WEST HAVEN, VT.– The dog days of summer are upon us and the weather isn’t the only thing hot in West Haven. After a week off, Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to racing this Saturday for Friend Construction Double Feature night. All divisions will run twin, handicap lineup features with no heat races. Intermission will feature the second round of kids’ racecar rides in 2024. Additionally, Sunday will feature the rained-out, 67-lap, $5,000-to-win CJ Richards Memorial ‘Prelude to the 200’ for the Sunoco Sportsman Modifieds, along with a feature for the novice division and a pair of mini-sprint segments.
With only a handful of races left in 2024, Saturday’s dual points-paying features offer drivers one of the last big chances to make noise in the championship standings. Tim LaDuc has a slim, six-point lead over Vince Quenneville, Jr., in the Sunoco Sportsman Modified points. LaDuc is seeking his fifth track championship, his first coming in the sportsman class in 1999. He went on to win the 358 modified title in 2000, then the Sunoco Sportsman Modified Championship in 2021 and 2023.
Quenneville is after his fourth Devil’s Bowl title, first winning the 2003 358 modified championship before going on to win the 2015 asphalt modified and 2017 asphalt sportsman modified championships.
Twenty-four points behind the lead, in 3rd position, is Travis Green, of Wallkill, N.Y. Green is a third-generation driver with racing roots at nearly every track in the area, and Green has been one of the most consistent drivers at Devil’s Bowl in 2024, with five top-five runs and seven top-10 results. Brandon’s Joey Scarborough is 4th in points, 28 markers back of the lead. Dave Camara is 5th, 47 points behind LaDuc, the leader.
Gary English, Jr., from Salisbury, is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman points leader. He holds a 52-point advantage over Alex Layn from New Haven. English has just one win in 2024, but he has been the hard charger three weeks in a row now, passing the most cars in the limited feature. He has also finished in the top-10 in 13 of 15 races. Manchester’s Scott Towslee is 3rd in the standings, 56 points behind English.
Rookie Logan Denis, of Whiting, has a 24-point lead over Matt Wade in the Hoosier Racing Tire Novice ranks. Salisbury’s Nick Austin-Neil is 3rd in the standings there, 40 points out of the lead. Denis has two wins and 11 top-five runs in 13 races. Wade also has two wins and Austin-Neil has three.
The Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprints and Fisher Auto Parts Mini Stocks sport some of the best point battles going, with Ray Hanson leading the mini sprint points over Gage Provencher by just four markers. Quinn Quenneville is 3rd, 54-points back. Brian Blake, form Cornwall, leads the mini stock points over Griff Mahoney. The pair are only separated by eight points, which in a division averaging more than 30 cars every week is razor-thin. Sophomore campaigner Ryan Patch is 3rd, 67-points back. This week, the mini stocks will run split-features, with each race featuring a different set of cars, given the high number the class brings every week.
Rob Steele leads the 9th State Cannabis Crown Vic points again, with a 25- point lead. Steele is seeking his second title in as many years of the division’s existence. Rookie Brad Cram, from Rutland, is 2nd and Bristol’s Eric Friend is 3rd.
Saturday’s program is slated to start at 7PM with the pits opening at 4PM and the stands and infield tailgate area opening at 5:30. Sunday’s race will kick-off at 6PM with time trials for the sportsman, setting their heat race lineups for the 67-lap feature. Not only will the winner collect $5,000, but they’ll also be a guaranteed starter in the Fabian Earth Moving Vermont 200 on September 1.
General admission for Saturday is $15 with kids 12 and under getting in for free. Infield tailgating passes are $20. Pit passes are $28 for members and $38 for non-members. Sunday’s show will honor all wristbands from Sunday, August 4. General admission is $20 with kids 12 and under free, of course. Infield tailgating passes are $30 and pit passes are $45 for everyone.