Scarborough, Roberts Winners on Hot Night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Murray, Shepard, Chaves continue dominance
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The dirt track racing action was as white-hot as the weather at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, August 5, and a pair of Joeys – Joey Scarborough and Joey Roberts – topped the list of winners. Scarborough claimed his second NASCAR Whelen All-American Series win of the season on Friend Construction Night, Roberts took his third win, and other victors included Chris Murray, Kaleb Shepard, and Austin Chaves.
Scarborough won an outstanding 30-lap race for the Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified division – one that saw the most outside-lane passing of the season and a wild crash on the frontstretch. James Fadden and Jimmy Ryan put on a show in the early laps before Billy Lussier entered the picture, and the trio diced it up at the front to thrill the crowd.
Hometown favorite Lussier broke free and built a comfortable lead before a handful of caution flags tightened the field. Meanwhile, Brandon, Vt., runner Scarborough drove up the far outside groove while often pushing his car three-wide, and sailed from 16th starting position to the front. The pair engaged in a few crazy restarts that saw each take his shot in both grooves; Scarborough took the lead officially at lap 22 and was scored as the leader at the start-finish line every lap until the end, but Lussier nosed ahead several times momentarily in the final frames. Lussier settled for second at the finish, setting a new career-best mark.
Scarborough’s twin brother, Jake, continued his recent run of strong finishes to score third place, while number-two point driver Tim LaDuc had a solid drive from 15th to finish fourth. Ryan fell back in traffic and was nearly out of the top 10, but rebounded for fifth place. Point leader Kenny Tremont Jr. finished sixth and Fadden was seventh, followed by Vince Quenneville Jr., Josh Sunn, and Justin Comes.
Tomas Kimball had a frightening crash on the frontstretch that saw his car pound the wall and then roll over; Kimball drew huge cheers when exited the demolished racer under his own power with a big wave and a smile for the crowd.
Unofficially, Tremont holds a slim eight-point lead on LaDuc (439-431) with Joey Scarborough third overall, only 33 points behind Tremont.
Joey Roberts picked the right night for his third win of the year in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman division; the Fletcher, Vt., driver’s main sponsor is Friend Construction, and the race was the biggest event of the year for the class with three 10-lap scored segments. The action was intense throughout the field all three rounds, with three-wide and even four-wide passing the rule rather than the exception.
Matt Bilodeau led flag-to-flag in the first 10-lap race, earning one point toward the overall three-segment tally; he beat Mike Ryan, Brent Warren, Travis Billington, and Roberts. Mike Parodi won the second leg ahead of Dylan Rabtoy, Timmy Aldrighetti, Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, and Tanner Forbes.
Parodi and teammate Billington were tied with 10 points each to led the field into the final segment, and no less than six other drivers sat within four points of them; in short, the race for the overall win was wide open. As 16 year-old Montgomery Tremont had his coming-of-age party by leading all 10 laps in the last round, the overall standings changed every lap with incredible racing among the contenders. When the checkered flag fell, it was Tremont, Roberts, Bilodeau, Adam Piper, and Wagner-Fitzgerald.
After three segments, Roberts, Bilodeau, and Billington were knotted in a three-way tie with a low total score of 16 points apiece; as the highest finisher among the trio in the last segment, Roberts got the tiebreaker and the overall victory. Bilodeau was the overall runner-up for a career-best effort, while Billington took third overall. Wagner-Fitzgerald and Warren completed the official top five.
Chris Murray of Fair Haven, Vt., continued his complete dismantling of the Super Stock division, picking up his seventh win in 11 races. The defending champion had an easy time of it in the 20-lap feature race, needing only six laps to drive from ninth at the start to get the lead.
Josh Bussino ran in second place until former champion Joey Trudeau tracked him down and passed him in the final corner. Another former champion, Kevin Elliott, finished fourth behind Bussino after a good fight with fifth-place finisher Garrett Given.
Kaleb Shepard of Vergennes, Vt., has decided that he likes victory lane, and visited for the fourth week in a row following the 20-lap feature for the Portland Glass Mini Stocks. “The Snarve” drove from 15th place to take the lead from Johnny Bruno at lap 15, just before Bruno was turned around after contact with Mike Preston.
Shepard walked away from the field at the restart for the win. Jake Barrows was a career-best second after a hard crash last week, while Tim Simonds drove a borrowed car to third place. Point leader Chris Conroy finished fourth and Derrick Counter was fifth. The top six drivers in the Mini Stock point standings were all summoned to post-race inspection for an engine teardown; Shepard, Conroy, Preston, Craig Kirby, and Shawn Moquin all passed with flying colors, but Mike Lique refused inspection and was disqualified.
Austin Chaves of Chester, Vt., made it back-to-back wins in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division with a thorough stomping of the field in a 15-lap race; it was the third win of the year for the defending champion. Colby Beinhaur, who is running a part-time schedule in 2018, finished second with a late charge.
Bandit Youth Mini Stock racer Evan Roberts, son of the Limited Sportsman winner, had a spectacular debut in the Mini Sprint division to drive from ninth to third. Rookie Joel Belanger scored his career-best finish in fourth, and point leader Cody O’Brien came home fifth.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back on Sunday, August 12, as the Community College of Vermont presents a special “Twin 20s” event for the Sprint Cars of New England tour. Also on the card are the Sportsman Modified, Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, and Mini Stock divisions. Special event general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $5 for teens (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Racing starts at 7:00 p.m.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2, and just 20 minutes from Rutland, Vt. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Friend Construction Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (16) Joey Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
2. (4) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
3. (9) Jake Scarborough, Brandon, Vt.
