Both drivers win in double features, Quenneville comes out ahead
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The battle for the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Asphalt Track championship took on a major plot twist on Saturday, August 27. Double feature races in all four weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions at the annual Sugar & Spice Restaurant “Double Stack Night” saw seven different winners in eight events, with Jason Durgan and Vince Quenneville Jr. highlighting the show.
Morrisonville, N.Y., racer Durgan struck first in the opening 25-lap race for the Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified division, driving to his fourth victory of the year in a runaway. Quenneville fought through traffic and then held off Jackie Brown Jr. for the runner-up spot. Billy Lussier and Travis Bruno completed the top five. Ron Proctor finished sixth after rebounding from a scrape with Jimmy Ryan in the early laps. Bob Kilburn, Alex Bell, Joey Roberts, and rookie Chuck Bradford rounded out the top 10.
In the second race, a 30-lapper, Brandon, Vt., veteran Quenneville escaped from a bounce into the frontstretch wall as cars scrambled in the early laps, and was able to cruise to his third win of the year. Durgan made a strong charge but hit the inside wall with 11 laps remaining and was forced to pit during the caution period to change a flat tire. Proctor tied his season-best result in second place with Ryan third, followed by Lussier and Brown. Roberts, Durgan, Bruno, Bell, and Chad White finished in positions 6-10.
The misfortune for Durgan created an interesting shift in the championship points with just two weeks remaining. After Durgan led the standings for 11-straight races, defending track champion Quenneville is now back on top, with an unofficial advantage of just seven points on Durgan (685-678).
Robert Bryant Jr. and Steve Miller were the stars of the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division’s twin 25-lap features, each registering a win and a second-place finish. Bryant, of Brooklyn, Conn., won the opening for after a good battle with Miller, taking his third win of the season. Miller, Seth Bridge, Josh Masterson, and Dallas Trombley completed the top five.
Vergennes, Vt., racer Miller was a popular winner in the nightcap, scoring his first victory at Devil’s Bowl Speedway and his first win in a full-size stock car in 23 years; his last checkered flag was on July 15, 1993 at Thunder Road in Barre, Vt. Bryant and Masterson ran side-by-side for most of the race, with Bryant getting the runner-up spot ahead of Masterson, Bridge, and Trombley.
Unofficially, Masterson holds a nine-point edge on Bryant for the championship lead (596-587) with two races left on the schedule.
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade division title contenders Scott FitzGerald and Jim McKiernan split victories in a pair of 15-lap races, keeping their point battle close as well. West Rutland, Vt., racer FitzGerald dominated the opener, and was followed across the finish line by R.J. Germain, Matt Monaghan, Jim McKiernan, and Austin McKiernan.
In the second race, Jim McKiernan, from Moriah Center, N.Y., knocked the monkey off his back with his first win in two months. FitzGerald was second ahead of Monaghan, Austin McKiernan, and Germain. FitzGerald holds just five points on Jim McKiernan for the title battle (654-649).
Eric Messier of Hinesburg, Vt., proved to be the only repeat winner of the night, sweeping both 15-lap features for the Portland Glass Mini Stock division. Messier led the way for the four-car, all-rookie Manpower Services team which dominated the podium in both races. Team leader Brett Wood finished second in both races, while Zach Wood finished third in the first race and Kaleb Shepard was a career-best third in the finale.
Brad Bertrand finished fourth in both races, while brothers Andrew FitzGerald and Roo Forrest each registered a fifth-place result. Messier has now opened up a 30-point lead on Bertrand in the standings (664-634).
All results are currently unofficial pending technical inspection and review. Any forthcoming penalties will be announced soon.
The fifth annual “Great North American Pancake Eating Championship” presented by Sugar & Spice was held at intermission, as 25 hungry participants devoured fresh flapjacks and pure Vermont maple syrup in a five-minute contest. Malcolm Woodward and Allen Jones – who have combined to win every contest since 2012 – deadlocked in the first-ever tie at nine pancakes each, but Woodward, from Mooers Forks, N.Y., won a maple syrup “chug-off” to take his fourth consecutive victory. Timothy Whitney Jr. ate five pancakes to win in the kids division.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to action on Sunday, August 28 on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track with the “Ol’ Reliable” Charlie LaDuc Memorial 54-lap race for the Sportsman Modifieds, along with Renegades and Mini Stocks. Special general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (62+), $5 for teens (13-17), and free for kids 12 and under. Gates open at 4:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 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 – Sugar & Spice Restaurant “Double Stack” Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Asphalt Track – West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified Feature #1 (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (4) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, N.Y.
