Courtesy of MemorEvents
The Red Knights Firefighters Motorcycle Club and fire trucks and police cars from several Rutland County departments held a pre-race parade on “Hometown Heroes” night.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway gears up for Independence Day weekend with two fireworks events, July 3 and 5
WEST HAVEN – Leon Gonyo made short work of the 35-lap Modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, June 26, storming to his first victory of the year at the Rutland County speed plant. The veteran Chazy, N.Y., stock car driver, 10 days shy of his 63rd birthday, dominated the “Hometown Heroes” race. Other winners included Todd Stone, Robert Gordon, and Chris LaVair.
Gonyo’s victory came during an upswing in his roller coaster racing season. Through 10 combined starts in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, Gonyo now has two wins and five top-five finishes, but also four finishes of 14th or worse. Gonyo was aided by an up-front starting position on Friday night, but was unquestionably the fastest driver throughout the event and led by as much as a quarter-lap at times.
“We started up front because we haven’t been finishing well, but this win shows that my team works hard and gives me a great car for every race,” Gonyo said in victory lane. “It feels good to get a win for them.”
Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon, Vt., sliced his way through traffic to finish as the runner-up, and point leader of Charlton, N.Y., continued his strong start in third place. Greg Atkins and Joey Roberts completed the top five finishers, followed by Jimmy Ryan, rookie Bob Kilburn, Billy Lussier, Dave Snow, and Jason Bruno.
Former Modified champion Todd Stone of Middlebury, Vt., claimed his first victory in the Late Model division, taking the 30-lap feature race.
Robert Gordon of Milton, Vt., made it two-for-two and three on the year in the 20-lap Renegade division feature. For the second week in a row, Gordon stole the win away in the final stages of the race, passing Scott FitzGerald with only three laps left in the race. FitzGerald, of West Rutland, Vt., settled for the runner-up spot.
Not to be outdone, Chris LaVair of Saranac Lake, N.Y., took his third-straight win in the Mini Stock division.
The Red Knights Firefighters Motorcycle Club opened the event with a raucous pre-race ‘Hometown Heroes” parade supporting the Dodge House for displaced veterans in Rutland, Vt., and was joined by more than a dozen fire trucks and police cruisers from around Rutland County.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Independence Day weekend with two big events, each with massive fireworks displays, on Friday, July 3 and Sunday, July 5. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt.. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayvt.com.
