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WEST HAVEN, VT – Leon Gonyo made short work of the 35-lap Bond Auto Parts Modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, June 26, storming to his first victory of the year at the Rutland County speed plant. The veteran Chazy, NY stock car driver, 10 days shy of his 63rd birthday, dominated the “Hometown Heroes” race presented by Rutland Regional Medical Center, the Vermont Army National Guard, 105.3 Cat Country, and Whelen Engineering. Other winners included Todd Stone, Robert Gordon, and Chris LaVair.
Gonyo’s victory came during an upswing in his roller coaster racing season. Through 10 combined starts in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere at Devil’s Bowl and Airborne Park Speedway, Gonyo now has two wins and five top-five finishes, but also four finishes of 14th or worse. Gonyo was aided by an up-front starting position on Friday night, but was unquestionably the fastest driver throughout the event and led by as much as a quarter-lap at times.
“We started up front because we haven’t been finishing well, but this win shows that my team works hard and gives me a great car for every race,” Gonyo said in victory lane. “It feels good to get a win for them.”
Vince Quenneville Jr. of Brandon, VT sliced his way through traffic to finish as the runner-up, and point leader of Charlton, NY continued his strong start in third place. Greg Atkins and Joey Roberts completed the top five finishers, followed by Jimmy Ryan, rookie Bob Kilburn, Billy Lussier, Dave Snow, and Jason Bruno.
Former Modified champion Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT claimed his first victory in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division, taking the 30-lap feature race. Stone took the lead from Steve Miller on a Lap 14 restart, then held Miller and others off at the final restart with five circuits remaining. Vergennes, VT native Miller had his best finish with a runner-up showing, and had his hands full with Bobby Therrien and Robert Bryant Jr. in the final laps. Therrien finished third in his first Devil’s Bowl appearance of the season, followed by Bryant and Josh Masterson.
Robert Gordon of Milton, VT made it two-for-two and three on the year in the 20-lap Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep Renegade division feature. For the second week in a row, Gordon stole the win away in the final stages of the race, passing Scott FitzGerald with only three laps left in the race. FitzGerald, of West Rutland, VT, settled for the runner-up spot, followed by rookie Shawn Franklin, Jared Blake, and Matt Monaghan.
Not to be outdone, Chris LaVair of Saranac Lake, NY took his third-straight win in the Portland Glass Mini Stock division. LaVair and Chuck Bradford did battle through two 10-lap, cumulatively scored segments that ended with a tiebreaker. LaVair and Bradford each tallied segment finishes of first and second for a low total score of three points, but LaVair’s better finish in the final round gave him the nod for the overall win. Bradford wound up second, followed by John McCarron, rookie Brad Bertrand, and Andrew FitzGerald.
The Red Knights Firefighters Motorcycle Club opened the event with a raucous pre-race ‘Hometown Heroes” parade supporting the Dodge House for displaced veterans in Rutland, VT, and was joined by more than a dozen fire trucks and police cruisers from around Rutland County. A fundraiser for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital was also held by 105.3 Cat Country, generating more than $500 in donations, and the Thomas Dairy Kids Club hosted a candy scramble on the frontstretch of the race track during intermission.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Independence Day weekend with two big events, each with massive fireworks displays, on Friday, July 3 and Sunday, July 5. The half-mile asphalt oval hosts the Coca-Cola Firecracker event on Friday night at an early 6:30 p.m. start, as the “Twin 44” format returns for the Modified and Late Model divisions, along with Renegades and Mini Stocks. On Sunday, July 5, the 3/10-mile infield “Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl” opens for its first race of the season with the WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey Special at 6:00 p.m., featuring the Sprint Cars of New England, Sportsman Modifieds, Renegades, and Mini Stocks.