2. (9) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
3. (5) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, N.Y.
4. (8) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
5. (7) Travis Bruno, Morrisonville, N.Y.
6. (6) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
7. (2) Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, Vt.
8. (10) Alex Bell, Cambridge, N.Y.
9. (3) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
10. (12) # Chuck Bradford, Addison, Vt.
11. (1) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, Vt.
12. (13) Chad White, Fort Ann, N.Y.
13. (11) # Matt Bilodeau, Pittsford, Vt.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Vince Quenneville Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Matt Bilodeau
Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified Feature #2 (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
2. (4) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
3. (1) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, Vt.
4. (7) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
5. (6) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, N.Y.
6. (2) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
7. (10) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, N.Y.
8. (8) Travis Bruno, Morrisonville, N.Y.
9. (5) Alex Bell, Cambridge, N.Y.
10. (13) Chad White, Fort Ann, N.Y.
11. (12) # Chuck Bradford, Addison, Vt.
12. (11) # Matt Bilodeau, Pittsford, Vt.
13. (3) Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, Vt.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Vince Quenneville Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Bob Kilburn
Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model Feature #1 (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (4) Robert Bryant Jr., Brooklyn, Conn.
2. (3) Steve Miller, Vergennes, Vt.
3. (5) Seth Bridge, Mendon, Vt.
4. (6) Josh Masterson, Bristol, Vt.
5. (7) Dallas Trombley, Rutland, Vt.
6. (1) Mark Norris, Benson, Vt.
7. (2) Jesse Carris, Rutland, Vt.
Crazy Horse Racing Winners Circle Challenge: Robert Bryant Jr.
Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model Feature #2 (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (3) Steve Miller, Vergennes, Vt.
2. (7) Robert Bryant Jr., Brooklyn, Conn.
3. (5) Josh Masterson, Bristol, Vt.
4. (4) Seth Bridge, Mendon, Vt.
5. (6) Dallas Trombley, Rutland, Vt.
6. (2) Jesse Carris, Rutland, Vt.
7. (1) Mark Norris, Benson, Vt.
Crazy Horse Racing Winners Circle Challenge: Steve Miller
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade Feature #1 (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (6) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
2. (3) R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt.
3. (5) Matt Monaghan, Colchester, Vt.
4. (2) Jim McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
5. (4) # Austin McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
6. (1) Tony Salerno, Mineville, N.Y.
7. (8) # Alexis Aiken, Claremont, N.H.
8. (7) # Bill Burlingame, Gansevoort, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Jimmy Bushey, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Scott FitzGerald
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade Feature #2 (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (2) Jim McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
2. (6) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
3. (5) Matt Monaghan, Colchester, Vt.
4. (4) # Austin McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
5. (3) R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt.
6. (8) # Alexis Aiken, Claremont, N.H.
7. (1) Tony Salerno, Mineville, N.Y.
8. (7) # Bill Burlingame, Gansevoort, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Jimmy Bushey, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Scott FitzGerald
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature #1 (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (10) # Eric Messier, Hinesburg, Vt.
2. (5) # Brett Wood, Georgia, Vt.
3. (9) # Zach Wood, Georgia, Vt.
4. (11) Brad Bertrand, Ferrisburgh, Vt.
5. (7) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
6. (8) Garrett Given Sr., Cornwall, Vt.
7. (6) # Kaleb Shepard, New Haven, Vt.
8. (2) # Roo Forrest, West Rutland, Vt.
9. (13) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
10. (1) C.J. LaVair, Saranac Lake, N.Y.
11. (12) Brian Rogers, Castleton, Vt.
12. (3) Harold LaVair Jr., Gabriels, N.Y.
13. (4) Mike Whalen Jr., Peru, N.Y.
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Eric Messier
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature #2 (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (8) # Eric Messier, Hinesburg, Vt.
2. (6) # Brett Wood, Georgia, Vt.
3. (2) # Kaleb Shepard, New Haven, Vt.
4. (7) Brad Bertrand, Ferrisburgh, Vt.
5. (1) # Roo Forrest, West Rutland, Vt.
6. (10) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
7. (9) Brian Rogers, Castleton, Vt.
8. (3) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
9. (5) # Zach Wood, Georgia, Vt.
10. (4) Garrett Given Sr., Cornwall, Vt.
Did Not Start: C.J. LaVair, Saranac Lake, N.Y.; Harold LaVair Jr., Gabriels, N.Y.; Mike Whalen Jr., Peru, N.Y.
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Eric Messier