By Lou Modestino
Carmody Ford has joined the growing roster of sponsorship partners at Devil’s Bowl Speedway and has agreed to present an all-new event at the West Haven, VT stock car track on Friday, June 14. The Greenwich, NY dealership will be the title sponsor of the inaugural “Carmody Ford Slate Valley 100” for the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) in the tour’s first-ever trip to a Vermont speedway.
Located at the intersection of Routes 29 and 40 in Greenwich, NY, Carmody Ford is a rapidly-expanding, full-line dealer of new and pre-owned Ford cars, trucks, and SUVs. Carmody Ford has just completed a facility expansion to accommodate its steadily-growing service area and is currently undergoing a major overhaul of its showroom and offices. Unique to Carmody Ford is the new addition of the “Boneyard BBQ” restaurant planned to open in the summer of 2013.
Carmody Ford first entered the Devil’s Bowl Speedway market last year as a sponsor for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standout Alex Bell, a three-time winner in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division in 2012. Realizing the benefits of the positive exposure it received from advertising in local stock car racing, Carmody Ford has stepped up its commitment to present the GSPSS event on June 14 and will continue to back Bell’s efforts as he chases the Devil’s Bowl Speedway championship.
The Carmody Ford Slate Valley 100 is expected to be one of the highlights of the second-year Granite State Pro Stock Series tour. On a half-mile asphalt track that routinely produces exciting side-by-side action, the event is expected to draw entries from every New England state and New York including former Oxford 250 winner Larry Gelinas of Buxton, ME, former New Smyrna (FL) Speedway World Series Champion Louie Mechalides of Tyngsboro, MA, and defending Vermont State Late Model
Champion Dave Pembroke of Montpelier, VT, a past winner at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Others expected include top GSPSS drivers Barry Gray, Bobby Baillargeon, and Mike Parks, and Vermonters Dave Davis, Josh King, Zach Jewett, Josh Lovely, and Devil’s Bowl regular Chris Wilk, the first-ever GSPSS event winner in 2011.
The Carmody Ford Slate Valley 100 is part of an action-packed Devil’s Bowl Speedway schedule that begins on Sunday, May 5 with the 39th annual American-Canadian Tour Spring Green, along with Devil’s Bowl’s weekly Bond Auto Parts Modifieds, Renegades, and Mini Stocks.
Spring in Vermont is a beautiful time of year. New flowers bloom in the meadows, birds chirp away, and the aroma of fresh-cut grass hangs in the breeze. All of that will go unnoticed on Sunday, May 5, though, as the brightly-colored, loud-as-thunder, rubber-burning machines of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and the American-Canadian Tour charge into Devil’s Bowl Speedway for the 39th annual “Spring Green” stock car spectacular.
Nearly 80 drivers and race teams from around the northeast and Canada are expected to pack the pit area of the Rutland County speed plant as the season opens with the historic Spring Green event. With as many as 40 roaring Late Model cars expected to attempt qualifying for the 113-lap main event – one of the American-Canadian Tour’s oldest and most prestigious races – the season definitely comes in like a lion at Devil’s Bowl.
Wayne Helliwell, Jr. has the Devil’s Bowl opener circled on his calendar. In two visits to the fast half-mile track, the Dover, NH driver has had two very different experiences – in 2011, he crashed in his qualifying heat and took a 100-mile-per-hour mud bath off the backstretch; last year, he posted his first-ever ACT Late Model Tour victory and went on to win the series’ championship. He says the Devil’s Bowl track is one of his favorites.
“I’m definitely excited to get back. I like it, and I liked even when we had that wreck,” Helliwell said. “The speed is awesome. The high-speed entry into the corners makes you use a lot of brakes, and the side-by-side racing is some of the best anywhere. Devil’s Bowl really suits my driving style. I can’t wait.”
