Janczuk Cops $5,000 “Prelude” Victory at Devil’s Bowl Speedway; Munger, Patterson and Hanson also big winners on the weekend.

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Matt Janczuk is a legend at the Utica-Rome Speedway, and he’s off to a good start at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, too. The Oneida, N.Y., racer won the Mike’s Fuels “Prelude to the 200” at Devil’s Bowl on Sunday, August 6, in just his second-ever start at the track, copping a $5,000 prize and a guaranteed starting position in next month’s Fabian Earth Moving Vermont 200.

In his only other start at Devil’s Bowl, he finished third in the Vermont 200 in 2020. Janczuk – who serves as Chief of Police in Hamilton, N.Y. – owns eight Sportsman Modified championships and 76 wins at his home track, Utica-Rome. He came to Devil’s Bowl with a brand new Teo Pro Car RXD chassis to shake it down for the $10,000-to-win event in September, and he got a solid notebook to start with.

Janczuk turned the fastest lap in his time trial group for the Sunoco Sportsman Modified division and won his qualifying heat before drawing the fifth-place starting spot for the 67-lap feature race on Sunday night. Home track favorite Frank Hoard III was dominant early on, turning a stretch of bad luck around by taking the lead on the opening lap. The Manchester Center, Vt., native held on for the first two-thirds of the race before Janczuk crept up on the slippery track surface and took over at lap 46.

Janczuk pulled away as the laps wound down and beat Hoard to the finish by a healthy 3.293-second margin of victory; incredibly, he is the 14^th different feature winner in as many races at Devil’s Bowl in 2023.

Hoard’s runner-up showing was his best result of the season. Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway regular Dominic Roselli finished third in a rare Devil’s Bowl appearance after starting sixth. Devil’s Bowl championship contender Justin Comes started and finished fourth, and Can-Am (N.Y.) Speedway regular Tyler Corcoran continued a streak of strong big-race performances with a fifth-place effort.

Former Vermont 200 winner Zach Sobotka finished sixth ahead of Gary Edwards III, Tim LaDuc, and Brian Calabrese. Forty-one drivers attempted to qualify for 32 starting positions; heat winners were Roselli, LaDuc, Janczuk, and Sobotka. Consolation rounds were won by Brent Warren and David Boisclair. Calabrese picked up the Elmo’s Pit Stop $100 Hard Charger Award after starting 29^th and finishing 10^th. LaDuc collected a $250 bonus on Saturday’s first-round qualifying night by winning a special Dash for Cash. Rookie Josh LeClaire posted the fastest lap in time trials.

A.J. Munger reversed his string of bad luck in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman division with his second win of the year in a 30-lap race on Sunday. The Benson Landing, Vt., runner started fifth and stalked leader Alex Layn until there were just five laps remaining, and he then took the lead and ran away for the victory. Layn settled for second place ahead of William Duprey, Anthony Ryan, and Scott Towslee.

Point leader Randy Ryan finished sixth, followed by Jason Quenneville, Katrina Bean, Kamden Duffy, and Steve Miller. Saturday heats were won by Bean, Justin Lilly, and Layn, and Lilly won the $100 JTL Auto Sales Dash.

Milton, Vt.’s Josh “Boomer” Patterson broke the new-winner streak in the Hoosier Daddy Racing Novice Sportsman division, becoming the year’s first repeat winner in 13 races on Sunday. Patterson came from seventh starting position and took command for the final 10 circuits of the 25-lapper, getting past point leader and early race leader Tyler Travis. Patterson fended off Adam LaFountain for the win, after LaFountain’s drive from ninth at the start. Travis held on for third place ahead of Matt Wade and Eric Shaw. Saturday’s heat race wins went Shaw and Ed Bell, and Shaw also won the $100 Dash race.

Orwell, Vt.’s Raymond Hanson put together a two-day, three-segment run to earn the overall victory in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division. The cumulatively scored race saw former champion Hanson finish third each of in the first two 10-lap segments on Saturday night for a score of six points (3+3), and then he drove from the back to win the final segment on Sunday to bring his total to a race-low seven points.

Teenagers Gage Provencher, Logan Denis, and Chayton Young were next in the overall finish; Provencher tallied nine points (5+2+2) to take the runner-up finish. Denis (4+4+3) and Young (1+5+5) each logged 11 points, but Denis was given the tiebreaker for third place overall based on his better finish in the final segment. Roger LaDuc beat Kevin Smith in a tiebreaker for fifth place overall at 16 points apiece.

The Mini Stock division was busy on Saturday night, running three feature races and a B-feature. Orwell, Vt.’s Jakobee Alger won the first feature race, his second victory of the year, which was a the held-over 15-lap run from Fair Haven/Poultney Auto Supply Night on June 25. Mark Mahoney, Damian Olden, Scott Chandler and Ryan Patch rounded out the top five finishers in that race, and Alger’s teammate Jacob Demgard won the B-feature.

