It was a picture-perfect evening Sunday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway with Mother Nature finally cooperating, and some of the most thrilling racing of the season. With the Sunoco Sportsman Modifieds taking the week off, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Modifieds and DirtCar 358 Modifieds stepped into the spotlight, and they didn’t disappoint.
The first feature of the night was a special 55-lap showdown for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman. Gary English charged to the front rapidly and led 46 laps to cash the $555 winner’s check. Russ Farr and Trevor Hurlburt led the field to the green flag, with Farr setting the early pace after slipping around Hurlburt on lap two. English, however, was on the move, riding the outside line. English powered around Farr to claim the point on lap nine. Kamden Duffy rose to the second spot. English and Duffy battled tooth and nail for the next 15 circuits until Duffy dropped off the edge of turn four on lap 24. Points leader Logan Denis was the beneficiary as he took over second. Denis had several restart opportunities to overtake English during the second half of the race, but the No. 53 car was too strong. English held on for the victory, followed by Denis, Michael Danforth, Hurlburt, and Farr.
Mike Mahaney is a threat to win anywhere he unloads his machine, and Devil’s Bowl is a track that has treated him well over his career. “Smooth Shoe” treated the fans to an exciting show once again as he hustled his way through the pack from the 11th position on the grid to win the 35-lap DirtCar 358 Modified feature. Dave Camara launched from the outside of row one and led the first 19 laps. Vince Quenneville, piloting the Justin Stone 15X car, was also in the hunt, rising to the second spot to pressure VQ2. Behind the frontrunning duo, Mahaney was rolling, and it appeared to be just a matter of time before he took control. Mahaney wrestled the point away from Camara on lap 20 and drove off into the night. Behind Mahaney, Camara, and Quenneville continued their scuffle for second and third place, putting on a thrilling show for the crowd. Camara eventually secured the runner-up finish behind Mahaney, with Quenneville third, Jack Speshock fourth, and Walter J. Hammond fifth. Brent Warren collected the $250 bonus for the highest finishing sportsman car.
It has been a challenge for young driver Gavin Fleury the last few weeks, but the good karma seems to have returned his way as he cruised to victory in the Northern Refrigeration Novice Sportsman Modified 20-lap feature. Fleury fired from the outside pole to take the early lead and was never seriously challenged. Chris Sumner, Gage Provencher and Rob Steves all stepped forward to take their best shots at Fleury. Sumner and Provencher both suffered mechanical issues, and Steves, despite having a fast hot rod, could not work his way around Fleury. Following Fleury and Steves underneath the checkers were Rob Steele, Mark McGinnis, and Matt Little.
The Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprints squared off in a pair of 10-lap segments, with veteran campaigner Scott Bachand earning the overall points win. Last week’s first-time winner Alex Reid continued his recent surge with a win in the opening segment, and was in position to make his second consecutive visit to victory lane. Reid was running second in segment two when a mechanical issue set him back. Bachand won the second segment, which coupled with his third-place finish in the first portion, awarded him top honors. Tyler Whittemore also had a solid night with a pair of runner-up finishes, but Bachand’s win in the final go-round was the difference.
Chad Merrill picked up his first win of the season in the Stove Depot Crown Vic feature. Rookie Levi Benoure led the early laps, with Josh Muir also briefly holding the point until he spun in turn four. Bradford Cram took over on lap 10 and seemed to be on his way to the win, but Merrill made a dramatic last-lap pass on Cram, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Cram, Benoure, Ryan Patch, and Scott Richner rounded out the top five.
Tyler Bell shook the monkey off his back with a win in the Mini Stock High Handicap 20-lap feature, surviving a late challenge from Chris Charbonneau in one of the most exciting finishes of the season. Bell started from the ninth hole on the grid but quickly weaved his way through the pack. Bob Wood set the early pace before Bell passed him on lap eight. Bell was on cruise control after receiving the popsicle sticks for two laps remaining, but Charbonneau exploded into contention. The two engaged in a door handle-to-door handle to the stripe with Bell securing the narrow victory. Charbonneau was second, Kaleb Shaepard third, Bob Wood fourth, and Bert Ouellette fifth.
Ron Alger continued his outstanding season as he cruised to the win in the Mini Stock Low Handicap 20-lap feature. It was the fourth trip to victory lane on the season for Alger. Alger sprang from the pole and took control as soon as the green flag waved. Quinton Bishop had his best run of the year, putting pressure on Alger throughout, but didn’t have quite enough to reel in the winner. Bishop placed second, followed by David Labarge, Jayde Pope, and Gerard Jordan Jr.
