Roberts dominates Limiteds for first dirt victory
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Josh Sunn continued his hot start to the Modified stock car racing season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, June 17, taking his second victory of the year at the annual Central Vermont Motorcycles Father’s Day “Topless” event. Also cracking into the winner’s circle during the event were Joey Roberts, Chris Murray, Mike Preston, and Austin Chaves.
With the roofs removed from the Sportsman Modified cars in the annual special “topless” event, White River Junction, Vt., driver Sunn ran an exciting race from 16th place at the start. Among his many impressive maneuvers in traffic was an unbelievable pass while racing five-wide in Turn 2. It took Sunn just 13 laps to get to the lead, passing by Vince Quenneville Jr. to take command.
Veteran driver Jimmy Ryan put together a multi-lane blast through traffic from 10th starting position for the runner-up spot. Quenneville turned a miserable month around by leading a dozen circuits of the 30-lap race and finishing third. Brian Whittemore had an outstanding run to finish fourth, and David Schilling came from 18th to grab his second-straight top five run.
Point leader Kenny Tremont Jr. finished sixth, Justin Comes was seventh, James Fadden took eighth, Tim LaDuc came home ninth, and Jake Scarborough completed the top 10. Comes, Quenneville, and Frank Hoard Jr. won the qualifying heat races.
Joey Roberts of Fletcher, Vt., scored an emotional win in the 25-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman feature, dominating the field for his first victory on dirt. Roberts, whose last win was in the “topless” event on the former Devil’s Bowl asphalt track in 2016, led the final 15 laps of the race and won by nearly half of a lap.
Three-time winner Travis Billington came from 15th at the start to finish second and Brent Warren had his strongest showing so far in third place. Adam Piper and Josh Rozelle rounded out the top five, followed by Paolo Pascarella, Matt Bilodeau, Kyle Hoard, Mike Parodi, and Dan Lyle. Roberts and Warren won the qualifying heats, and Warren, Piper, and Dan Lyle also led laps in the feature.
Chris Murray of Fair Haven, Vt., was once again a convincing winner in the Super Stock division, topping the field for his third win of the young season. Josh Bussino was a solid second for his best run of the year, and Billy Duprey, Curtis Condon, and Kevin Elliott completed the top five in the 20-lapper.
Mike Preston of Panton, Vt., parked his car in victory lane for the second time in the Portland Glass Mini Stock division’s 20-lap race. Kaleb Shepard put up a fight with Preston as the two traded lead; Shepard tied his career-best finish in second place. Jason Porter, Mike Lique, and Derrick Counter ran 3-4-5, respectively.
Austin Chaves of Chester, Vt., gave his dad, Andy, a nice Father’s Day gift with his first win of the year in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division. Sixteen year-old Chaves – the defending champion – had nothing but bad luck prior to Sunday’s race, but rebounded with a large margin of victory in the wingless race. Brandon Emerson took second ahead of Cody O’Brien, Erick Mulready, and Samantha Mulready.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s next event is “Throwback Night” on Sunday, June 24, when the restored old-time racecars come in from the Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series and the new Champlain Valley Vintage Modified Series. Sportsman Modifieds, Limited Sportsmen, Super Stocks, and Mini Stocks will race as well as the Bandit Youth Mini Stock division. General admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for teens (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Racing starts at 6:00 p.m.
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 Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
OFFICIAL RESULTS – Central Vermont Motorcycles Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (16) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, Vt.
2. (10) Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham, Vt.
3. (6) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
4. (3) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
5. (18) David Schilling, East Greenbush, N.Y.
6. (17) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
7. (7) Justin Comes, Middlebury, Vt.
8. (5) James Fadden, Plainfield, N.H.
9. (15) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
10. (8) Jake Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
11. (14) Joey Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
12. (4) Marty Kelly III, North Bennington, Vt.
13. (22) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
14. (13) # Tanner Siemons, Orford, N.H.
15. (9) Alex Bell, Cambridge, N.Y.
