Hoard Sr. Notches First Win of the Year
WEST HAVEN, VT. – There’s something about hot weather that gets Frank Hoard Sr.’s blood boiling.
Keeping his cool on one of the muggiest nights of June, Hoard jumped into the lead early and went on to record his first victory of the season Sunday night in the 30-lap 358 modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Hoard, the senior statesman of the Champlain Valley Racing Association, usually waits until the dog days of summer to get a victory. Last year, he notched his only win of the year at Devil’s Bowl on Aug. 11. But Hoard took advantage of a good starting position to become the fourth different modified feature winner in five weeks of racing at the Bowl this season.
Coming out of the No. 5 hole, Hoard grabbed the lead on lap nine and simply left the field in his wake. When the checkered flag fell, he was over two full seconds ahead of runner-up Don Scarborough.
Scarborough and Dave Camara kept the crowd on their feet with their wild battle for the No. 2 position. Had it not been for the automatic scoring system, their run for second might have been called a dead heat. But Scarborough got the runner-up spot, just .002 seconds ahead of Camara on the scoring clock.
Vince Quenneville Jr., who is still looking for his first win of the 2003 campaign, put on a strong run to finish fourth, with Don Mattison completing the top five. Ray Hoard finished sixth, followed by Tim Laduc, Mike Perrotte, Gene Munger, and Ron Proctor.
Roy Fifield, who has struggled since moving up to the pro-street stock division, finally put all his ducks in a line and got his first career win in the full-fendered class, easily outrunning Mike Haines and Carl Vladyka, two veterans in the division. Fifield had dominated the hobby stock division at the Bowl last season, winning 10 features and the track title before making the jump to the pro-street stocks.
Russ Farr, who has been knocking on the door in the hobby stock class, finally kicked the door down Sunday, and also notched his first win of the season. It wasn’t easy, however, as he had to deal with a strong challenge from Pat Cram, who finished just 0.314 seconds behind the lead. Tim Shaw ran a strong third.
Keith Wright continued to dominate the cruiser division, getting his second straight win at the Bowl, and sixth overall CVRA victory this season. But 16-year-old Brittany Ladd stole some of Wright’s thunder, as Ladd came across the finish line third, and had the top-finishing four-cylinder car in the field.
The Central New York Mini-Sprints also invaded Devil’s Bowl on Sunday night, with Cory Sparks coming away with the victory.
Devil’s Bowl will be back in action with its annual Summer Blast Independence Day celebration on Sunday night. In addition to a full card of racing, the track will also put on its annual fireworks display, one of the most spectacular events of the summer season in western Vermont.
MODIFIEDS: FRANK HOARD SR., Don Scarborough, Dave Camara, Vince Quenneville Jr., Don Mattison, Ray Hoard, Tim Laduc, Mike Perrotte, Gene Munger, Ron Proctor, Jim Ryan, Lance Harting, Randy Howe, Chad Miller, Neal Erickson, John Harrison, Brian Whittemore, Bill Cody, Chris Vernold, Stan Lemiesz, Richard Stromberg, Keith Flach.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: ROY FIFIELD, Mike Haines, Carl Vladyka, Lori Cary, Jay Fitzgerald, Cale Kneer, Jim Groncki, Robert Langevin, Jeff Washburn, Randy Brownell, Ed Thompson.
HOBBY STOCKS: RUSS FARR, Pat Cram, Tim Shaw, Donny Williams, Billy Lussier, Scott Fowler, Mike Carman, Shannon Donnelly, Tim Whitney, Tim Brunelle, Robert Ross, Jason Walker, Bill Burlingame, Nathan Chaves, Bill Martindale, Keith Guilder, Tony Condon, Jim Mabb, Keith Norton, Robert Wedin.
CRUISERS: KEITH WRIGHT, John Harrington, BRITTANY LADD, Mike Pope, Jason Bishop, Scott Brace, David LaBarge, Harold Clothier, Mike Clark, Ron Stewart.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway