Donnelly wins Sprint Car thriller; Mosher gets first Renegade win
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Kenny Tremont Jr.’s name repeats throughout Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s record books as its most successful stock car driver, and on Sunday, June 19, he added to his legacy by winning for the 71st time at the Vermont facility. The West Sand Lake, N.Y., veteran dominated on Central Vermont Motorcycles Night for his first win in the track’s 50th season, taking the “topless” special on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl. Also in victory lane during the night were Chris Donnelly and Matt Mosher.
Tremont started ninth on the 22-car NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sportsman Modified field, which ran with the cars’ roofs removed for the special 35-lap race, and once he gained the lead he was untouchable. A stackup involving all but six cars slowed the race on lap 2 and several other cautions dotted the event, but “Slingshot” Tremont was never headed for the lead during any of the restarts and his familiar No. 115 S&S Asphalt Paving/Rifenburg Construction-sponsored car won by a full straightaway.
Derrick McGrew of Ballston Spa, N.Y., was the best of the rest and had a solid drive to second place. Behind him, several drivers battled for third place before it came down to Adam Pierson and Bobby Hackel; Pierson, of East Corinth, Vt., tried for several laps to get past Hackel before finally rocketing underneath him in Turn 2 with two laps remaining. Hackel finished fourth with Tim LaDuc fifth.
McGrew, Chris Murray, and Billy Lussier won qualifying heats, and rookie Justin Severance won the consolation race for the second-straight week.
“Professor” Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., won a barnburner of a 30-lap feature for the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) series. Donnelly came from 13th starting position and trailed Dan Douville for several circuits as they navigated heavy lapped traffic. Donnelly surprised Douville with a three-wide move on the backstretch to take the lead and then ran to the win.
Douville, of Bridgewater, N.H., held on as the runner-up. Double-duty racer Hackel, of Rensselaer, N.Y. – in just his third start in a winged Sprint Car and first with the SCoNE group – started last on the 18-car field and was electric on his way through traffic, finishing in third place with an underpowered 305-cubic-inch engine racing against the high-horsepower SCoNE 360s. Dash winner Jake Williams and Kevin Chaffee rounded out the top five; Douville and Chaffee won heat races.
Matt Mosher of Queensbury, N.Y., captured his first-ever victory in a weekly division at Devil’s Bowl by taking the 15-lap feature for the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegades. Mosher held off a strong charge by Paul Braymer of Granville, N.Y., for his landmark win. Heat winner Aaron Fachini was third, followed by Curtis Condon and rookie Brian Bishop Jr.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on the half-mile Asphalt Track on Saturday, June 25, with the annual “Hometown Heroes” Night presented by Rutland Regional Medical Center and Whelen Engineering. All fire, police, rescue, military, veterans, and corrections officers in uniform or with proper identification will be admitted for free. Regular general admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and free for kids age 12 and under. The next Dirt Track event is on Sunday, July 3.
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.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Central Vermont Motorcycles Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Dirt Track – West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified “Topless” Feature (35 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
2. (6) Derrick McGrew, Ballston Spa, N.Y.
3. (12) Adam Pierson, East Corinth, Vt.
4. (10) Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, N.Y.
5. (8) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
6. (18) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, N.Y.
7. (13) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
8. (5) Tim Hodge, Vershire, Vt.
9. (11) Jack Speshock, Malta, N.Y.
10. (2) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
11. (1) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, Vt.
12. (17) Mike Coffey Jr., Ballston Spa, N.Y.
13. (15) # Justin Severance, Pittsford, Vt.
14. (7) Justin Comes, Middlebury, Vt.
15. (4) Jim Introne Jr., Hartford, N.Y.
16. (20) Ron Casey, Manchester Center, Vt.
17. (3) # Rick Sanville, Windsor, Vt.
18. (16) Hunter Bates, Pittsford, Vt.
19. (19) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
20. (21) # Wade Steele, Addison, Vt.
21. (14) # Rob Lanfear, Lake George, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Chad Miller, White River Junction, Vt.
Heat Winners: Derrick McGrew, Chris Murray, Billy Lussier
Consi Winner: Justin Severance
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Jackie Brown Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Rob Lanfear
Sprint Cars of New England Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (13) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
2. (8) Dan Douville, Bridgewater, N.H.
3. (18) Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, N.Y.
4. (9) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H.
5. (12) Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
6. (7) # Matt Hoyt, Campton, N.H.
7. (2) # Chad Turck, Pittsfield, N.H.
8. (5) Dennis McLeod, Concord, N.H.
9. (14) Tyler Austin, West Fairlee, Vt.
10. (17) James Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
11. (10) Lacey Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
12. (4) # Mike Chaffee, Corinth, Vt.
13. (3) Christine Boesch, Concord, N.H.
14. (6) # Richie Simmons, Bradford, Vt.
15. (15) # Marty Hutchins, Poultney, Vt.
16. (11) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt.
17. (1) Patrick Smith, East Andover, N.H.
18. (16) Scott Holcomb, Granby, Conn.
Heat Winners: Dan Douville, Kevin Chaffee
Dash Winner: Jake Williams
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (5) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, N.Y.
2. (4) Paul Braymer, Granville, N.Y.
3. (2) Aaron Fachini, North Adams, Mass.
4. (3) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y.
5. (6) # Brian Bishop Jr., Bridport, Vt.
6. (7) # Josh Bussino, Belmont, Vt.
7. (1) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass.
Did Not Start: Bill Duprey, Hydeville, Vt.
Heat Winner: Aaron Fachini
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Matt Mosher
(Photos by Alan Ward and Devil’s Bowl Speedway)