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.

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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DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY: Earnhardt, Jr. National Guard Car on Display at Devil’s Bowl Speedway Sunday

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Earnhardt JrEarnhardt, Jr. National Guard Car on Display at Devil’s Bowl Speedway Sunday
Vermont Army National Guard to be part of Spring Green festivities

WEST HAVEN, VT – Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s opening stock car event will have an added special attraction, as the #88 National Guard Chevrolet SS car of 10-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be on display at the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green on Sunday, May 5. The car is part of a community involvement initiative at the event by the Vermont Army National Guard.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has amassed 19 victories and 11 poles in 478 starts in NASCAR’s top series and is also a two-time champion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is currently third in Sprint Cup Series standings through nine races in 2013, with runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 and the Auto Club 400. Earnhardt will be in action at the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
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RPM MOTORSPORTS: Hoar, RPM Look To Go Back-To-Back On ACT Late Model Tour

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

THE STORY

hoar paya troad vlGEORGIA, Vt. – Eight-time ACT Late Model Tour champion Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., will try and make it two wins in a row when he heads to the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. Hoar earned his ACT-record 38th career victory last weekend in the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl, and the driver of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger won the Spring Green at Devil’s Bowl in 2011 in ACT’s inaugural visit to the half-mile. Hoar sits just eight points out of the lead in the ACT standings, one of only three drivers to post Top-10 finishes in each of the first two Tour races this season. Read Full Article →

EMILY PACKARD MOTORSPORTS: Packard Set To Join ACT For Spring Green 113 This Week

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

 

THE STORY

Emily PackardEAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., will makes her second ACT Late Model Tour appearance of the season in the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. The 16-year-old Late Model driver won her first ACT qualifying race last weekend at Thunder Road International Speedbowl and finished 18th in the Merchants Bank 150, and now she turns her attention to one of her favorite tracks on the circuit. Last season, as part of the Vermont State Championship Late Model Series, Packard qualified fifth for the 100-lap main event at Devil’s Bowl and was racing inside the Top-3 in the final laps when an accident collected her and ended a promising day.

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