Archive for the 'Devil’s Bowl' Category

ACT Point Standings Tighten

Published at May 6, 2013 in ACT, ACT LM Tour, Airborne and Devil's Bowl. Closed

After 113 laps (56.5 miles) of American Canadian Tour Championship Stock Car racing at West Haven, VT’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, the victory in the Spring Green 113 came down to a flip of the coin: a margin that gave reigning ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. a critical early-season win, and left ACT Point Leader Jimmy Hebert’s advantage at just three points.

Helliwell’s triumph over Brian Hoar on Sunday is the closest finish in ACT’s history since the changeover to electronic scoring in 2010. A difference of just .027 of a second separated the pair at the line, and Helliwell’s victory not only pulled him back into title contention, but saved Hebert from losing the top spot to the eight-time Champion Hoar.

Hoar now sits just three points back from last year’s Rookie of the Year, with Helliwell only 18 points out of the lead. Tiverton, RI’s Ray Parent continued to prove himself as a legitimate contender with another top five at Devil’s Bowl, keeping him fourth overall and just 6 points away from Helliwell.

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Helliwell Shines in Photo Finish at Devil’s Bowl

Published at May 5, 2013 in ACT, ACT LM Tour and Devil's Bowl. Closed

WEST HAVEN, VT — Reigning American Canadian Tour Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. sent the message loud and clear to his competitors on a beautiful Sunday (May 5) afternoon at West Haven’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway, taking his second victory in-a-row in the Spring Green 113 by just .02 of a second over Williston’s Brian Hoar. ACT Point Leader Jimmy Hebert continued the hot start to his season and completed the podium in third place.

Helliwell used his second-place starting position to his advantage to jump to the early race lead, bringing eight-time ACT Champion Hoar in tow. The pair ran away in the front while Hebert and Tiverton, RI’s Ray Parent began the battle with Devils Bowl Speedway Champion Craig Bushey for the top five positions. A few early cautions for single spins kept the field together early, while Helliwell showed the 31-car field the way.

By lap 50, Hebert faced off against Claremont, NH’s Luke Hinkley who ran in the top ten all day long, and Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk arrived in the top five after starting 17th. Hebert saved his car along with the two leaders, and a late-race caution on lap 93 of the event set up the show.

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Hebert Retains Point Lead, ACT Turns to Devils Bowl

Published at April 30, 2013 in ACT, ACT LM Tour and Devil's Bowl. Closed

The Merchants Bank 150 at Barre’s Thunder Road cranked up the heat on the American Canadian Tour, shaking up the point standings before a key showdown takes place at the Spring Green 113 this Sunday, May 5 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT.
Sophomore sensation Jimmy Hebert, who started the year off with his first-ever ACT victory in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup two weeks ago at Lee, backed up his opening day win with a seventh place finish at his home track, Thunder Road. ACT Rookie-of-the-Year contender Bobby Therrien was impressive in just his third ACT start with a fifth-place finish after battling up front all day, pushing forward a youth movement that continues to gain traction on the Tour. With his finish on Sunday he secured a position inside the top ten in overall points, joining young standouts Rowland Robinson, Jr. and Ben Lynch who currently sit seventh and eighth and look to ride their opening momentum into West Haven for the Spring Green 113.

Tiverton, RI’s Ray Parent brought home a tenth place finish in the Merchants Bank 150, and looks to Devil’s Bowl Speedway to continue his best start to an ACT season yet. He vowed at the beginning of the year to be a championship contender, and after two races, sits third in the overall points – just 17 markers out of the series lead -as the Tour heads into one of his favorite race tracks.

Defending ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. climbed to fourth overall after the Merchants Bank 150, righting the ship after a tough start to his season at his home track Lee. It was last year at Devil’s Bowl that Helliwell took the point lead after his first ACT victory and went on to win his first American Canadian Tour Title, but Devil’s Bowl has proven to be a tricky venue on the Tour. In the two years that ACT has raced at the fast half-mile, only two drivers have finished in the top ten in both events.

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Vermont State Late Model Championship Series Returns

Published at April 1, 2013 in ACT, Devil's Bowl and Thunder Road. Closed

Four-Race Schedule Set for Thunder Road and Devil’s Bowl

After its resurgence in 2012 following a 25-year hiatus, the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series will be back in 2013 for a four-race schedule split evenly between Barre, VT’s Thunder Road and West Haven, VT’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

The first event will be held at Thunder Road during the 51st Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 26. Last year the event saw eventual King of the Road Nick Sweet take the victory in dominating fashion, picking up his first of two wins in the series. After that, the VSLCS will turn to the fast Devil’s Bowl half-mile on Friday, June 7 for the second jewel of the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series crown.

For the third race, the series will return to Thunder Road for the Vermont Lottery Governor’s Cup on Thursday, July 11, and the series finale will be held at Devil’s Bowl where the 2013 Vermont State Late Model Champion will be honored during their Vermont 200 weekend of September 14/15. Last year’s championship came down to a paint-trading last lap of the finale, leaving Champion Dave Pembroke and runner-up Brent Dragon just a single point apart.

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Devil’s Bowl Speedway Champions to Be Honored Saturday

Published at January 30, 2013 in Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. Closed

Speedway announces creation of special annual awards

RUTLAND, VT – More than 230 guests will honor the champions and top stock car drivers from the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Banquet of Champions on Saturday, February 2. The fete will be held at the Holiday Inn Rutland-Killington in Rutland, VT.

Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY and car owners Debbie Eddy and Ron White of Fair Haven, VT will collect their second consecutive championship in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division. J&S Steel Late Model champion Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT, Renegade champion Robert Gordon of Milton, VT, Bomber champion Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT, and the top drivers from each division will also receive awards.

Masterson will also be honored as the Bomber Rookie of the Year, along with Joey Roberts of Georgia, VT (Modified), Robert Bryant, Jr., of Brooklyn, CT (Late Model), and Robin Cummings of Milton, VT (Renegade). A variety of awards will be given by Five Star Race Car Bodies, Bond Auto Parts, Goodyear Racing Tires, Hoosier Racing Tires, Sunoco Race Fuels, and the University of Northwestern Ohio. A keynote speech will be given by Karl Fredrickson, Editor of Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated magazine, with musical entertainment from popular local band Rick Redington & The Luv.

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Mini Stock Division Gets Devil’s Bowl Speedway Facelift

Published at January 27, 2013 in Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. Closed

Five-time winner LaVair leads wide-open championship chase

WEST HAVEN, VT – The grassroots have been replanted at Devil’s Bowl Speedway for the 2013 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series stock car racing season. The entry-level four-cylinder Mini Stock division has undergone a facelift during the winter and is expecting a wide-open championship chase.

Known in previous seasons as the “Bomber” division, the Mini Stock class is the starting point for many local racecar drivers. Cars that compete include Chevrolet Cavaliers, Honda Civics, Dodge Neons, and other American-made and import compact sedans. Modifications allow only for safety advancements and minor, inexpensive handling and mechanical improvements. Racing in the Mini Stock class is often intense with three-wide and even four-wide action sprinkled with metal-crunching crashes and rollovers.

Josh Masterson, 21, came to the division as a rookie in 2012 and departs for the top-tier Late Models as the champion. In his first season in a stock car, the Bristol, VT racer posted an astonishing seven wins en route to sweeping the track championship and Rookie of the Year title. Third-place finisher Ray Germain, Jr., also of Bristol, VT, will move up to the intermediate Renegade class, leaving 2012 runner-up Bobby LaVair of Gabriels, NY as the leading candidate to sit on the Mini Stock throne. Five victories in his No. 5 Denecker Chevrolet-sponsored Mazda Protégé left LaVair second overall; his father Harold and brother Chris were also feature winners during the season.

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Devil’s Bowl Speedway Unveils Exciting 2013 Schedule

Published at January 15, 2013 in Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. Closed

Sixteen stock car racing events for “Vermont’s Fastest Family Fun”

WEST HAVEN, VT – Devil’s Bowl Speedway has announced its most exciting asphalt stock car racing schedule to date for the 2013 season. Sixteen action-packed events will feature a different headline race at each outing, creating a summer full of dramatic door-to-door competition for the local stars of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at the West Haven, VT half-mile oval.

The season opens on Sunday, May 5 at 1:30pm with the historic “Spring Green 113” for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models. The 39th running of the Spring Green marks the third consecutive year that the event will be held at Devil’s Bowl; Wayne Helliwell, Jr., of Dover, NH posted the first victory of his ACT championship season in the 2012 event. The race also opens the championship schedule for the open-wheel Bond Auto Parts Modifieds, the American-made, V8-powered Renegades, and the entry-level four-cylinder Mini Stocks of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Summer officially arrives as the Friday night season begins with the People’s United Bank Memorial Day Special on Friday, May 24 at the new earlier weekly start time of 7:00pm. Twin 25-lap features for the ground-pounding Modifieds and the championship opener for the J&S Steel Late Models are scheduled along with the Renegades, Mini Stocks, and a holiday fireworks show. The Modifieds will also have Twin 25 doubleheaders on Friday, June 21 and Friday, August 16. Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY will try for his third consecutive Modified championship in 2013.

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Proctor Repeats 2 Titles In Vermont

Published at December 20, 2012 in Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. Closed

Devil’s Bowl Champ Hasn’t Missed A Lap Since Joining NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ron Proctor raced twice as much this year than last. The competition is closing the gap. He still stands at the top of his career in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Proctor, 58, of Charlton, N.Y., won his second straight NASCAR track and Vermont state championships at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., this year.

