Vermont State Championship: Emily Packard
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., heads to one of her favorite stops in the northeast when she competes in the Vermont State Championship Series 100 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, September 15. Packard is currently fourth in the series standings through the first three races of 2013, and she’s looking to build on some of her career-best performances at the half-mile. She finished seventh there most recently, and Packard sits within striking distance of a Top-3 finish in the final series standings following the season finale on Sunday.
THE FACTS
WHO: Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
CREW CHIEF: Neal Woodward, Georgia, Vt.
TEAM: No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Ford
SPONSORS: Northstar Fireworks, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, Yipes! of Barre, VT Shifter Karts, GossCars.com, Be The Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, R.G. Paving
BEST CAREER DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY FINISH: 7th (June 2013)
LAST RACE AT DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY: 7th (June 2013)
WHAT: Vermont State Championship Series 100
WHERE: Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (.500-mile oval)
WHEN: Saturday, September 14 – 12:20 p.m., practice; Sunday, September 15 – 10:15 a.m., practice; 1:30 p.m., qualifying; 3:30 p.m., race
DID YOU KNOW?
Emily Packard became the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned Late Model event at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., when she won the Twin 25s event at the track on June 1 of this season.
Emily Packard will be one of 43 Late Model drivers in the region to participate in the fifth annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 21 – her second consecutive appearance in the event.
Emily Packard became the first woman in a decade to win a feature event at Thunder Road International Speedbowl when she won a Street Stock feature at the track last summer.
Emily Packard was voted the 2012 Vermont Motorsports Magazine Rookie of the Year, and she was also named the Vermont Sportswriters & Sportscasters Association Athlete of the Month for August 2012.
Emily Packard Motorsports crew chief Neal Woodward is a five-time ACT Late Model Tour champion crew chief whose cars set track qualifying records at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
EMILY PACKARD, Driver of the No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Ford, On why she likes Devil’s Bowl Speedway so much: “Everybody knows that Devil’s Bowl is one of my favorite tracks, along with Loudon. Going into both of them back-to-back is just a great feeling. We’ve had some really good runs there at Devil’s Bowl and been super-strong, so I’m super-excited to go back there.
“I think it’s just that as a driver I feel comfortable there. I seem to adapt to whatever the car is going to be (handling-wise), but every time we go it seems we have a car that is just about the same. I feel like I have a perfect car there, and that’s a great feeling for any driver in any race.”
On whether she approaches this final Vermont State Championship Series race of 2013 any differently: “No, I don’t think so. But this time, I’m going in and really want to have a good race there. The last time I was up at Devil’s Bowl I got taken out – it was like a replay all over again of the time we were there in June, just with a different person involved. I want to avoid that kind of stuff and have a good run and finish in the Top-5.
“We haven’t had one of the races in a long time, but we’ll take a look at the points going into the weekend. I want to get a good finish and do well in the series overall. It was the plan all year to run this.”
On how her recent test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway went: “Actually, we found out that the rear end was moving on me, and that’s what was happening – that’s why we were having the tight sensation all day. We figured some things out once we got back to the shop, and hopefully we’ll be better when we go back. I liked it, and I had a lot of fun with the test. Last year, I made a rookie mistake and I wanted to redeem myself this year.”