By Lou Modestino
Go-kart racing will return to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in 2014. A new structured program designed to give both children and adults a competitive racing experience will bring flat karts and full-body “Mini Cup” cars to a brand new paved 1/7-mile oval on Sunday afternoons. The kart track shares a portion of the front stretch with the half-mile stock car track.
The new ten-event Devil’s Bowl Speedway Kart Series marks the first kart races held at the facility in more than a decade. Devil’s Bowl is working closely with officials from the Adirondack Karting Association in Ballston Spa, NY – including former Modified stock car standout Joe Williams – to keep rule books in line with other tracks in the area.
A ten-event schedule has been announced, with the opener penned for Sunday, May 11. A special Memorial Day event will be held on Monday, May 26, followed by Sunday dates in June, July, and August. Two pre-season practice sessions will also be held in late April.
Seven kart classes and two Mini Cup divisions will see drivers as young as age five competing at Devil’s Bowl. Kart engine rules will utilize the Briggs & Stratton flathead and LO206 motors with common restrictor plates, along with class limits on age and weight to create equal competition.
“The goal is to introduce the sport to kids and their families at an early age, to help build the next generation of racers,” Devil’s Bowl promoter Mike Bruno said. “There are also affordable and fun classes for adults to compete in, and that is just as important. This is a program that our group has been working at for over two years, and we’re happy that all of the pieces have finally come together.”
Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, VT
Kart Series – 2014 Schedule of Events
No. Day Date Event Time
Sat 4/19 Practice 3:00pm
Sat 4/26 Practice 3:00pm
1. Sun 5/11 Kart Series Event #1 1:00pm
2. Mon 5/25 Kart Series Event #2 1:00pm
3. Sun 6/01 Kart Series Event #3 1:00pm
4. Sun 6/15 Kart Series Event #4 1:00pm
5. Sun 6/29 Kart Series Event #5 1:00pm
6. Sun 7/06 Kart Series Event #6 1:00pm
7. Sun 7/13 Kart Series Event #7 1:00pm
8. Sun 8/03 Kart Series Event #8 1:00pm
9. Sun 8/10 Kart Series Event #9 1:00pm
10. Sun 8/24 Kart Series Event #10 1:00pm
Sun 8/31 Rain date (if necessary) 1:00pm
The winged warriors are back. Mud-slinging, methanol fueled, high-flying Sprint Cars will come to Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, October 18 with the Bond Auto Parts Sprint Cars of New England series.
The race marks the first show for winged sprinters in over five years, and is the final event of a three-race, end-of-season series on a temporary clay surface laid over the existing Devil’s Bowl pavement. The SCoNE tour will be making its first-ever appearance on a half-mile track during the event and will crown its 2014 champion there.
Top drivers expected to be at Devil’s Bowl include three-time SCoNE champions Mark Cole and “Professor” Chris Donnelly, 2011 champion Danny “The Topside Tornado” Douville, Vermont’s “Fairlee Flier” Kevin Chaffee, Clay Dow, Will Hull, and 2013 SCoNE Triple Crown champion Tyler Rich.
Also expected to compete is popular driver Lacey Hanson, a veteran SCoNE pilot who won a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mini Stock event on the Devil’s Bowl asphalt last summer. Hanson lives just five minutes from Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Orwell, VT.
SCoNE organizers Mike Kondrat and Si Allen had been searching for a new northeastern venue to add to their growing tour’s schedule, and are looking forward to the challenge that Devil’s Bowl will bring.
“We’re excited to be going to Devil’s Bowl,” Kondrat said. “That’s a track that I had always wished that SCoNE had raced at years ago. Our tour has only ever run on quarter-miles, but some of our veterans have high-speed experience at places like Lebanon Valley, Utica-Rome, and Charlotte. It will be nice to have leaders who can guide our younger drivers, but they’re all fearless anyway. They should put on quite a show on that big half-mile.”
Devil’s Bowl Speedway opens its asphalt season on Sunday, May 4 with the “Spring Green” event for the American-Canadian Tour and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The dirt track events will be held on Friday, September 26, Saturday, October 4, and Saturday, October 18, with additional details to be announced soon.
Matt Frahm Prepared for 2014 Season with Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS). What makes the most winningest driver in GSPSS history so successful? Two words: preparation and family.
North Salem, NH’s own Matt Frahm has already enjoyed a storied racing career. Frahm has already competed in the K + N Series and has strapped in for several Nationwide Series races. Returning back to Pro Stocks in 2013, the driver of the Lambert Roofing/ WDW Machine/ Granite Industrial Gases Chevrolet has 3 career wins in the GSPSS in 12 tries, the result of tedious preparation. “I learned so much at the Nationwide level,” comments Frahm. “I learned that every second is valuable, especially in practice.” Frahm takes that to a whole new level. Not only does the Frahm family take advantage of every second at the track, the preparation starts before the car even leaves the shop. He and his father go over every inch of the car, check every nut and bolt, and have their game plan in place before the car makes it to the trailer.
“You win races in the shop, not at the track,” Frahm states. Being prepared before getting to the track gives them more time to fine tune their automobile once the tires get bolted on. The preparation doesn’t stop there. Frahm firmly believes body and mind are a huge part of racing. He spends 6 days a week in the gym, prepping his body for the adrenaline and physical aspect of the sport. The former Nationwide driver knows you have to believe in yourself as well. “You have to be confident,” says Frahm. “If you aren’t confident with yourself or your equipment, you aren’t going anywhere.”
Frahm puts in work marketing himself and his team. Public relations, social skills, and presenting yourself and your image can help bring and maintain sponsors, fans, and possibly advancement in the sport. It’s all part of the preparation.
As much work as this driver puts into his racing career, family is still a huge part of his life. Everyone has a role in his racing; his father, mother, close friends, grandparents; everyone has a piece in it. In fact, family is what he loves about local short track racing. “I love that people are at the track because of you and who you are,” Frahm admits. “I’m hard-working, competitive, and I try to get along with everyone. My family is a big part of that.”
See if Matt Frahm can notch his fourth career GSPSS win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, just 48 days away for the Icebreaker.
Veteran stock car driver Aaron Fellows, from Croydon, New Hampshire, is the first to file a full season entry for the 2014 American Canadian Tour season. Fellows has compiled an impressive ten championships in his weekly short track career in both the weekly Late Model and Modified divisions at New Hampshire’s Twin State (6) and Canaan (4) Speedways.
“We have decided to give the ACT Tour a try this year. With the shutdown of Canaan, and the rumors of some veteran teams planning to cut back from a full touring schedule, this looks like an opportune time. We had some good finishes in the races we were at last season with ACT. Top ten runs at Canaan and Beech Ridge gave our team some confidence. Of course the highlight of the year was when we finished fourth at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). The Bond ACT Invitational is really a short track racers dream event. My goal is to get back to NHMS in September,” said Fellows.
The team will get plenty of help from Crazy Horse Racing which Fellows credits with much of his Late Model success. Crazy Horse from South Paris, Maine is a performance parts and chassis building company who supply many ACT teams with race day expertise.
When asked what his goal for the season was, Fellows said, “First, to have some fun, and if we can compete in our first full season with a solid top ten, we will consider it a success. Running competitively with guys like Joey Pole (Polewarczyk), Brian Hoar, and Wayne Helliwell can only make us better and more determined. We are excited!”
On having Fellows join the tour, President of ACT Tom Curley said, “I have watched Aaron race for over a decade and he is exactly why ACT Late Model racing was started 20 years ago. Aaron is from old school racing. They may not be the biggest budgeted team, but they make up for lack of financing with a lot of hard work, dedication, and old fashioned competitive grit. I expect some very good results from the 29NH team in 2014.”
The first event for the Fellows team will be the traditional opening event at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 13, 2014.
The 22-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, made it 2-for-2 in 2014 with a dominant performance on the short track at Daytona International Speedway Tuesday to capture the UNOH Battle At The Beach.
“I have no words to explain how I feel right now,” said the victor. “Everyone with the Rev Racing team has been working really hard and I’m thankful for all that the do. I feel lucky to have this opportunity.”
Suárez led the final 119 circuits of the 150-lap event for his third career win. He won the season-opener on Sunday at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, just down the road from Daytona, and in the process became the first driver since Sean Caisse in 2006 to start a K&N Pro Series East season by winning the first two races on the schedule.
“Our communication (within) the team is good right now,” said Suárez. “Early in the season last year we struggled, but from about the time the good finishes started coming it has gotten better and better.”
Suárez also delivered Rev Racing and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program its 14th victory since 2010. His first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win was earned in 2013 at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway.
