comes’ rear bumper, then the pair raced side-by-side for two laps before Hackel scooted away coming to the white flag; Comes settled for second with Pillsbury a career-best third.
Louie Cadwell and Allan Hammond continued strong late-season runs in fourth and fifth, respectively. The top 10 was completed in order by Vince Quenneville Jr., Justin Severance, Billy Lussier, Tim LaDuc, and Cody Ochs.
Unofficially, Hackel enters the season’s final event – The Stove Depot “King of the Clay 100” on Saturday, October 1 at 5:00 p.m. – with an insurmountable 87-point lead on LaDuc (700-613). Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Hackel will clinch his first Devil’s Bowl championship. Kenny Tremont Jr. – who was uninjured in a flip early in the race – fell to third in the standings, 96 points behind Hackel.
Mike Ryan of Vershire, Vt., picked up his sixth win of the year in the 20-lap Portland Glass Mini Stock feature. Jason Porter of Freeport, Maine, chased Ryan in the final laps but was forced to settle for the runner-up finish. Zach Wood, a regular on the Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl, finished third in his first dirt Mini Stock race, while Matt Boucher was fourth in his first Devil’s Bowl start. Andrew FitzGerald took fifth place.
Ryan took advantage of previous point leader Wayland Childs’ bad luck to regain command, and holds a 21-point cushion (519-498).
Billy Duprey of Hydeville, Vt., earned his seventh win of the season in the 15-lap Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade feature. Asphalt regular Scott FitzGerald of West Rutland, Vt., ran tight to Duprey’s bumper for much of the distance and finished second in his first dirt race of the year. Matt Mosher of Queensbury, N.Y., was third ahead of Josh Bussino and Curtis Condon.
In spite of going winless so far in 2016, Condon maintains a 12-point advantage on Duprey (557-545) entering the finale.
The Devil’s Bowl Speedway season wraps up on Saturday, October 1 at 5:00 p.m. with the “King of the Clay” event presented by The Stove Depot. The Sportsman Modified division will race 100 laps for $2,000 to win; the Mini Stock, Renegade, and Enduro Series divisions will each race for a $500 top prize.
Special general admission is $15.00 for adults, $13.00 for seniors (62+), $5.00 for teens (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 3:00 p.m., and racing begins at 5:00 p.m. If necessary, the rain date will be Sunday, October 2 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.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Fabian Earthmoving “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals”
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Dirt Track – West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sprint Cars of New England Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (1) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
2. (2) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H.
3. (3) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt.
4. (7) Chad Miller, Amsterdam, N.Y.
5. (4) Tyler Austin, West Fairlee, Vt.
6. (5) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
7. (12) Scott Holcomb, Granby, Conn.
8. (16) Luke Greenwood, Hudson, N.H.
9. (13) Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, N.Y.
10. (8) Lacey Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
11. (10) # Matt Hoyt, Campton, N.H.
12. (9) Dennis McLeod, Concord, N.H.
13. (14) Patrick Smith, East Andover, N.H.
14. (17) # Marty Hutchins, Poultney, Vt.
15. (11) Lauren Boisvert, Danbury, N.H.
16. (6) Dan Douville, Bridgewater, N.H.
17. (15) Anthony Cain, Fairfax, Vt.
18. (18) Christine Boesch, Concord, N.H.
Heat Winners: Kevin Chaffee, Dan Douville
Dash Winner: Will Hull
Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified Feature (35 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (13) Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, N.Y.
2. (12) Justin Comes, Middlebury, Vt.
3. (1) Lenny Pillsbury, Cornish, N.H.
4. (5) Louie Cadwell, East Thetford, Vt.
5. (7) Allan Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
6. (6) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
7. (17) # Justin Severance, Pittsford, Vt.
8. (10) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
9. (9) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
10. (20) Cody Ochs, Rensselaer, N.Y.
11. (15) Wayne Stearns, Bradford, Vt.
12. (14) Joey Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
13. (11) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, N.Y.
14. (3) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
15. (16) Trevor Rocke, Canaan, N.H.
16. (2) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
17. (18) Walt Hammond Jr., Canaan, N.H.
18. (19) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, Vt.
19. (4) Chad Miller, White River Junction, Vt.
20. (8) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
21. (21) Scott Bennett Jr., Hudson Falls, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Brain Whittemore, Tim LaDuc, Justin Comes
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Bobby Hackel
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Kenny Tremont Jr.
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (2) Bill Duprey, Hydeville, Vt.
2. (3) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
3. (6) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, N.Y.
4. (1) # Josh Bussino, Mt. Holly, Vt.
5. (4) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y.
6. (5) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass.
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Matt Mosher
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (6) Mike Ryan, Vershire, Vt.
2. (9) Jason Porter, Freeport, Maine
3. (14) # Zach Wood, Georgia, Vt.
4. (15) Matt Boucher, Andover, N.H.
5. (16) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
6. (4) Chris Conroy, Newport, N.H.
7. (13) # Eric Messier, Hinesburg, Vt.
8. (2) # Cameron Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
9. (18) Chris Cardarelli, Milton, Vt.
10. (19) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
11. (17) Jake Barrows, Monkton, Vt.
12. (11) Garrett Given Sr., Cornwall, Vt.
13. (5) Eric Castiglioni, Newbury, N.H.
14. (3) # Chris Charbonneau, Rutland, Vt.
15. (8) Derrick Counter, Leicester, Vt.
16. (1) # Josh Swahn, Pittsford, Vt.
17. (7) Wayland Childs, Chelsea, Vt.
18. (10) # Roo Forrest, West Rutland, Vt.
19. (12) # Kaleb Shepard, New Haven, Vt.
Did Not Start: Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, Vt.
Heat Winners: Cameron Kennedy, Jason Porter, Mike Ryan
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Zach Wood