Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway can lay claim to the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the Northeast in 2014, as details for the first-ever “Battle at the Bowl” dirt series have been announced. The three-race run begins on Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m.
Originally planned to be a temporary clay surface laid on top of the existing half-mile asphalt oval, the dirt track will now be a permanent one-third-mile clay oval built in the infield. The first and second turns will have as much as 10 degrees of banking, while the third and fourth corners have between four and seven degrees of banking. Corners will be 50-60 feet wide, with straightaways at 60-80 feet wide.
The Battle at the Bowl opens on Friday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. with the “Slate Valley Showdown.” The event will feature a $1,000-to-win, 50-lap race for Sportsman Modifieds; a $500-to-win, 25-lap event for Pro Stocks; an eight-cylinder Renegade division featuring cars similar to local asphalt and dirt Renegade, Street Stock, and Limited classes; and a four-cylinder Mini Stock race.
The earth will shake on Saturday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. with the “King of the Clay” challenge for high-horsepower Big Block and Small Block-powered Modified cars. The 50-lap race will pay a $5,000 winner’s purse and is expected to draw some of the area’s top race teams as they prepare for Super DIRT Week in Syracuse, NY. The King of the Clay event will also feature Sportsman Modifieds, Renegades, Mini Stocks, and the championship finale for the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Enduro Series.
The series finale on Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m. sees the return of winged Sprint Cars to Devil’s Bowl as the Bond Auto Parts Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour runs a special $1,000-to-win race. The Sportsman Modifieds will also have their biggest test as the Northern Modified Challenge Series runs a 100-lap, $2,000-to-win race. They’ll be joined by the Renegade and Mini Stock divisions, along with a special $1,000-to-win Sportsman Coupe event.
A championship point fund will be distributed to the highest-ranking drivers in the Sportsman Modified, Renegade, and Mini Stock divisions through the three-race Battle at the Bowl Series;
The NHRA Motorsports Museum New England Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA Insurance concluded on Sunday with racing taking center stage. Eliminations in each of the categories were contested with winners crowned during the course of the thrilling day.
Before eliminations began, the legendary Cacklefest™ kicked off the day. Dozens of classic cars including front engine dragsters, Funny Cars, and classic nitro burning machines came to life down the length of the track.
Following the Cacklefest™ all eyes turned to the track and the nostalgic quarter mile drag racing. In Top Fuel Tony Bartone took top honors; William Masiello won 7.5 Index; Bob Schneider won 7.0 Index; Competition Eliminator winner was Don Nave; Gas Eliminator was Jared Kinson; the winner of Modified Eliminator was Ronald Childs; Nostalgia Super Stock was won by Serge Courterier; Top Stock Eliminator was Jody Noble; Hot Rod Eliminator winner was Richard Dispirito; Pro Comp was James Gifford; Mark Keenan won Flat Head Inline Eliminator; East Coast Gassers winner was Pete Boyer and Alan Borowski won AA/Gas.