Williams, Bryant Open Vermont 200 Weekend in Victory Lane
Germain, McCarron also score in Shootouts; main events Sunday at 1:30pm
WEST HAVEN, VT – Modified stock car driver Joe Williams and Late Model racer Robert Bryant, Jr., highlighted an exciting opening day at the Vermont 200 Championship Weekend at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, September 14. Williams and Bryant scored victories in 10-lap “Shootout” races for weekly competitors who had not yet won a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series main event in 2013.
Scotia, NY driver Williams nearly didn’t complete the opening lap in the Bond Auto Parts Modified Shootout. Williams bounced through an opening-lap scrape involving Jamie LaFountain and Vince Quenneville, Jr., but escaped and sped to the win ahead of Ron Proctor and Cody Sargen. Bryant, of Brooklyn, CT, dominated the Late Model Shootout with rookies Seth Bridge and Tom Eriksen in tow.
Sixteen year-old Ray Germain, Jr., of Bristol, VT won a close Shootout in the Renegade division, taking the lead from Robin Cummings with two laps to go. Rookie Richard Lowrey, III, finished third. John McCarron of Rensselaer, NY posted a long-awaited first win in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock division, with rookie Scott FitzGerald second and Harold LaVair third.
The Daredevil “community” racing division was busy during the day with seven races. Members of the Green Mountain Water Environment Association took part in the opening race, with GMWEA member Jim Peters of West Hartford, VT taking down the win. Gene Martin was second with Rick Kenney – Second Vice President for GMWEA – in third place. Top point drivers in each weekly division and track officials from Devil’s Bowl Speedway later took part in the first-ever “Super Shootout” Daredevil event. Late Model driver Brandon Atkins, Mini Stock racer Chris LaVair, Renegade point leader Richie Turner, Modified driver Quenneville – who spun Todd Stone out of the lead – and technical inspectors Fred Little and Steve Miller advanced in heat races. Miller, of Vergennes, VT, sped to the feature win over Turner and LaVair.
First-round qualifying was also held, with Sargen, Jessey Mueller, and Stone winning Modified heats, Turner and Robert Gordon taking Renegade qualifiers, and Jake Noble and Chris LaVair winning Mini Stock heats. The New England Antique Racers and Atlantic Coast Old Timers also made laps.
Championship main events for the Vermont 200 Weekend – including the 100-lap Vermont State Late Model Championship finale and twin 50-lap features for the Northern Modified Challenge Series – are on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1:30pm. Adult general admission is $20 and free for kids 12 and under.