Maresca, Begor Team Up for Vermont 200 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Fonda champion, Airborne star bringing two-car team for $7,500-to-win event
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – A two-car team has just become an instant contender in the Interstate All Battery Center Vermont 200 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Begor Racing has entered a pair of cars into the country’s biggest Sportsman Modified dirt track race on Sunday, September 6, with top drivers Michael Maresca and Jamy Begor at the controls.
Maresca, of Potsdam, N.Y., recently clinched his first Modified track championship at the historic Fonda Speedway, and he also won $20,000 in the prestigious Outlaw 200 at Fulton Speedway last October. Begor, of Mooers Forks, N.Y., is one of Airborne Speedway’s all-time winningest drivers, and he took three big victories in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified class at that track a year ago.
Neither driver has entered the Vermont 200 before, and they will be among the many invaders chasing after a $7,500 winner’s purse and an additional $5,000-plus in lap leader bonuses. Both drivers have tested the waters at Devil’s Bowl in 2020, highlighted by Maresca’s drive from the rear of the field to finish third in a Small Block “358” Modified special in July. Begor was in attendance for the event, and he was impressed by Maresca’s effort.
“I watched Michael that night, and he put on quite a show,” Begor said. “I was out making deliveries for our family business, and I was thinking about the Vermont 200 and that I would like to have him drive one of my cars in the race. I got to know Michael a few years ago while I was helping Tim Fuller during Florida Speedweeks, so I made a phone call and 45 minutes later we had a deal. There’s a lot of work to do in the next two weeks, but we’ll be ready.”
Both drivers will be behind the wheel of Bicknell chassis; Begor will steer a car that has brought him success at both the Airborne and Mohawk speedways, while Maresca will run a brand-new machine in its first race. The team will carry sponsorship from Gioiosa’s Wine & Spirits, Senecal Construction Company, St. Lawrence Radiology, J&S Steel, Huntley Trucking, LaDuke’s Flat Work, MX Fuels, Adams Glass, Lake Champlain Roofing, and Begor’s Supply.
The Interstate All Battery Center Vermont 200 is a one-day show for Sportsman Modifieds, with qualifying and the 200-lap main event on Sunday, September 6. Saturday has a full card of racing, with options for Sportsman racers including the “Ron Casey Memorial” Non-Winners Shootout and an open practice session.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s weekly classes will race on Saturday night, and the Sprint Cars of New England tour and Devil’s Bowl’s 500cc Mini Sprint division are in action on Sunday. Racing starts at 5:00 p.m. both days. Grandstand and Infield Drive-In spectator ticket information will be made available soon.
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.
