First responders and military to receive free admission on Saturday, June 25
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The stock car racing season is only one-quarter of the way complete on the Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, but the championship battles are already heating up. As the annual “Hometown Heroes” Night presented by Rutland Regional Medical Center and Whelen Engineering approaches on Saturday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m., all four divisions of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series are gearing up for exciting title races throughout the summer.
The Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified division is led by Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, N.Y., who – at just 11 points – has the largest lead in any title race. Durgan leads defending champion Vince Quenneville Jr., 213-202. Durgan has yet to win a race, but has two runner-up finishes and two thirds to his credit. Former champion Ron Proctor is third just one point behind Quenneville.
Defending Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model champion Josh Masterson of Bristol, Vt., leads his division’s standings with three races in the books. Despite being undefeated and having won all three races, Masterson’s lead is only nine points on Robert Bryant Jr., 165-156, with Seth Bridge just 20 points back in third.
Scott FitzGerald of West Rutland, Vt., leads the way in the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade division. FitzGerald and Jim McKiernan each have a pair of wins and are separated by 10 points, 223-213. With four podium finishes in as many races, Matt Monaghan ranks third at 199 points.
The Portland Glass Mini Stock race is airtight and finds rookie Zach Wood of Georgia, Vt., in the lead by two points – just a single on-track position – over Brad Bertrand, 203-201. Wood has two wins, while Bertrand’s first career win came last week. Wood’s teammate and fellow rookie Eric Messier is third, nine points out of the lead, with Garrett Given and defending champion C.J. LaVair tied in fourth place only 15 points from Wood.
Rutland Regional Medical Center and Whelen Engineering present the annual “Hometown Heroes” Night on Saturday, June 25 with free admission for all law enforcement, firefighters, rescue personnel, corrections officers, and active or retired military in uniform or with proper identification. Regular admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and free for kids age 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.
(Photo by T.J. Ingerson/vtmotormag.com)