Helliwell’s Bruce Bernhardt-owned No. 27 EKeys4Cars.com/Unique Ford-sponsored entry leads a group of ACT invaders that is expected to include 2011 Spring Green winner Brian Hoar of Williston, VT, former Devil’s Bowl and ACT champion Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT, New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner Ray Parent of Tiverton, RI, two-time Devil’s Bowl feature winner Brent Dragon of Milton, VT, and Oxford 250 winner Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, NH.
The ACT stars won’t be able to rest easily, though, as a strong contingent of weekly Late Model competitors from Devil’s Bowl Speedway plans to defend the home turf. Title contenders Kevin Elliott of Rutland, VT, Bryan Town of Claremont, NH, Dan Petronis of Mechanicville, NY and 2012 Rookie of the Year Robert Bryant, Jr. of Rutland, VT will be on hand, along with Devil’s Bowl regulars Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT, Jesse Carris of Rutland, VT, and rookies Seth Bridge of Mendon, VT and Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT, the 2012 Mini Stock champion at Devil’s Bowl.
The Late Models won’t be the only stars of the day, as the Spring Green event also opens the championship season for the Bond Auto Parts Modifieds, Renegades, and Mini Stocks of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon, VT will attempt to repeat his Spring Green victory from 2012 in the Modified class, but he’ll have to go through two-time defending track champion Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY to do it. Other top contenders include Alex Bell of Cambridge, NY, sophomore drivers Joey Roberts of Georgia, VT and Jeff Haskins of Wells, VT, and double-duty driver Hunter Bates.
Robert Gordon of Milton, VT will open his Renegade title defense against Richie Turner of Fairfax, VT and highly-touted rookies Stephen Donahue of Graniteville, VT and Ray Germain, Jr. of Bristol, VT. The Mini Stock title chase is wide-open with Masterson graduating to the Late Models; Bobby LaVair of Gabriels, NY searches for his first title with the rest of the division in hot pursuit.
The 39th annual Spring Green is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm on Sunday, May 4. General admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under. Discount season passes are also available.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway officials are happy to see the snow melting and the track drying in time for a unique event that will drop the green flag on the 2013 season at the Magic Mile. The Exotic Driving Experience, featuring super-fast supercars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, will scream into the Granite State April 5-7 in the first of several planned stops through the spring, summer and fall.
The Orlando-based driving class will use the Magic Mile’s 1.6-mile, winding road course, allowing serious thrill-seekers an opportunity to push the limits and feel the acceleration, speed and precise handling of some of the coolest high-performance vehicles in the world.
The Exotic Driving Experience won’t be the only vehicles heating up the track in April. The NH Cycling Club will pedal its way on the road course for the first time on April 4, while the COM Sports Car Club will have an open road course test on April 12. The PCA North Country will be on-track April 13-14, the Rusty Wallace Driving Experience rolls into town April 17-18 and the New England Region Sports Car Club of America takes its first spins April 20-21.
The Moat Mountain Legends Road Course Series kicks off its season on April 27 and 28, while the Loudon Road Racing Series will bring two-wheeled mayhem to the Magic Mile for the first of seven weekends.
Tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 300 are also on sale. Speedway officials recently unveiled the “Toyota Wheel and Deal Pre-Race Show” promotion, which will transform this summer’s front stretch and pre-race stage into the world’s largest game show. Contestants will be playing for prizes worth more than $250,000, including 10 sparkling new 2013 Toyotas.
NHMS offers an interest-free payment plan, which allows fans to secure their tickets, camping spots and pre-race pit passes with a 25 percent deposit. The remaining balance is then spread out over three interest-free payments.
Here’s what’s happening in northern New England as the 2013 racing season begins. New England Dragway in Epping, NH offers Street Night on Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m. Wiscasset Raceway in ME reopens on Saturday with stockcar action at 1 p.m. On Sunday Everett Arena in Concord, NH hosts the 32nd Annual Motorcycle Flea Market at 9 a.m.