Good weather allowed Proctor to make 18 starts at the half-mile paved oval, doubling the nine starts he made in 2011. His overall 2012 racing record includes three wins, 12 top fives and 18 top 10s. Over the past two seasons, Proctor finished every lap of every Devil’s Bowl feature and finished no lower than seventh place.

“We attack our racing program the same way every year,” Proctor said. “Preparation in the shop lets the driver compete for wins at the track.”

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Frank Gehling Passes Away at 70

Published at November 18, 2012 in ARDC, Catamount, Danbury, Devil's Bowl, Lee USA, Nazareth, NEMA, Nostalgia, Oxford Plains, Plainville, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Stafford, Utica-Rome and Westboro. Closed

Frank Gehling, 70, Retired Norwalk Race Car Driver

NORWALK, Conn. – Frank Gehling of Norwalk died Nov. 14 at his home. He was 70.

Born May 5, 1942, in Newton, Mass., he was the son of Daniel Chester Gehling and Esther Lawson. He had a love for race car driving early on and began his racing career at age 16.

As a pit crewman, Gehling traveled to more than 40 races a year. He became interested in driving when a driver was late one night and he was asked to fill in.

When he was 19, Gehling purchased a three-quarter midget and fudged his age to obtain a racing license. He competed during the winter months indoors in Hempstead, N.Y. In 1963, he was introduced to stock car racing and the Southern New York Racing Association.

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2013 ACT Schedule Announced

Published at November 15, 2012 in ACT, ACT LM Tour, Airborne, Beech Ridge, Canaan Fair, Devil's Bowl, Lee USA, NHMS, Riverside, Sanair, Star, Thunder Road and White Mountain. Closed

Three New Tracks Slated for 2013

ACT officials have announced a 14-race schedule for the 2013 American Canadian Tour season at eleven different Northeast short tracks. The schedule will include three new additions to the Tour schedule. There will also be three more non-point counting special events during the 2013 campaign.

The Tour will return to 2012 tracks Lee USA Speedway, Thunder Road, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Airborne Speedway, White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Beech Ridge Speedway in 2013. A visit to Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH is planned for a 150-lap event on Sunday, June 2nd and will mark the first time ACT has raced there since 2004. The American Canadian Tour will also head to Canaan Fair Speedway on Saturday, June 15th for the first time since 2005, and has set a date for Star Speedway on Saturday, July 6, last visited in 2003.

The American Canadian Tour schedule will include two point-counting combo events with the Canadian Série ACT Castrol at Sanair Super Speedway, which will be increased to a 150-lap event from 100, and at St-Croix, QC’s Circuit Riverside Speedway for the 4th Annual Can-Am 200.

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NASCAR National Champion Keith Rocco Coming to Devil’s Bowl Speedway

Published at May 9, 2012 in Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. Closed

 

Connecticut driver will race opening Late Model championship event Sunday

WEST HAVEN, VT – Former NASCAR National Champion Keith Rocco will trek north to Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, May 13 for the Mother’s Day Special event. The Wallingford, CT superstar will compete in the championship-opening race for the J&S Steel Late Model division.

Rocco was the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion in 2010 and has ranked fourth or better for each of the last five years. The Devil’s Bowl feature event will be the fourth race of his busy weekend; Rocco will run an open-wheel SK Modified and a full-fender Late Model on Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway in his native Connecticut, heads to Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH on Saturday for a 200-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event, and rides north for his first-ever race in Vermont on Sunday.

“We’re coming to race, to have fun, and hopefully to win,” Rocco declared. “If you’re not trying to win, you shouldn’t be out there, right?”

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Helliwell Claims First ACT Win, Unofficially Takes Over Point Lead

Published at May 7, 2012 in ACT LM Tour and Devil's Bowl. Closed

Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH dominated the second half of The Fox 101.5 Spring Green 112 on the way to his first ever American Canadian Tour victory on Sunday May 6, 2012 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Helliwell took over the lead on lap 58 and had to fend off a late race attack from Hudson, NH’s Joey Polwarczyk Jr. to take the checkers. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, ME stormed from the 20th starting position to take over third, Ray Parent and Randy Potter completed the top five.

The race began with weekly competitor Craig Bushey leading the first lap after a +5 in the ACT plus minus system earned him the second starting position. Multi-time Oxford Plains Speedway Champion Ricky Rolfe took over for the next 26 laps before the lead was briefly wrestled away by former Thunder Road Champion Nick Sweet. Sweet only held on to the lead for two laps before Groveton’s Randy Potter took over the point.

Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. stormed from mid-pack to take the lead away from Potter on lap 50, only to have it taken away for good by Helliwell on lap 58. Helliwell started from the third position, but faded as far back as ninth before charging through the field in the second half. Helliwell had to endure a lap 98 restart and a no holds barred assault from Polewarczyk that put the large opening day crowd on its feet to claim his first ACT win and unofficially strip Williston’s Brian Hoar of the point lead. Hyde Park’s Eric Williams climbed from 22nd on the starting grid to finish sixth, followed by Rolfe, Quinny Welch, Brent Dragon, and Luke Hinkley completing the top ten.

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Albany-Saratoga, Devil’s Bowl Join NASCAR

Published at January 22, 2011 in Albany-Saratoga, Devil's Bowl and NASCAR WA-AS. 0 Comments

Northeast tracks part of Whelen All-American Series for 2011

Daytona Beach, FL – NASCAR announced today that a pair of premier short tracks in the northeast have joined the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

The paved ovals are owned and operated by the Richards family under their umbrella Champlain Valley Racing Association (CVRA). The tracks are Albany-Saratoga Speedway, a .400-mile paved oval in Malta, N.Y., that operates on Fridays, and Devil’s Bowl Speedway, a .500-mile paved oval in West Haven, Vt., that operates on Sundays. The tracks are 64 miles apart.

“We welcome the Richards family, their tracks and participants to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “Both tracks provide a solid foundation for great racing and family entertainment.”

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Vermont Motorsports Magazine Names 2010 Driver of the Year Candidates

Published at January 7, 2011 in ACT LM Tour, Bear Ridge, Devil's Bowl and Thunder Road. 0 Comments

Over sixty stock car racers nominated for fan awards

Burlington, VT — The Vermont Motorsports Magazine website (www.vtmotormag.com) has announced the nominations for its second annual “Driver of the Year” awards. The fan-voted awards will recognize stock car drivers from Vermont or racing in Vermont for their efforts during the 2010 season across ten categories.

A diverse group of sixty-two drivers from asphalt, dirt, full-fender, and open-wheel disciplines make up the ballot.

Competitors are nominated for selection for “Driver of the Year” awards in the Open Wheel, Late Model/Limited/Sportsman, and Four Cylinder categories, as well as categories for Touring Series drivers and those competing at Vermont’s three weekly race tracks: Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, and Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre. There also nominations for Breakout Driver of the Year and Youth Driver of the Year.

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ACT Track Facts: Speedways on the 2011 ACT Schedule By the Numbers

Published at December 1, 2010 in ACT, ACT LM Tour, Airborne, Beech Ridge, Devil's Bowl, Lee USA, NHMS, Oxford Plains, Thunder Road, Twin State and White Mountain. 0 Comments

In anticipation of the 2011 ACT Racing Guide, which will be published and ready for sale soon, we’ll take a look at the speedways on the 2011 ACT Late Model Tour schedule. All of these stats (and more) can be found in the 2011 ACT Racing Guide. The stats below include ACT Late Model Tour point counting events only, unless otherwise noted. More information on the Racing Guides will be available soon.

ACT Late Model Tour 

Airborne Speedway – Plattsburgh, NY – ½ mile
First ACT event: May 23, 1992
# of ACT events: 38
Total event payout: $563,079
Number of starters: 1,176
Most starts: Dave Whitcomb (34)
Most wins: Brian Hoar (7)
Most top fives: Brian Hoar (16)
Most top tens: Brent Dragon (25)
Most money earned: Brian Hoar ($28,702)

Total laps run: 5,162   Continue reading ‘ACT Track Facts: Speedways on the 2011 ACT Schedule By the Numbers’

Pembroke Wins at Devil’s Bowl

Published at May 23, 2010 in ACT and Devil's Bowl. 0 Comments

Montpelier’s Dave Pembroke took the win in the Thunder Road Late Models 100 lap event at the freshly paved Devils Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT on Sunday, May 23. Pembroke battled side-by-side with hometown favorite Mike Bruno of Rutland, VT for the majority of the race, which was the season opener for Devils Bowl and also the opening event in the Thunder Road Late Models 2010 championship campaign.

Pembroke took the lead on lap 14 after starting in the 3rd position before swapping the lead with Bruno, who started 7th for the remainder of the event. Pembroke broke away from Bruno several times while working through lap traffic but Bruno reeled him in each time, but didn’t have enough to complete the pass. Pembroke and Bruno were followed to the line by pole-sitter Tracie Bellerose, Brent Dragon and Joey Becker completing the top five. Senator Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, Mike Bailey, Tony Andrews, and rookie Chris Riendeau rounded out the top ten.

The 100 lap event was slowed by six cautions including a red flag for a Grant Folsom flip on the front stretch. The race was completed in just over 1 hour, 12 minutes. Sixteen of the twenty-six starters were on the track for the checkered flag.

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