In a pair of 15-lap split features for the regularly scheduled Mike’s Fuels event, two drivers scored their first victory of the summer. Proctor, Vt.’s Austin McKirryher won the opening round over Mark Mahoney, Jake Barrows, Jake Mallory, and Griff Mahoney. In the nightcap, Fair Haven, Vt.’s Chase Allen topped Brian Blake, Craig Kirby, Levi Cram, and Richard Fleury.

The 9^th State Cannabis Crown Vic division was also in action on Saturday night, with Rutland, Vt.’s Jackson Ducharme scoring his first win in a 15-lap feature. Norm Morrill was the runner-up and Rob Steele finished third.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is off for a summer break until Saturday, August 19, as Friend Construction presents an action-packed double feature program for all six weekly divisions along with the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series and kids racecar rides at intermission.

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 Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.

OFFICIAL RESULTS – Mike’s Fuels “Prelude to the 200”

Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.

Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6, 2023

Sunoco Sportsman Modified Feature (67 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(5) Matt Janczuk, Oneida, N.Y.
(2) Frank Hoard III, Manchester Center, Vt.
(6) Dominic Roselli, Lockport, N.Y.
(4) Justin Comes, Fair Haven, Vt.
(9) Tyler Corcoran, Central Square, N.Y.
(12) Zach Sobotka, Parish, N.Y.
(16) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
(18) Gary Edwards III, Chelsea, Vt.
(7) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
(29) Brian Calabrese, Johnstown, N.Y.
(23) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, Vt.
(31) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
(8) Mike Palmer, Salisbury, Vt.
(1) Mike Fisher, Castleton, Vt.
(25) # Evan Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
(24) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
(20) Max Dolliver, Londonderry, N.H.
(10) # Josh LeClaire, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
(14) Jason Bruno, Morrisonville, N.Y.
(19) Travis Green, Wallkill, N.Y.
(32) James Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
(13) Walter J. Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
(3) Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Gansevoort, N.Y.
(21) Brent Warren, Salisbury, Vt.
(11) David Rogers, LaFargeville, N.Y.
(28) Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham, Vt.
(22) David Boisclair, Watervliet, N.Y.
(17) Neil Stratton, North Bennington, Vt.
(30) Josh Masterson, Bristol, Vt.
(27) Tanner Siemons, Orford, N.H.
(15) Troy Audet, Bridport, Vt.
(26) Tyler Jashembowski, Middletown, N.Y.

Did Not Qualify: Marty Kelly III, Shaftsbury, Vt.; Tyler Stevenson, Watertown, N.Y.; Adam Piper, Leicester, Vt.; Dylan Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt.; Wayne Stearns, Bradford, Vt.; Johnny Bruno, West Haven, Vt.; Walt Hammond Jr., Canaan, N.H.; Vince Quenneville, Brandon, Vt.; Anthony Warren, Shoreham, Vt.

Heat Winners: Dominic Roselli, Tim LaDuc, Matt Janczuk, Zach Sobotka

Consi Winners: Brent Warren, David Boisclair

Dash for Cash Winner: Tim LaDuc

Fast Time Award Winner: Josh LeClaire – 20.442 seconds

O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (30 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(5) A.J. Munger, Benson Landing, Vt.
(2) Alex Layn, New Haven, Vt.
(7) William Duprey, Hydeville, Vt.
(6) Anthony Ryan, Benson, Vt.
(9) Scott Towslee, Manchester, Vt.
(10) Randy Ryan, Orwell, Vt.
(11) Jason Quenneville, Quechee, Vt.
(1) Katrina Bean, Benson, Vt.
(8) # Kamden Duffy, Richmond, N.H.
(3) Steve Miller, New Haven, Vt.
(13) Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, Vt.
(15) Gary English, Salisbury, Vt.
(18) Robert Gauthier, Williston, Vt.
(16) # William Lussier Jr., Fair Haven, Vt.
(4) Justin Lilly, Castleton, Vt.
(14) Hunter Nutter, Orford, N.H.
(17) Freddie Little, Salisbury, Vt.
(12) Daryl Gebo, Orwell, Vt.

Heat Winners: Katrina Bean, Justin Lilly, Alex Layn

JTL Auto Sales Dash for Cash Winner: Justin Lilly

Hoosier Daddy Racing Novice Sportsman Feature (25 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

(7) Boomer Patterson, Milton, Vt.
(9) Adam LaFountain, Starksboro, Vt.
(4) Tyler Travis, Hartland, Vt.
(3) Matt Wade, Fair Haven, Vt.
(2) Eric Shaw, Wells, Vt.
(10) Donald Williams, Ripton, Vt.
(14) Bobbi Jo Hults, Benson, Vt.
(11) Pat Miner, Monkton, Vt.
(12) Aaron Clark, Bristol, Vt.
(8) Nick Austin-Neil, Salisbury, Vt.
(5) Allen Hewitt, Rutland, Vt.
(13) Randy Edson, Orwell, Vt.
(16) Jordan Hill, Warrensburg, N.Y.
(15) Derrick Counter, Salisbury, Vt.
(1) Russ Farr, Granville, N.Y.
(6) Michael Clark Jr., Salisbury, Vt.

