DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY: Busy Memorial Day Weekend ahead for Devil’s Bowl Racers

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Leon Gonyo posted a victory in the Twin 25s at the People's United Bank Memorial Day Special at Devil's Bowl Speedway in 2012. (MemorEvents photo)WEST HAVEN, VT – Stock car drivers from Devil’s Bowl Speedway will be racking up the miles on Memorial Day Weekend. The track’s top two divisions – the ground-pounding, open-wheel Bond Auto Parts Modifieds and the sleek and racy Late Models – will see plenty of action between their NASCAR Whelen All-American Series home track at Devil’s Bowl in West Haven, VT and in special events at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT.

People’s United Bank and Mobil 1 present a jam-packed event to kick off the summer Friday night weekly schedule at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway half-mile on Friday, May 24 at 7:00pm. Twin 25-lap feature races for the Modifieds and the Late Model championship opener will be accompanied by regular events for the Renegade and Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock divisions, along with a major fireworks display to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday.

New York State veterans Ron Proctor and Leon Gonyo split victories in the twin features at the People’s United Bank Memorial Day Special in 2012. Proctor’s victory was his first of three on the year and helped propel him to the track championship. Drivers aiming to knock Proctor and Gonyo off the top on Friday, May 24 include Vince Quenneville, Jr., Jessey Mueller, Hunter Bates, Alex Bell, Joey Roberts, and Spring Green opening day winner Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT.

The Late Model division is expected to draw as many as 20 entries for its championship opener at the People’s United Bank Memorial Day Special, and with champion Craig Bushey running only a partial schedule in 2013, the race for the title is wide open. Top contenders Kevin Elliott, Dan Petronis, Robert Bryant, Jr., Hunter Bates, Chris Bergeron, and more will be aiming for victory lane and the overall crown.

On Sunday, May 26, drivers from both divisions will head to the high-banked quarter-mile at Thunder Road for the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The event features a 100-lap season opener for the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series and a 50-lap race for the brand new Northern Modified Challenge Series. Racing is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The People’s United Bank Memorial Day Special presented by Mobil 1 begins at 7:00pm on Friday, May 24 and includes a special holiday fireworks show. General admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4.

Lenny’s Teams Up with Thunder Road for 2013 Season

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Thunder Road
Barre, VT – Barre’s own Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel has teamed up with Thunder Road to renew the Lenny’s Hot Shoe Challenge Award, which awards extra money to racers for feature victories at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement.”
The Hot Shoe Challenge Award will give a cash bonus of $150 to a Late Model driver who wins their first race of the season, as well as $100 for Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and $50 for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks. For the driver’s second win, they will receive half the amount of their first. Checks and an embroidered Lenny’s hat are given during the pre-race ceremonies of the next event.

“Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel is pleased to again be partnering with the ACT Tour and Thunder Road in sponsoring the Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel Hot Shoe Challenge Award,” said Mark McCarthy, Vice President of Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel. “”Lenny’s recognizes the impact the ACT Tour and Thunder Road have on the stock car racing landscape here in central Vermont, and throughout the Northeast, and is proud to be associated with such a great organization,” he finished.
Lenny’s also awards a year-end bonus to the driver in each division with the most wins. In the Late Models the bonus is $500, in the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen it is $250, and in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks it is $100.

“Lenny’s knows that it is the drivers and their teams who commit their time and resources to make Thunder Road the site of excitement that it is week in and week out, and we are proud to be able to recognize and reward these sportsmen for their efforts in our own small way,” McCarthy added.

Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel has been with Thunder Road since 2003.

The next event at the Nation’s Site of Excitement will be on Sunday, May 26 for the 51st Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic where the Thunder Road Late Models will be featured in a 100-lap race. It will also serve as the first race of the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series, and will include a special 50-lap feature for the Devil’s Bowl Dirt Modifieds as well as regular point counting events for the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks.

Bear Ridge Speedway Event Rained Out

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USAC Dirt Midgets return next week

BRADFORD, VT –Persistent showers, heavy at times, forced the cancellation of R&M Automotive night at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT on Saturday.

Up this Saturday is Vermont Food Bank Benefit Night for the ROCK99 Weekly Racing Series. The card will be jam-packed with the weekly Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified, Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe, Laquerre’s Sports Limited Late Model, Weglarz Property Service Fast Four, and KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet divisions, plus the USAC Dirt Midget Association all in competition.