4. (15) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
5. (2) Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham, Vt.
6. (10) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
7. (1) James Fadden, Plainfield, N.H.
8. (13) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
9. (3) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, Vt.
10. (18) Justin Comes, Middlebury, Vt.
11. (21) Walter Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
12. (12) John St. Germain Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
13. (6) # Tanner Siemons, Orford, N.H.
14. (17) Allan Hammond, Canaan, N.H.
15. (22) Mike Palmer, Salisbury, Vt.
16. (23) Walt Hammond Jr., Canaan, N.H.
17. (5) # Jeff Washburn, Benson, Vt.
18. (19) Ricky Sanville, Canaan, N.H.
19. (8) # Marty Kelly III, North Bennington, Vt.
20. (14) Alex Bell, Cambridge, N.Y.
21. (24) # Bruce Loomis, Granville, N.Y.
22. (20) Tomas Kimball, White River Junction, Vt.
23. (11) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
24. (7) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
Heat Winners: Billy Lussier, Jimmy Ryan, Josh Sunn
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Joey Scarborough (+15 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Tomas Kimball
O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (10 laps x 3)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Segment Score
1. (3) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt. – 16 pts.
2. (1) Matt Bilodeau, Pittsford, Vt. – 16 pts.
3. (10) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 16 pts.
4. (13) Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald, Gansevoort, N.Y. – 17 pts.
5. (9) Brent Warren, Salisbury, Vt. – 18 pts.
6. (7) Paolo Pascarella, Troy, N.Y. – 22 pts.
7. (2) Mike Ryan, Chelsea, Vt. – 22 pts.
8. (4) Adam Piper, Leicester, Vt. – 23 pts.
9. (14) Dylan Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt. – 27 pts.
10. (8) Mike Parodi, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 27 pts.
11. (11) Montgomery Tremont, West Sand Lake, N.Y. – 28 pts.
12. (15) Timmy Aldrighetti, Bethel, Vt. – 28 pts.
13. (5) Tanner Forbes, Jay, N.Y. – 29 pts.
14. (6) R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt. – 30 pts.
15. (16) Andy Badger, Enfield, N.H. – 45 pts.
16. (12) Jason Baker, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 46 pts.
17. (18) Sean Broe, Middlebury, Vt. – 49 pts.
18. (17) David LaBarge, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 54 pts.
Segment Winners: Matt Bilodeau, Mike Parodi, Montgomery Tremont
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Michael Wagner-Fitzgerald (+9 positions)
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Mike Parodi
Super Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, Vt.
2. (4) Joey Trudeau, Hague, N.Y.
3. (5) Josh Bussino, Mount Holly, Vt.
4. (6) Kevin Elliott, Rutland, Vt.
5. (8) Garrett Given, Cornwall, Vt.
6. (7) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y.
7. (10) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
8. (2) Michael Clark Jr., Salisbury, Vt.
9. (1) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass.
10. (3) # Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
11. (11) # Dustin Stevenson, Lake George, N.Y.
12. (12) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, N.Y.
13. (13) Paul Braymer, Granville, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Ronnie Alger, Orwell, Vt.
Heat Winners: Chris Murray, Josh Bussino
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (15) Kaleb Shepard, Vergennes, Vt.
2. (3) Jake Barrows, Cornwall, Vt.
3. (11) Tim Simonds, Clarendon, Vt.
4. (14) Chris Conroy, Newport, N.H.
5. (19) Derrick Counter, Leicester, Vt.
6. (4) # Lynn Denton, Milton, Vt.
7. (2) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
8. (12) Mike Preston, Panton, Vt.
9. (20) Miles Stevens-Williams, Poultney, Vt.
10. (1) # Chris Guyette, North Clarendon, Vt.
11. (16) # Corey Mossey, Pittsford, Vt.
12. (10) # Craig Kirby, Winooski, Vt.
13. (5) Cameron Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
14. (18) Erin Aiken, Claremont, N.H.
15. (8) Dakota Desabrais, Whitehall, N.Y.
16. (9) Shawn Moquin, Milton, Vt.
17. (6) Willie Rice, Poultney, Vt.
18. (7) Josh Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
19. (17) Russ Farr, Middle Granville, N.Y.
20. (21) # Shawn Rogers, Fair Haven, Vt.
Disqualified: (13) Mike Lique, West Lebanon, N.H. (refused inspection)
Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (7) Austin Chaves, Chester, Vt.
2. (10) Colby Beinhaur, Shoreham, Vt.
3. (9) Evan Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
4. (4) # Joel Belanger, Washington, N.H.
5. (8) Cody O’Brien, Springfield, Vt.
6. (3) # John McPhee Jr., Rutland, Vt.
7. (5) # Dakota Green, Eagle Bridge, N.Y.
8. (1) # Shawn McPhee, Rutland, Vt.
9. (6) # Tye Vaillancourt, New Ipswich, N.H.
10. (2) # Samantha Mulready, Hoosick Falls, N.Y.
11. (11) Nadine Coates, Newport, N.H.
Did Not Start: # Kevin Smith, Brandon, Vt.
Heat Winner: Austin Chaves
