Mother Nature attempted to foil the Independence Day celebration at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday night, but to no avail. After a brief rain shower right before race time, the track crew refused to lose and prepared a super-fast surface. With great racing, a spectacular fireworks show, and live music, it was a show fitting for America’s 250th birthday.
The headline division, Sunoco Sportsman Modifieds, tangled in an emotionally charged Firecracker 44 main event with $2,000 on the line. The race was a tale of two sides for a pair of the circuit's top drivers. For the second week in a row, Vince Quenneville jumped to the early lead and seemed to have the car to beat, only to see engine problems force him out of contention once again. Meanwhile, Brent Warren was there to take advantage of Quenneville’s misfortune to collect his first win of the season. VQ2 led the first 15 laps before dropping off the pace to bring out the yellow lights. Warren took possession of the point until caution flew on lap 25. On the restart, Adam Piper snatched the lead from Warren, but two laps later, Warren slipped back around him. Warren fought off Piper on a pair of restarts on laps 37 and 44 to earn the top spot on the podium, an emotional win for the Salisbury, Vermont campaigner. Piper finished second, followed by Josh Sunn, Johnny Bruno, and Tanner Siemons. Siemons advanced 11 spots to pick up the Elmo’s Pit Stop Hard Charger award.
Tyler Travis captured his first trip to victory lane, winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Modified 25-lap feature convincingly. Travis and Trevor Hurlburt led the field to the green flag, with Travis springing from the second starting spot to take control on the opening lap, and never gave it up. Travis, who changed out the body on his car earlier in the week, proved the adjustment successful, as he led by a significant margin the entire way and was never seriously challenged. Hurlburt, one of last week’s winners, fashioned another solid run, crossing the line in second. Matt Wade, Gary English, and Cody O’Brien completed the top five. O’Brien advanced eight spots to earn the Next Play Performance Hard Charger award.
In the Northern Refrigeration Novice Sportsman Modified 20-lap feature, Chris Sumner mirrored Travis’s performance, firing from the pole to go green to checkers for his first win of the season. The former Mini Stock champion, in his second season in a modified, was contemplating the future of his program a couple of weeks ago, but received a much-needed shot in the arm with his dominating effort. Gage Provencher was clocked as the fastest car on the track as he navigated through the field from the seventh spot on the grid to attempt to challenge Sumner, but the winner’s hot rod was just too stout. Following Sumner and Provencher across the stripe were Matt Little, James McLellan, and Rob Steele.
Tyler Whittemore stayed red hot, winning his second feature in a row in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint main event. Whittemore shot to the lead right from the start from the second starting position, and ran away and hid from the pack for an easy win. The only obstacle Whittemore faced was a restart on lap 17 of the 20-lap race, which erased nearly a half a track edge. Levi Cram, also a multiple-time winner this season, was gifted one final shot at Whittemore, but could not stay with the 21J machine. Following Whittemore and Cram under the checkers were Chris Lennox, youngster Aiden Wade, with his second career top-five finish, and Ryan Gallipo in his debut.
Kaleb Shepard continued his breakout season in the Mini Stock Handicap 20-lap feature. It was the fifth win of the season for Shepard. Cody Dion pounced from the second starting spot to lead the first two laps, but Shepard was on a mission. Shepard started eighth, but charged to claim the point in just three laps and never gave it back. The competition was fierce behind Shepard as Jeremy Brownell Jr., Jeremy Brownell, and Chris Charbonneau jockeyed for the right to challenge Shepard in an exciting battle; however, none of them had anything for the winner. Brownell Jr. eventually secured the second spot, followed by Brownell, Shane Wood, and Cody Young.
In the Low Handicap Mini Stock feature, Ron Alger was opportunistic, recording his second win of the season. Chandler Sumner led the first 12 laps of the 15-lap race and appeared to be on his way to his first career win, but a slip-up in turn two in the waning laps left the door open for Alger, and the veteran wheelman took advantage. Alger fought off a late charge from Caden Stearns to seal the deal. Stearns was second, followed by Sumner, Gerard Jordan, and David LaBarge.
The wild and crazy 40-lap Enduro closed the evening with Andrew Lopes leading a majority of the laps to register the win. Tim Colby and Dayton Blake set the early pace, each leading some laps, but Lopes quickly made his presence known as he charged from the back of the pack. Lopes seemed to have the win in his back pocket, but a hiccup in his motor caused him to drop back a few spots. The issue turned out to be a false alarm, and Lopes recovered to regain the lead and drive off for the win. Blake, Trevor Jaques, Eric Davis-Sicard, and Colby rounded out the top five.
The action continues at Devil’s Bowl on Sunday, July 11th, with “Legends Night-The Vince Quenneville Memorial Race” as the Sunoco Sportsman Modifieds go 38 laps for a $2,000 purse. The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds will also make their annual appearance. Grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m. Racing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Grandstand admission is $15. Infield parking is $25. Kids 12 and under are free. Pit admission is $30 for members and $40 for non-members.