Austin Hill crossed the finish line second at the .37-mile oval at “The World Center of Racing,” for his second top-five finish in his last three series starts. The 19-year-old from Winston, Ga., won at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last September. A flat tire foiled his effort at New Smyrna and led to a 27th-place finish.
“The car really wasn’t very good in practice, so we took a big swing at it,” Hill said. “I threw a lap up there in qualifying that I knew was pretty good, but I didn’t think it would be second.
“At the end, I think we could’ve had (Suárez), but he was quite a bit faster on the restarts for about five laps and we ran out of time.” (end)
Brandon McReynolds, who will compete fulltime in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West this season, finished third for the second time in a K&N East car having also accomplished the feat at Dover in September 2012.
“Our day was kind of up and down. We put ourselves in a little bind in qualifying, but we marched forward and found ourselves in position at the end,” said McReynolds. “Daniel was just really good. I decided to race everybody right and take what we could get. Anyone in the grandstands here could go out there and run somebody over. I don’t mind roughing somebody up, but I’m not going to take out half of the field.”
Nick Drake and Lee Pulliam rounded out the top five while Kenzie Ruston was sixth, followed by Gray Gaulding, Patrick Staropoli, Scott Heckert and Kaz Grala.
Like Suárez, Pulliam, Ruston and Gaulding have gotten off on the right foot in 2014 with back-to-back top-10 performances.
After the first two events of the campaign, Suárez leads Pulliam in the championship standings by 18 points followed closely by Ruston and Gaulding.
Ben Rhodes, who earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Brewing Company earlier in the day, settled for a 15th-place finish after he suffered damage from an incident midway through the event.
The UNOH Battle At The Beach doubleheader, which also included a NASCAR Whelen Modified/NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour special event, aired live on Fox Sports 2. The K&N portion of the event will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Suárez’s New Smyrna win will air on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday at 9 a.m.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will continue its 2014 campaign with the PittLite 125 on March 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST-UNOH Battle At The Beach Results
Tuesday
At Daytona International Speedway (.37-mile)
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Lap length: 0.37 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Daniel Suárez, Monterrey, Mexico, Toyota, 150 laps, 48.121 mph.
2. (2) Austin Hill, Winston, Ga., Ford, 150.
3. (19) Brandon McReynolds, Mooresville, N.C., Toyota, 150.
4. (11) Nick Drake, Mooresville, N.C., Toyota, 150.
5. (9) Lee Pulliam, Semora, N.C., Toyota, 150.
6. (10) Kenzie Ruston, El Reno, Okla., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (3) Gray Gaulding, Colonial Heights, Va., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (18) Patrick Staropoli, Plantation, Fla., Toyota, 150.
9. (12) Scott Heckert, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (21) Kaz Grala, Westborough, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
11. (15) Brandon Gdovic, Yorktown, Va., Toyota, 150.
12. (23) Jesse Little, Sherrills Ford, N.C., Chevrolet, 150.
13. (17) Sergio Pena, Winchester, VA, Toyota, 150.
14. (13) Cameron Hayley, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Chevrolet, 150.
15. (1) Ben Rhodes, Louisville, Ky., Chevrolet, 150.
16. (14) Jay Beasley, Las Vegas, Nev., Toyota, 150.
17. (20) Mackena Bell, Carson City, Nev., Toyota, 149.
18. (7) Brodie Kostecki, Perth, Australia, Toyota, 148.
19. (22) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 148.
20. (16) Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn., Toyota, 147.
21. (8) David Garbo, Jr., Stonington, Conn., Toyota, 145.
22. (5) Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 143.
23. (4) Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Winston Salem, NC, Toyota, 143.
24. (26) Brandon Jones, Atlanta, Ga., Toyota, 143.
25. (25) Jerry Dawson, Saugus, Mass., Chevrolet, 81.
26. (24) Cory Joyce, Gilford, NH, Chevrolet, 74.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 9 minutes 12 seconds
Margin of Victory: .596 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B. Rhodes * (71.655 mph, 18.589 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 54 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: G. Gaulding 1-31; D. Suárez 32-150.
Standings: 1. D. Suárez, 96; 2. L. Pulliam, 78; 3. K. Ruston, 77; 4. G. Gaulding, 76; 5. C. Hayley, 73; 6. B. McReynolds, 71; 7. B. Rhodes, 69; 8. N. Drake, 69; 9. P. Staropoli, 69; 10. B. Gdovic, 68.