Racing continues this Saturday, May 18th and every Saturday through September at Vermont’s only Dirt Track. Admission for Vermont Food Bank Benefit night is $10 for adults (age 18-61), $8 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time.

Bear Ridge Speedway is located on Kidder Road in Bradford, VT, just off Exit 16 on Interstate 91.

Brand New Northern Modified Challenge Series Announced

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Modified racers to tackle northeastern asphalt and dirt tracks in five-race championship

RUTLAND, VT – Northeastern Modified stock car racing teams will be hitting the road in 2013. Management at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway has announced the creation of the all-new Northern Modified Challenge Series for center-seat Modified cars. The five-race schedule will be the ultimate test for drivers and race teams, as events will be staged on both asphalt and dirt surfaces.
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EMILY PACKARD: Packard Scores First Career ACT Top-10 At Devil’s Bowl

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Emily Packard

ACT Late Model Tour: Emily Packard
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Race Report

WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., scored a career-best ACT Late Model finish of 10th in the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. Packard’s first career ACT Top-10 came on the heels of a 15th-place qualifying effort, after which she patiently steered the No. 9 Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet through traffic to begin her march into the Top-10. Packard, 16, fought for track position over a couple of late-race restarts, but emerged from the side-by-side battle on the half-mile oval with one of the best results of her young Late Model career.
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RPM MOTORSPORTS: Brian Hoar Finishes 2nd In Close ACT Spring Green 113

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Brian Hoar

ACT Late Model Tour: Brian Hoar
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Race Report

WEST HAVEN, VT. – Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., finished second in one of the closest finishes in ACT Late Model Tour history, just .02-seconds out of the lead in the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. The eight-time ACT champion started fourth in the 30-car field and led on two different occasions for a total of 17 laps heading into a final restart with five laps remaining. He battled eventual winner Wayne Helliwell Jr. side-by-side for every one of the final circuits in the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger before coming up just a fender short at the checkered flag. Hoar remains one of just three ACT drivers to finish in the Top-10 in each of the season’s first three races.
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DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY: Helliwell Nips Hoar in Spring Green Thriller at Devil’s Bowl Speedway

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Helliwell and Hoar take the checkers in a photo finish at Devil's Bowl Speedway in the Spring Green 113 on Sunday

With the crowd on its feet, Wayne Helliwell, Jr. (orange car, outside) beats Brian Hoar (#37) by two feet to win the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. (Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com photo)

Helliwell Nips Hoar in Spring Green Thriller at Devil’s Bowl Speedway

WEST HAVEN, VT – American-Canadian Tour stock car drivers Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and Brian Hoar brought a full house to its feet for a photo finish in 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Helliwell headlined a list of race winners to open the 2013 season at the West Haven, VT track that also included Todd Stone, Richie Turner, and Chris LaVair.

Dover, NH driver Helliwell, the defending winner of the race and the 2012 ACT Late Model Tour champion, dominated the first 92 laps of the race before giving way to three-time Spring Green winner Hoar after a restart. Hoar, of Williston, VT, led the next 16 circuits and appeared to be pulling away before two restarts with five laps remaining gave Helliwell a chance to regain the lead. The crowd rose to its feet as the pair ran inches apart in the final five laps, with Helliwell eventually nosing ahead for the victory by just .027 seconds – about two feet.
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Helliwell Shines In Photo Finish at Devil’s Bowl

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Helliwell and Hoar take the checkers in a photo finish at Devil's Bowl Speedway in the Spring Green 113 on Sunday

Helliwell and Hoar take the checkers in a photo finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in the Spring Green 113 on Sunday, May 5. (Photo Credit: Eric LaFleche)

West Haven, VT – Reigning American Canadian Tour Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. sent the message loud and clear to his competitors on a beautiful Sunday (May 5) afternoon at West Haven’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway, taking his second victory in-a-row in the Spring Green 113 by just .02 of a second over Williston’s Brian Hoar. ACT Point Leader Jimmy Hebert continued the hot start to his season and completed the podium in third place.

Helliwell used his second-place starting position to his advantage to jump to the early race lead, bringing eight-time ACT Champion Hoar in tow. The pair ran away in the front while Hebert and Tiverton, RI’s Ray Parent began the battle with Devils Bowl Speedway Champion Craig Bushey for the top five positions. A few early cautions for single spins kept the field together early, while Helliwell showed the 31-car field the way.
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