Laduc Back in Victory Lane
WEST HAVEN, VT – Tim Laduc is obviously tired of settling for second-best.
After giving up the lead midway through the feature, Laduc showed the hunger and determination that carried him to the track championship in 2000 and recorded his first win of the season Sunday night in the 30-lap 358 modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
In recording his sixth career 358 victory at the Bowl, Laduc made his way back to victory lane for the first time since opening night of the 2004 season.
Laduc, who had just one top-five finish to his credit in the first six races of the season, started sixth in the huge 29-car field and after chasing Frank Hoard Sr. for the first nine laps, Laduc used a restart on lap 10 to take the lead.
But Laduc had some company, in the person of Ken Tremont Jr. Tremont, who had started 10th, had worked his way up to fourth when the caution came out, and on the restart, followed Laduc and moved into the No. 2 position.
The large crowd that came out for the double-point Midseason Championships watched as Tremont needed only three more laps to overtake Laduc, moving out on the point on lap 14.
Many drivers at the Bowl would become discouraged upon seeing the Tremont small block move to the front, but Laduc never backed off. Sticking right to Tremont’s bumper, Laduc stalked the leader lap after lap, and caught a good break when the caution came out again on lap 20.
Given a chance to put even more pressure on Tremont, Laduc made the most of the opportunity, and moved back into the lead, this time for good, on lap 25. Two late restarts allowed Tremont to make a couple of runs at Laduc, but when the checkered flag fell, Laduc had a 0.786-second advantage over Tremont’s S&S Paving-sponsored small block.
Laduc became the sixth different winner in the 358 modified division this season. Only defending champion Ray Hoard has two wins.
Todd Stone, who was gunning for his second straight win, had to settle for third, with Ray Hoard fourth and Frank Hoard Sr. fifth, just his second top-five finish of the season. Completing the top 10 were Gene Munger, Mike Perrotte, Ron Proctor, Don Scarborough, and Marc Johnson.
A four-car mishap on the first lap put former track champion Vince Quenneville Jr. and Jimmy Ryan out for the night.
Defending track champion Robert Langevin finally broke the Lazzaro Motorsports stranglehold on the pro-street stock division, as Langevin picked up his first win of the season in the 20-lap feature in that class.
Prior to Sunday’s feature, the Lazzaro Motorsports team of Scott Duell and Hollywood Joe Santoro had won all six events, with Duell taking the checkered flag five times. But Langevin snapped Duell’s four-race winning streak with just his second career victory.
Langevin, who started sixth, had moved up to third, behind Jeff Washburn and Ed Thompson, when the second caution flag of the race came out on lap 10. Taking advantage of the restart, Langevin rocketed into the lead.
Duell, who started eighth, moved past Washburn for the No. 2 spot with five laps left, but he had no chance of catching Langevin, who had a comfortable 1.6-second lead at the finish.
Thompson got up for third, followed by Washburn and Walt Brownell Jr.
Pat Cram came from his 10th starting position to record his third victory of the season in the Rentway Limited feature. Adam Piper, looking for his first win, set the early pace, but Cram and Joey Trudeau were quickly coming to the front. