WEST HAVEN, VT – Kenny Tremont, Jr. ran what he called “the longest 50 laps of my life” at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, September 26, but at the end of a grueling night he stood in the winner’s circle. Tremont survived to claim the LawPower.com Slate Valley Showdown presented by Interstate All Battery Center of Rutland, VT and the $1,000 winner’s prize in the opening round of the three-race “Battle at the Bowl” series – the first dirt track race held at the Vermont track in more than five years – before a massive grandstand crowd.
Tremont started 15th and used a survivalist strategy to get out of a wild start to the race, which saw half of the Sportsman Modified field eliminated in a series of multi-car pileups. The biggest crash occurred on lap 10 when five cars bunched up on the frontstretch, leaving Tim Hodge’s car upside down and Justin Comes’ machine peeled open like a sardine can; no injuries were sustained.
Once the field sorted itself out, it was all Tremont and Vince Quenneville, Jr. at the front, with West Sand Lake, NY veteran Tremont taking the lead from Quenneville at lap 20 and holding him off for much of the balance of the race. Tremont crossed the finish line as a winner at Devil’s Bowl for the first time since August 2009, the year he won his track-record sixth championship.
Quenneville, of Brandon, VT, took the runner-up spot to thrill the Devil’s Bowl home crowd. Polesitter and multi-time Bear Ridge (VT) Speedway champion Adam Pierson – who was turned from behind while leading in the early laps – rallied to finish in third place. Daryl Nutting finished fourth after bouncing through an early wreck, and Johnny Scarborough took fifth place. Leon Gonyo, Eddie Patterson, Ryan Avery, Cody Hunt, and Derrick McGrew completed the top 10.
Thirty-nine Sportsman teams came to Devil’s Bowl to attempt to qualify for the 24-car starting field. Heats were won by Jack Swinton, Jack Gentile, Nutting, and Tremont. Comes won the consolation round, and Tim LaDuc took the last-chance qualifier.
Bear Ridge regular Robbie Williams of Campton, NH won $500 in the 25-lap Pro Stock/Limited Late Model open. Williams held off the challenges of Legion (NH) Speedway teammates J.P. Vaillancourt and Derek O’Hearn for his first Devil’s Bowl victory. Albany-Saratoga (NY) Speedway drivers Eddie Thompson and Brandon Emigh finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Ballston Spa, NY driver Randy Miller won the wildly entertaining 20-lap Renegade feature, fending off a constant and familiar challenge from Bill Duprey – the pair combined to win 13 feature races at Albany-Saratoga in 2014. Airborne Park (NY) Speedway asphalt standout Jamy Begor won the hearts of the crowd by recovering from an early spin to finish third in the first dirt track race of his career. Frank Monroe and Darral Older completed the top five.
Bear Ridge driver Rob Gioia of East Thetford, VT drove to the win in the 15-lap Mini Stock feature, piloting a Ford Mustang – the only rear-wheel drive car in the field. Jay Resch of Glen Ridge (NY) Motorsports Park and Airborne Park (NY) Speedway asphalt racer Steven Bresette kept Gioia on his toes throughout the race, and completed the podium finishers. Jake Noble and Scott Richner were next in line.