Vermont State Championship: Emily Packard
Devils Bowl Speedway Race Report
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., posted a career-best finish in the Vermont State Championship Late Model Series on Sunday, June 30, finishing seventh in the People’s United Bank 100 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt. The finish was the best of her career for Packard at Devil’s Bowl, where she finished 10th in ACT Late Model Tour competition earlier this season. Packard qualified inside the Top-10 and was running comfortably inside the Top-5 when she was spun from behind on Lap 28. She pitted for minor repairs and then restarted at the rear of the field, battling up through the pack with the No. 9 Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet to finish seventh following a green-white-checkered restart.
WHO: Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
CREW CHIEF: Neal Woodward, Georgia, Vt.
TEAM: Emily Packard Motorsports No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet
SPONSORS: Northstar Fireworks, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, Yipes! of Barre, VT Shifter Karts, GossCars.com, Be The Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, R.G. Paving
WHAT: Vermont State Championship People’s United Bank 100
WHERE: Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (.500-mile oval)
STARTED: 9th
FINISHED: 7th
NEXT RACE: July 4, Northfield Savings Bank 50, Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)
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EMILY, WHAT HAPPENED?
It feels pretty good. It feels good to finally have a good finish. The last time we were here, we thought we could have done a little better – and today we did that. We could probably have gotten a few more spots out there, but we still have a few knuckleheads out there.
We’ll get it cleaned up and go on and get ready for the next one.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE 17 CAR ON LAP 28?
Honestly, he just blatantly took me right out. That’s how most of the guys have been doing it. I felt like it was going to happen. Obviously, at least one person was going to do something like that because it’s the way things have been going for me.
It’s just surprising, because I’ve known him for a long, long time and I didn’t think he’d so something like that. At least it was early enough so we had time to recover and get back up there. I wish I didn’t have to waste my stuff trying to get through everybody, just so I would have had something at the end.
DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD A CAR THAT COULD HAVE CONTENDED FOR THE WIN?
I think so. I think if we were able to stay up in the Top-3, I wouldn’t have wasted the tires and we would have had a car at the end. But that’s racing.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH WHERE YOU GUYS ARE AT NOW AS YOU HEAD INTO TWO RACES IN FOUR DAYS THIS WEEK AT THUNDER ROAD?
Yeah, definitely. We had a pretty solid finish and a good day today. If we can get a couple of good finishes this week over at Thunder Road, we’ll be in good shape for the second half of the year.