Official Results-Independence Day Celebration and Firecracker 44
Sunoco Sportsman Modified Firecraker 44 (44 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (7) Brent Warren Salisbury, VT
2. (2) Adam Piper Leicester, VT
3. (5) Josh Sunn White River Junction, VT
4. (3) Johnny Bruno Orlando, FL
5. (16) Tanner Siemons Orford, NH
6. (9) Jim Ryan Whiting, VT
7. (13) Joey Scarborough Brandon, VT
8. (12) Billy Lussier Fair Haven, VT
9. (14) Adam Pierson East Corinth, VT
10. (10) Frankie Hoard III Manchester Center, VT
11. (6) Marty Kelly III Bennington, VT
12. (17) Eric Shaw Wells, VT
13. (18) Tim Hodge East Thetford, VT
14. (20) Jeff Washburn Bensen, VT
15. DNF Dave Camara Poultney, VT
16. DNF Ashton Pierson E. Corinth, VT
17. DNF Randy Ryan Orwell, VT
18. DNF Scott Towslee Manchester, VT
19. DNF Vince Quenneville Brandon, VT
20. DNF A.J. Munger Benson, VT
O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Modified Feature (25 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (2) Tyler Travis Hartland, VT
2. (1) Trevor Hurlburt Bomoseen, VT
3. (3) Matthew Wade Fair Haven, VT
4. (4) Gary English Salisbury, VT
5. (13) Cody O'Brien Peru, NY
6. (10) Logan Denis Whiting, VT
7. (6) Bobbi Hults Castleton, VT
8. (8) Bob Kilburn Fair Haven, VT
9. (7) William Duprey Hydeville, VT
10. (5) Joshua Patterson Milton, VT
11. (11) William Lussier Jr Fair Haven, VT
12. (12) Kamden Duffy Richmond, NH
13. (14) Freddie Little Salisbury, VT
14. (15) Aiden Benoure Bristol, VT
15. (17) Russell Farr III Middle Granville, NY
16. (9) Don Williams Ripton, VT
DNS Anthony Ryan Benson, VT
Northern Refrigeration Novice Modified Sportsman Feature (20 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (1) Chris Sumner East Middlebury, VT
2. (7) Gage Provencher Bridport, VT
3. (2) Matt Little Salisbury, VT
4. (5) James McLellan Wells, VT
5. (3) Rob Steele Bomoseen, VT
6. (8) Mark McGinnis Rutland, VT
7. (4) Christopher Pierce Orford, NH
8. (9) Rob Steves Orwell, VT
9. (6) Gavin Fleury Ticonderoga, NY
10. (10) Ben Williams Brandon, VT
11. (11) Emric Bourque St-Christophe-d'Arthabaska, QC
12. (13) Kaylin Pierson Fairlee, VT
13. DNF Roger Laduc Castleton, VT
Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (20 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (2) Tyler Whittemore Pttsford, VT
2. (3) Levi Cram Leicester, VT
3. (6) Chris Lennox Eagle Bridge, NY
4. (4) Aiden Wade Clarendon, VT
5. (7) Ryan Gallipo West Rutland, VT
6. (1) Alex Reed Proctor, VT
7. (8) Tommy Kasuba Castleton, VT
DNS John Smith Poultney, VT
DNS Kevin Smith Brandon, VT
Mini Stock High Handicap Feature (20 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (8) Kaleb Shepard Vergennes, VT
2. (9) Jeremy Brownell Jr Greenwich, NY
3. (5) Jeremy Brownell Greenwich, NY
4. (6) Shane Wood West Haven, VT
5. (13) Cody Young Chazy, NY
6. (7) Tyler Bell Peru, NY
7. (11) Jacob Mallory Granville, NY
8. (10) Chris Charbonneau Rutland, VT
9. DNF Bob Wood Whiting, VT
10. DNF Cody Dion Rutland, VT
11. DNF Jon Jordan Benson, VT
12. DNF Joe Warren Plattsburgh, NY
DNS Kyle Jordan Benson, VT
Mini Stock Low Handicap Feature (20 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (3) Ron Alger Orwell, VT
2. (9) Caden Stearns Shoreham, VT
3. (1) Chandler Sumner Ripton, VT
4. (7) Gerard Jordan Jr Benson, VT
5. (2) David Labarge South Glens Falls, NY
6. (6) Jerry Jordan Sr Benson, VT
7. (5) Quinton Bishop Whiting, VT
8. (10) Vincent Kendall Rutland, VT
9. (4) Adam Stewart Benson, VT
10. DNF Jayde Pope Fair Haven, VT
Enduro (40 laps)
Pos. (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (9) Andrew Lopes Swanton, VT
2. (5) Dayton Blake Lyndonville, VT
3. (11) Trevor Jaques Milton, VT
4. (6) Eric Davis-Sicard Sheldon, VT
5. (1) Tim Colby Lindonville, VT
6. (3) Maverick Mitchell Benson, VT
7. (7) Rylee Norton Essex, VT
8. (4) Cory Kendall Poultney, VT
9. (2) Raymond Pinney Pittsford, VT
10. (8) Justin Faford Westminster, MA
DNS Chandler Sumner Ripton, VT