16. (2) Frank Hoard, Jr., North Granville, N.Y.
17. (1) Tomas Kimball, White River Junction, Vt.
18. (23) # Bruce Loomis, Granville, N.Y.
19. (19) John St. Germain Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
20. (21) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
21. (20) Trevor Rocke, Canaan, N.H.
22. (25) Allan Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
23. (12) Mike Palmer, Salisbury, Vt.
24. (24) # Jeff Washburn, Benson, Vt.
25. (11) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Justin Comes, Frank Hoard Jr., Vince Quenneville Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Josh Sunn (+15 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Ron Proctor
O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (5) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
2. (15) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
3. (4) Brent Warren, Salisbury, Vt.
4. (3) Adam Piper, Leicester, Vt.
5. (7) Josh Rozelle, West Pawlet, Vt.
6. (9) Paolo Pascarella, Troy, N.Y.
7. (8) Matt Bilodeau, Pittsford, Vt.
8. (2) Kyle Hoard, North Granville, N.Y.
9. (13) Mike Parodi, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
10. (1) Dan Lyle, Bennington, Vt.
11. (17) Jamey Ferland, Charlestown, N.H.
12. (6) R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt.
13. (14) Mike Ryan, Chelsea, Vt.
14. (16) Jason Baker, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
15. (10) Montgomery Tremont, West Sand Lake, N.Y.
16. (11) Larry Gallipo, Rutland, Vt.
17. (17) Tanner Forbes, Jay, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Joey Roberts, Brent Warren
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Travis Billington (+15 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Tanner Forbes
Super Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, Vt.
2. (4) Josh Bussino, Mount Holly, Vt.
3. (7) Bill Duprey, Hydeville, Vt.
4. (9) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y.
5. (8) Kevin Elliott, Rutland, Vt.
6. (3) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass.
7. (7) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
8. (2) # Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
9. (1) Ronnie Alger, Orwell, Vt.
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (8) Mike Preston, Panton, Vt.
2. (2) Kaleb Shepard, Vergennes, Vt.
3. (20) Jason Porter, Freeport, Maine
4. (12) Mike Lique, Lebanon, N.H.
5. (10) Derrick Counter, Leicester, Vt.
6. (4) Jake Barrows, Cornwall, Vt.
7. (19) P.J. Cram, Fair Haven, Vt.
8. (9) # Craig Kirby, Winooski, Vt.
9. (15) Chris Conroy, Newport, N.H.
10. (1) # Chris Guyette, North Clarendon, Vt.
11. (11) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
12. (3) Willie Rice, Poultney, Vt.
13. (5) # Lynn Denton, Milton, Vt.
14. (6) Josh Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
15. (13) Dakota Desabrais, Whitehall, N.Y.
16. (7) Tim Simonds, Clarendon, Vt.
17. (18) Shawn Rogers, Fair Haven, Vt.
18. (17) Hunter Given, Orwell, Vt.
19. (16) # Scott Cowdrey, Leicester, Vt.
20. (14) Shawn Moquin, Milton, Vt.
Did Not Start: Morgan Ballard, Fair Haven, Vt.
Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (5) Austin Chaves, Chester, Vt.
2. (10) Brandon Emerson, Williamstown, Vt.
3. (9) Cody O’Brien, Springfield, Vt.
4. (2) Erick Mulready, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
5. (3) # Samantha Mulready, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
6. (12) Mark Mulready, Buskirk, N.Y.
7. (4) # Joel Belanger, Washington, N.H.
8. (7) # Tye Vaillancourt, New Ipswich, N.H.
9. (6) # Shawn McPhee, Rutland, Vt.
10. (11) # Kevin Smith, Brandon, Vt.
11. (8) # Dakota Green, Eagle Bridge, N.Y.
12. (1) # Gordon Sheehan, West Rutland, Vt.
Did Not Start: Mike Bradley Jr., Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
Heat Winner: Erick Mulready
(Photos by Alan Ward & Devil’s Bowl Speedway Staff)