By Alan Ward
Three-wide Sprint Cars of New England action with Kevin Chaffee (#8), Lacey Hanson (#33), and Bobby Hackel (#24) at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Donnelly wins Sprint Car thriller; Mosher gets first Renegade win
WEST HAVEN – Kenny Tremont, Jr.’s name repeats throughout Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s record books as its most successful stock car driver, and on Sunday, June 19, he added to his legacy by winning for the 71st time at the Vermont facility. The West Sand Lake, N.Y., veteran dominated on Sunday for his first win in the track’s 50th season, taking the “topless” special on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl. Also in victory lane during the night were Chris Donnelly and Matt Mosher.
Tremont started ninth on the 22-car NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sportsman Modified field, which ran with the cars’ roofs removed for the special 35-lap race, and once he gained the lead he was untouchable. A stackup involving all but six cars slowed the race on lap two and several other cautions dotted the event, but “Slingshot” Tremont was never headed for the lead during any of the restarts and his familiar No. 115 car won by a full straightaway.
Derrick McGrew of Ballston Spa, N.Y., was the best of the rest and had a solid drive to second place. Behind him, several drivers battled for third place before it came down to Adam Pierson and Bobby Hackel; Pierson, of East Corinth, Vt., tried for several laps to get past Hackel before finally rocketing underneath him in turn no. 2 with two laps remaining. Hackel finished fourth with Tim LaDuc fifth.
McGrew, Chris Murray, and Billy Lussier won qualifying heats, and rookie Justin Severance won the consolation race for the second-straight week.
“Professor” Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., won a barnburner of a 30-lap feature for the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) series. Donnelly came from 13th starting position and trailed Dan Douville for several circuits as they navigated heavy lapped traffic. Donnelly surprised Douville with a three-wide move on the backstretch to take the lead and then ran to the win.
Douville, of Bridgewater, N.H., held on as the runner-up. Double-duty racer Hackel, of Rensselaer, N.Y. – in just his third start in a winged Sprint Car and first with the SCoNE group – started last on the 18-car field and was electric on his way through traffic, finishing in third place with an underpowered 305-cubic-inch engine racing against the high-horsepower SCoNE 360s. Dash winner Jake Williams and Kevin Chaffee rounded out the top five; Douville and Chaffee won heat races.
Matt Mosher of Queensbury, N.Y., captured his first-ever victory in a weekly division at Devil’s Bowl by taking the 15-lap feature for the Renegades. Mosher held off a strong charge by Paul Braymer of Granville, N.Y., for his landmark win. Heat winner Aaron Fachini was third, followed by Curtis Condon and rookie Brian Bishop Jr.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on the half-mile asphalt track on Saturday, June 25, with the annual “Hometown Heroes” Night. All fire, police, rescue, military, veterans, and corrections officers in uniform or with proper identification will be admitted for free. Regular general admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and free for kids age 12 and under. The next dirt track event is on Sunday, July 3.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt. For more information, visitwww.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com.
