Camara Gets Third Win
WEST HAVEN, VT. – After a three-week absence from victory lane, Dave Camara turned in his most impressive performance of the season Sunday night and simply dominated the field in the 30-lap 358 modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Camara took the lead on lap 11 and crushed the rest of the field, breezing to his third victory of the season by a whopping six seconds on a smooth, fast track.
Camara, who won the Devil’s Bowl track championship on the final night of the 2002 season, is taking all the guesswork out of the equation this season. After winning the first two events of the 2003 campaign, Camara had a fourth, an eighth, and a third before finally getting back to victory lane Sunday night.
Neal Erickson came off the front row to grab the early lead, but the race only went green for two laps before the yellow came out for Matt DeLorenzo, who spun out in the fourth turn when something broke on his BBL-sponsored small block.
Camara and Ken Tremont Jr., who had started in the middle of the 22-car field, were putting on their normal Sunday night charge to the front, as was Tim Laduc, who is still looking for his first win of the season at the Bowl.
Camara got to the front before Tremont, taking the lead on lap 11, and with the final half of the race being run under green-flag conditions, Tremont could only sit and watch as the Camara Slate small block faded away.
Tremont recorded his third second–place finish of the season, while Laduc got up for third in the Sput Shaw-owned 57. Chad Miller, who had started on the outside pole, finished fourth, his best finish ever at the Bowl, while Don Mattison was fifth. Completing the top 10 were Vince Quenneville Jr., Erickson, John Harrison, Randy Howe, and Don Scarborough.
Carl Vladyka, who has been winning on the same nights that Camara gets a victory, kept that trend intact with his third win of the season in the 20-lap pro-street stock feature. Lori Cary made Vladyka work for the win, pressuring the leader throughout the closing laps of the race before settling for second, just 0.488 seconds behind Vladyka.
Roy Fifield, looking for his second straight victory, put on a late charge to get third. His run to the front included the fastest lap of the feature, as he stopped the clock in 20.452 seconds on lap 15. Jay Fitzgerald finished fourth, with Robert Langevin fifth.
Russ Farr, who picked up his first career win on June 29, proved the victory was no fluke as he posted his second straight win in the 15-lap hobby stock feature. Scott Fowler was the only driver who could stay with Farr, but he didn’t have enough to get by Farr in the closing laps of the feature and finished second, his best finish of the season. Billy Lussier came across the finish line third, followed by Shannon Donnelly and Tim Whitney.
Sixteen-year-old Brittany Ladd pulled off a big upset in the cruiser feature, gunning her four-cylinder car to her first “true” victory of the season. Ladd had finished third on June 29, but was the first four-cylinder car across the finish line, and was awarded the win in that division.
But on Sunday, she was the first car under the checkered flag, finishing with a comfortable 1.894-second margin of victory over Jason Bishop, who was also in a four-cylinder. The four-cylinder car of Mike Pope finished third. Two-time winner Keith Wright finished fourth, and was the first six-cylinder car across the finish line.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway will return to action Sunday night with the double-point Midseason Championships in all divisions. It will also be New York State Stock Car Association Night at the speedway. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.
MODIFIEDS: DAVE CAMARA, Ken Tremont Jr., Tim Laduc, Chad Miller, Don Mattison, Vince Quenneville Jr., Neal Erickson, John Harrison, Randy Howe, Don Scarborough, Frank Hoard Sr., Ron Proctor, Lance Harting, Paul Parker, Brian Whittemore, Bill Cody, Chris Vernold, Stan Lemiesz, Gene Munger, Jim Ryan, Ray Hoard, Matt DeLorenzo.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: CARL VLADYKA, Lori Cary, Roy Fifield, Jay Fitzgerald, Robert Langevin, Ed Thompson, Jim Groncki, Woody Woods, Mike Haines, Randy Browell, Steve Williams, Jonah Rule, Cale Kneer.
HOBBY STOCKS: RUSS FARR, Scott Fowler, Billy Lussier, Shannon Donnelly, Tim Whitney, Brad Breault, Joe Ladd, Bob Smith, Jessie Rule, Nathan Chaves, Steve Breault, Donny Williams, Pat Cram, Tony Condon, Robert Ross, Bill Burlingame.
CRUISERS: BRITTANY LADD, Jason Bishop, Mike Pope, Robert Bublak Jr., Dwight Cram, Todd Williams, Mike Clark, Ron Zagata, John Sullivan, Harold Clothier.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway