NEAR Antique Racers, Sprint Cars, Kids Poster Contest highlight weekend events
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway is going topless for Father’s Day Weekend, but in a family-friendly, high-speed, sort of way. The racing machines of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sportsman Modified division will take their roofs off for two nights of action at the Rutland County facility, giving fans a better look at what goes on inside the cars, and giving drivers a different challenge.
The weekend starts on the half-mile Asphalt Track on Saturday, June 18 at 6:00 p.m. The Bond Auto Parts Modifieds will be joined by the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Models, the Rosen & Berger Renegades, and the Portland Glass Mini Stocks. The fan-favorite New England Antique Racers club will also be on hand for its annual appearance with old-school racecars from yesteryear.
The 3/10-mile Dirt Track wraps up the weekend on Sunday, June 19 at 6:00 p.m. with Modifieds, Renegades, and the winged Sprint Cars of New England. The Thomas Dairy Kids Poster Contest is also on tap, for which kids of all ages are encouraged to create a poster of their favorite racecar driver to compete for trophies.
Asphalt Modified point leader Jason Durgan has previously competed in topless races and is looking forward to the event at Devil’s Bowl. He says that taking the roofs off will change not only the view but also – at top speeds reaching 120 miles per hour – the aerodynamic and handling characteristics of each car.
“The fans will have a lot better view of the driver and they’ll be able to see how hard we’re working and all the wheeling we’re doing during the race,” Durgan said. “Handling wise, taking the roof off will affect everyone’s cars differently depending on how their body is designed. With my car we’re figuring that we’re going to have a lot more downforce on the rear of the car, which will increase our drive off the corners.”
Central Vermont Motorcycles presents the weekend’s racing action, and will have large displays on both nights. Central Vermont Motorcycles offers a full line of powersports vehicles and equipment including Arctic Cat, Can-Am, Honda, Honda Power Equipment, Kawasaki, Polaris, Ski-Doo, Slingshot, Spyder, Suzuki, Triton Trailers, and Victory. For more information, visit the showroom on West Street in Downtown Rutland, call toll free at 1-800-639-1664, or click on www.centralvermontmotorcycles.com.
Regular general admission at each event is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (62+) and students (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. and racing starts at 6:00 p.m. both nights.
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 Dave Dalesandro/RacersGuide.com)