NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH For Feb 19, 2015
By Lou Modestino
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on the rise as one of Vermont’s top family entertainment hot spots, and businesses in and around Rutland County are taking notice. The region’s only dual-surface stock car racing facility welcomes several new and returning sponsorship partners in 2015 and is poised for continued growth with both its NASCAR-sanctioned 1/2-mile asphalt oval and its new 1/3-mile dirt track.
Bond Auto Parts has extended its sponsorship of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified division to a fourth consecutive year and will again present “Hard Charger” awards in the Renegade and Mini Stock classes. Family owned and based in Barre, VT, Bond Auto Parts is among the country’s leading auto parts retailers and has partnerships with the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bond Auto Parts supports Devil’s Bowl Speedway through its store on Strongs Avenue in Rutland.
Central Vermont Motorcycles increases its involvement in 2015, jumping up from the Mini Stock division to become the sponsor of the asphalt Late Model class. Located on West Street in Rutland, Central Vermont Motorcycles’ powersports headquarters offers models from Arctic Cat, Can-Am, Honda, Kawasaki, Ski-Doo, Spyder, Suzuki, and Triton Trailers as well as a two-acre test track. Central Vermont Motorcycles will also present the race event on Friday, June 19 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep joins the Devil’s Bowl Speedway family as the title sponsor of the asphalt Renegade division. Located on U.S. Route 7 in Rutland, Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep sells new and used models and also services and repairs all Mopar brands including Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Fiat. Devil’s Bowl Speedway will host the inaugural “Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep 100” Renegade race on Saturday, May 23.
Portland Glass debuts as a Devil’s Bowl Speedway sponsor in the entry-level Mini Stocks for both the asphalt and dirt tracks. Founded in Maine, Portland Glass is an industry leader and serves northern New England through 34 locations including its store on South Main Street in Rutland, VT.
Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli in Fair Haven, VT joins Devil’s Bowl Speedway as the sponsor of the Sportsman Modifieds on The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl. The store offers a wide variety of groceries, baked goods, wine, spirits, and beer, as well as fresh-made pizzas, sandwiches, wings, and more.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 49th season of stock car racing opens with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on the asphalt half-mile oval on Saturday, May 9, while The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl opens on Sunday, June 7.
“Outlaw” Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA led flag-to-flag in the caution free American Canadian Tour 100 at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, FL on Sunday, February 15. MacDonald earned the pole position after racing from 9th to 2nd in his heat race to give him a +7 in ACT’s unique plus/minus handicap system.
MacDonald led the 26 car field to the green and held off defending Série ACT Champion Alex Labbe through the early stages of the event. He set a blistering pace, but couldn’t shake Labbe, Travis Stearns and Wayne Helliwell, Jr. during the first half of the race.
Another Quebecer in Patrick Laperle challenged MacDonald through the second half of the race. Laperle marched from his 14th starting postion to take over the second spot just past the halfway mark. He made it to MacDonald’s back bumper, but couldn’t make a move for the lead. He chased MacDonald through heavy lapped traffic and appeared to be in position to make a challenge on several occasions, but couldn’t get it done.
MacDonald and Laperle took the checkered flag in the top two spots, while Helliwell made a last lap pass to claim third. Stearns ran up front throughout the event and claimed fourth, while defending ACT Champion Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. worked his way from the 16th starting position to complete the top five. Labbe fell back to sixth followed by Aaron Fellows, Ray Parent, Luke Hinkley and Brad Babb rounding out the top ten.
The 100 lap event was completed caution free in 33 minutes and 42 seconds. A total of 23 of the 26 starters were on the track for the checkered flag. Only the top ten remained on the lead lap. All 26 cars survived the first of three nights of American Canadian Tour racing at New Smyrna Speedway. Emily Packard will join the field tomorrow to bring the count up to 27. The first of two American Racer Challenge Cup 100 lap events will be run on Monday, February 16. Heat races will roll out at 7:30pm. The second and final American Racer Challenge Cup 100 will be run on Tuesday, February 17. Drivers will combine their two finishes in the American Racer Challenge Cup events on Monday and Tuesday to decide the overall Challenge Cup winner.
ACT 100 Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna Beach, FL
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Pos. (Start) Driver, Hometown, Laps Completed
(1) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA, 100 Laps
(14) Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC, 100 Laps
(5) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH, 100 Laps
(3) Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 100 Laps
(16) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, 100 Laps
(2) Alex Labbe, St-Albert, QC, 100 Laps
(7) Aaron Fellows, Croydon, NH, 100 Laps
(6) Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI, 100 Laps
(10) Luke Hinkley, Claremont, NH, 100 Laps
(11) Brad Babb, Windham, ME, 100 Laps
(26) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT, 99 Laps
(8) Tom Carey, Jr., New Salem, MA, 99 Laps
(12) Rowland Robinson, Jr., Steuben, ME, 99 Laps
(9) Brandon Atkins, Au Sable Forks, NY, 99 Laps
(13) Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, VT, 99 Laps
(21) Josh Demers, Montpelier, VT, 99 Laps
(25) Pete Yetman, Peru, MA, 99 Laps
(4) Jeff Rocco, Wallingford, CT, 99 Laps
(18) Keith Rocco, Berlin, CT, 99 Laps
(23) Daniel Descoste, St-Joseph, QC, 99 Laps
(15) Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC, 99 Laps
(19) Dylan Smith, Concord, NC, 98 Laps
(24) Brandon White, Kahnawake, QC, 66 Laps
(17) Kyle Welch, Newport, NH, 35 Laps
(22) Edward Leclerc, Jr., Taunton, MA, 7 Laps
(20) Jean-Pierre Ouimet, Terrebonne, QC, 1 Laps
Lap Leaders: Eddie MacDonald, 1-100.
