Donnelly takes SCoNE Sprint Car feature, Douville Triple Crown champ
WEST HAVEN, VT – Veteran stock car driver Tim LaDuc of Orwell, VT made a triumphant return to victory lane on Sunday, July 5, winning the WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey Independence Day Special at The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. LaDuc ended a five-year victory drought and carried the checkered flag in the 50-lap Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli Sportsman Modified race after a race-long fight with Josh Sunn. Other winners on the night included Chris Donnelly, Dan Douville, Curtis Condon, and Jesse Durkee.
Sunn, of White River Junction, VT, led the opening 10 laps before “The Orwell Express” LaDuc made his presence known. The pair swapped the lead five times over the final 40 circuits in a thrilling see-saw battle, and LaDuc made his winning move with a gritty outside lane pass with just five laps remaining. The top two pulled into victory lane showered by cheers in appreciation of their effort. The win was the first for LaDuc since an asphalt victory at Devil’s Bowl in August 2010, and his first dirt score since May 2009.
Vince Quenneville Jr. of Brandon, VT wrapped up a solid Independence Day weekend with a third-place finish; Quenneville won the Coca-Cola Firecracker 44 on the half-mile asphalt oval at Devil’s Bowl on Friday night. Jackie Brown Jr. of Hurley, NY finished fourth, and Jack Gentile of Cohoes, NY was fifth. The top 10 was completed by Tim Hodge, Robbie LaCroix, Chris Murray, Todd Buckwold, and Billy Lussier.
Chris Donnelly won a rough 30-lap main event for the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour. Troy Comeau opened up a big lead early while Piermont, NH native Donnelly whipped past traffic on the outside lane from 12th starting position.
A red flag for a scary accident involving Rick Martel brought Donnelly to Comeau’s tail for the race’s first restart. Donnelly moved into the lead on lap 13 and held it through two more restarts – including a second red flag when Toby Tatro’s car flipped – and cruised to the win. Neither Martel nor Tatro was seriously injured.
Will Hull of Plainfield, VT finished second, followed by Dan Douville, Kevin Chaffee, and Scott Holcomb. Douville, of Bristol, NH, was crowned the SCoNE Triple Crown champion with the best point total in a three-night, three-track weekend after events at Legion Speedway in Rumney, NH on Friday and Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT on Saturday.
Curtis Condon of Queensbury, NY picked up the first win of his career in the 20-lap Renegade division race. Condon outlasted several spirited challenges from asphalt specialist Richie Turner, who finished second. Darrell Older was third.
The Portland Glass Mini Stocks had the most peculiar event of the evening, and Jesse Durkee of South Royalton, VT was declared the winner when he was the only driver left running in the event. A rough track surface combined with some full-contact maneuvers eliminated competitors at a rate of nearly one car per lap, including Justin Bishop after a flip on the opening circuit. Durkee was one of only three drivers left on the track when he took the lead on lap 14 of the scheduled 20-lap distance, just before the cars of Brian Bishop and Robert Garney dropped out of the race with flat tires. Garney was awarded the runner-up position, and Brian Bishop was third. Jason Porter and Mike Lique were officially fourth and fifth, each two laps down.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to action on Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the asphalt half-mile with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere. The Rutland Herald presents the annual double-points Mid-Season Championships, driver autographs, and a hot rod show for the RAVE Classic Car Club. General admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for children age 12 and under.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4. 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 – WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey Independence Day Special
The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Berlin Optical Expressions Dirt Track Series
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli Sportsman Modified Feature (50 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (2) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, VT
2. (1) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT
3. (7) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
4. (4) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, NY
5. (5) Jack Gentile, Cohoes, NY
6. (3) Tim Hodge, Verhsire, VT
7. (15) Robbie LaCroix, Canaan, NH
8. (19) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, VT
9. (12) Todd Buckwold, Orange, NH
10. (14) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
11. (6) Rick Sanville, Windsor, VT
12. (20) Allan Hammond, Orange, VT
13. (13) Trevor Hurlburt, Bomoseen, VT
14. (22) Matt Atwood, Whitehall, NY
15. (18) Jim Morgan, Hartland, VT
16. (9) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, NY
17. (16) Jason Sanville, Grafton, NH
18. (8) Adam Pierson, East Corinth, VT
19. (17) Bruce Schwab, Whitehall, NY
20. (11) Trevor Rocke, Canaan, NH
21. (21) Johnny Scarborough, Bomoseen, VT
22. (23) Anthony Alger, Warrensburg, NY
23. (10) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
Did Not Start: Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, NY; Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, VT
Heat Winners: Tim LaDuc; Josh Sunn; Jack Gentile
Sprint Cars of New England Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (12) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, NH
2. (11) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT
3. (14) Dan Douville, Bristol, NH
4. (13) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, VT
5. (16) Scott Holcomb, North Granby, CT
6. (10) Jacob Williams, Center Tuftonboro, NH
7. (9) Tyler Austin, West Fairlee, VT
8. (6) Lacey Hanson, Orwell, VT
9. (2) Dennis McLeod, Concord, NH
10. (3) Patrick Smith, East Andover, NH
11. (4) Troy Comeau, Warren, NH
12. (5) Toby Tatro, North Haverhill, NH
13. (1) Christine Boesch, Concord, NH
14. (7) Luke Greenwood, Hudson, NH
15. (15) Stephen Hutchinson, Manchester, NH
16. (8) Rick Martel, Moultonboro, NH
Heat Winners: Dennis McLeod; Chris Donnelly
Renegade Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, NY
2. (3) Richie Turner, Fairfax, VT
3. (2) Darrell Older, Ballston Spa, NY
4. (4) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, NY
Did Not Start: Frank Monroe; Bill Duprey
Heat Winner: Matt Mosher
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (6) Jesse Durkee, South Royalton, VT
2. (3) Robert Garney, Fort Edward, NY
3. (5) Brian Bishop, Bridport, VT
4. (7) Jason Porter, St. Albans, VT
5. (2) Mike Lique, West Lebanon, NH
6. (8) Justin Severance, Rutland, VT
7. (1) Brent Warren, Salisbury, VT
8. (4) Justin Bishop, North Ferrisburgh, VT
Did Not Start: Derrick Counter; Wayland Childs
Heat Winner: Justin Severance