Did Not Start: Ed Bell, Queensbury, N.Y.

Heat Winners: Eric Shaw, Ed Bell

Dash for Cash Winner: Eric Shaw

Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (15 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Point Total

# – denotes rookie

(11) Ray Hanson, Orwell, Vt. – 7 pts.
(7) Gage Provencher, Bridport, Vt. – 9 pts.
(9) Logan Denis, Whiting, Vt. – 11 pts.
(4) Chayton Young, Wynantskill, N.Y. – 11 pts.
(5) Roger LaDuc, Castleton, Vt. – 16 pts.
(3) Kevin Smith, Brandon, Vt. – 16 pts.
(2) Tommie Kasuba, Castleton, Vt. – 20 pts.
(10) Chris Lennox, Eagle Bridge, N.Y. – 23 pts.
(1) # Quinn Quenneville, Brandon, Vt. – 25 pts.
(8) John Smith, Poultney, Vt. – 34 pts.
(6) # John Carleton, Chittenden, Vt. – 35 pts.

Did Not Start: Aiden Benoure, Salisbury, Vt.

Segment Winners: Chayton Young, Kevin Smith, Ray Hanson

Mini Stock A-Feature #1 (15 laps – makeup from 6/25/23 rainout)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(4) Jakobee Alger, Orwell, Vt.
(8) Mark Mahoney, Brandon, Vt.
(1) Damian Olden, Rutland, Vt.
(3) Scott Chandler, Pittsford, Vt.
(2) # Ryan Patch, Rutland, Vt.
(14) Jarrod Colburn, Rutland, Vt.
(12) Chase Allen, Fair Haven, Vt.
(6) Jake Mallory, Granville, N.Y.
(13) Austin McKirryher, Proctor, Vt.
(15) Brian Blake, Cornwall, Vt.
(5) Adam Mahoney, Whitehall, N.Y.
(11) Luke Fellows, Swanton, Vt.
(7) Ronnie Alger, Orwell, Vt.
(10) Donald Olden, Poultney, Vt.
(16) Cody Dion, Rutland, Vt.
(9) Jake Barrows, Cornwall, Vt.

Did Not Start: T.J. Knight, Wells, Vt.; Adam Stewart, Benson, Vt.; Tom Severance, Fair Haven, Vt.; Clemmy Bell, Peru, N.Y.; Niclaus Clark, Salisbury, Vt.

Mini Stock B-Feature (8 laps – makeup from 6/25/23 rainout)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(1) Jacob Demgard, Hubbardton, Vt.
(2) Levi Cram, Leicester, Vt.
(4) Griff Mahoney, Benson, Vt.
(5) Craig Kirby, St. Albans, Vt.
(6) Nick Melotti, Mendon, Vt.
(3) Royal Harrison Jr., Poultney, Vt.

Did Not Start: Darren Williams, Granville, N.Y.; Andrea Noble, Wells, Vt.

Mini Stock A-Feature #2 (15 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(6) Austin McKirryher, Proctor, Vt.
(9) Mark Mahoney, Brandon, Vt.
(11) Jake Barrows, Cornwall, Vt.
(4) Jake Mallory, Granville, N.Y.
(7) Griff Mahoney, Benson, Vt.
(1) Nick Melotti, Mendon, Vt.
(8) Cody Dion, Rutland, Vt.
(3) Ronnie Alger, Orwell, Vt.
(5) Jarrod Colburn, Rutland, Vt.
(10) Scott Chandler, Pittsford, Vt.
(2) Damian Olden, Rutland, Vt.

Did Not Start: Royal Harrison Jr., Poultney, Vt.

Mini Stock A-Feature #3 (15 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

# – denotes rookie

(5) Chase Allen, Fair Haven, Vt.
(9) Brian Blake, Cornwall, Vt.
(8) Craig Kirby, St. Albans, Vt.
(7) Levi Cram, Leicester, Vt.
(10) Richard Fleury, Poultney, Vt.
(4) Alton McCoy, Whitehall, N.Y.
(3) # Ryan Patch, Rutland, Vt.
(2) Donald Olden, Poultney, Vt.
(11) Jakobee Alger, Orwell, Vt.
(1) Jacob Demgard, Hubbardton, Vt.
(6) Luke Fellows, Swanton, Vt.
(12) Adam Mahoney, Whitehall, N.Y.

9^th State Cannabis Crown Vic Feature (15 laps)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

(1) Jackson Ducharme, Rutland, Vt.
(2) Norm Morrill, North Ferrisburgh, Vt.
(3) Rob Steele, Bomoseen, Vt.