Time of Race: 33:42
Margin of Victory: .987 seconds
Cautions: 0
Heat Winners: Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Alex Labbe, Brandon Atkins
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA claimed his second win in two nights of ACT competition at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, FL on Monday, August 16. MacDonald followed up his Sunday night win with another trip to victory lane in the first leg of the American Racer Challenge Cup. His second win, however, didn’t come so easy.
Unlike Sunday night, MacDonald didn’t earn the pole, lead every lap or even appear to have the fastest car of the race. He started in the third position and challenged pole sitter Patrick Laperle and outside pole Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. early in the event. Laperle led the way through the first 26 caution free laps, while Polewarczyk struggled and faded back with a tire going flat. Polewarczyk finally spun on lap 26 bringing out the first caution of the event.
That caution setup a six lap battle between Laperle and MacDonald in which they would swap the lead five times with MacDonald settling into the lead on lap 32. Aaron Fellows followed MacDonald by Laperle to take the second spot and quickly set his sights on MacDonald’s rear bumper. Fellows worked the inside lane until finally making the move he needed to take over the point.
Fellows broke out to a comfortable lead with MacDonald hanging at a distance. Meanwhile, sophomore ACT Late Model competitor Josh Demers had an amazing battle with Laperle for over 30 laps. Demers eventually got the advantage and took over third.
It appeared to be smooth sailing for Fellows who arguably had the fastest car of the race until the fifth caution of the event flew on lap 86. That caution came for Laperle who wrecked hard in the turn one wall after being stuck in the outside of a three-wide. Fellows hung on to the lead through the next two restarts for two more cautions. MacDonald got the advantage on the lap 87 restart and Fellows fell back to second. Just two laps later the eighth and final caution flag flew when Fellows spun in turn two, while battling for second.
MacDonald held off Wayne Helliwell, Jr. on the final restart to claim his second win in two nights. Helliwell came from eighth to claim second and his second podium finish in two nights. Quebec’s Alex Labbe had to change a motor between the last practice and the heat races and managed to still take third in the feature. Nick Sweet and Demers rounded out the top five. Pete Yetman, Donald Theetge, Travis Stearns, Fellows and Brandon White completed the top ten.
The 100 lap event saw eight cautions and was completed in one hour, six minutes and 18 seconds. There were seven lead changes among three drivers.
The American Canadian Tour wraps up its trip south with the 100 lap second leg of the American Racer Challenge Cup at New Smyrna Speedway on Tuesday, February 17. The top twenty finishers from Monday’s event will be inverted for the start of Tuesday’s race. The overall Challenge Cup winner will be decided based on the best two combined finishes from the Monday and Tuesday events.
American Racer Challenge Cup Segment #1
ACT Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna Beach, FL
Monday, February 16, 2015
Pos. (Start) Driver, Hometown, Laps Completed
(3) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA, 100 Laps
(8) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH, 100 Laps
(9) Alex Labbe, St-Albert, QC, 100 Laps
(7) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
(6) Josh Demers, Montpelier, VT, 100 Laps
(13) Pete Yetman, Peru, MA, 100 Laps
(12) Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC, 100 Laps
(20) Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 100 Laps
(5) Aaron Fellows, Croydon, NH, 100 Laps
(15) Brandon White, Kahnawake, QC, 100 Laps
(11) Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI, 100 Laps
(17) Emily Packard, East Montpelier, VT, 100 Laps
(10) Keith Rocco, Berlin, CT, 100 Laps
(19) Brandon Atkins, Au Sable Forks, NY, 99 Laps
(16) Tom Carey, Jr., New Salem, MA, 99 Laps
(23) Edward Leclerc, Jr., Taunton, MA, 99 Laps
(1) Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC, 86 Laps
(18) Brad Babb, Windham, ME, 86 Laps
(26) Jean-Pierre Ouimet, Terrebonne, QC, 85 Laps
(14) Jeff Rocco, Wallingford, CT, 28 Laps
(2) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, 28 Laps
(4) Rowland Robinson, Jr., Steuben, ME, 26 Laps
(21) Dylan Smith, Concord, NC, 25 Laps
(22) Daniel Descoste, St-Joseph, QC, 8 Laps
(24) Kyle Welch, Newport, NH, 0 Laps
Lap Leaders: Patrick Laperle, 1-26; Eddie MacDonald, 27-28; Laperle, 29; MacDonald, 30; Laperle, 31; MacDonald, 32-47; Aaron Fellows, 48-87; MacDonald, 88-100. (7 lead changes among 3 drivers)
Time of Race: 1:06:18
Margin of Victory: .512 seconds
Cautions: 8 (laps 26, 26, 28, 36, 86, 86, 87, 89)
Heat Winners: Alex Labbe, Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Ray Parent