Stone, Tremont to tackle Modifieds; Late Model stars running for Vermont State Championship
The deepest and most diverse field of northeastern stock car racing talent will be at Devil’s Bowl Speedway for the Vermont 200 Weekend on Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16. The event is expected to draw a pool of Late Model drivers and open-wheel Modified racers from all corners of the Northeast for a pair of 100-lap events to close out the Devil’s Bowl season.
Top drivers from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modified division will face stiff competition from a strong group of invaders. Charlton, NY veteran Ron Proctor, the newly crowned 2012 Devil’s Bowl Speedway track champion, will square off against Vince Quenneville, Jr., of Brandon, VT, teenagers Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT and Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY, and feature winners Leon Gonyo, Alex Bell, Joe Williams, and Rookie of the Year Joey Roberts.
Expected to challenge the Modifieds are multi-time champions Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT and Kenny Tremont, Jr., of West Sand Lake, NY. Stone won the 2008 Devil’s Bowl title on dirt and is the 2012 Airborne Speedway champion on asphalt, and Tremont has 34 track championships on his resume including six titles at Devil’s Bowl on both dirt and asphalt surfaces. As many as 30 Modified teams could attempt qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.
Nick Sweet and Dave Pembroke enter the Vermont 200 Weekend tied for the point lead in the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series. Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl 2012 champion Sweet, of Barre, VT, won both Vermont State Championship events at Thunder Road earlier this year, but struggled in the “I Am Vermont Strong 100” at Devil’s Bowl in June. Meanwhile, Middlesex, VT racer Pembroke won the first-ever asphalt Late Model race at Devil’s Bowl in 2010 and finished fifth in June.
Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT was crowned the J&S Steel Late Model champion at Devil’s Bowl last Friday after earning his ninth win of the season; among his victories was the I Am Vermont Strong 100. Brent Dragon, third in Vermont State points, also has a feature win at Devil’s Bowl in 2012, as does eight-time American-Canadian Tour champion Brian Hoar; both are expected on Sunday along with fellow Devil’s Bowl winners Dan Petronis, Kevin Elliott, Jamie Fisher, and Rookie of the Year Robert Bryant, Jr. Champion racers Ricky Rolfe, Bryan Town, and Vermont Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott are also among those expected to attempt to qualify.
Special events will be held throughout the weekend for Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s weekly Renegade and Bomber divisions. Qualifying heats and features will be held on both days for the eight-cylinder Renegades, with a 15-lap shootout-style feature on Saturday and a 50-lap, $500-to-win event on Sunday. The Bomber event will be a two-day, three-segment, cumulatively scored race paying $200 to the overall winner.
Several other special races will be held during the Vermont 200 Weekend including 10-lap shootouts in the Modified and Bomber divisions for drivers who have not won a feature race at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in 2012. The Daredevil division will also be in action with a feature race on Saturday for race team crew members and another race on Sunday for pre-registered fans selected by random draw.
Two-day adult general admission for the Vermont 200 Weekend at Devil’s Bowl Speedway is $30, with the Sunday-only ticket just $25; children age 12 and under are free. Spectator gates open at 12:00 noon on both Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, with racing at 1:30pm both days.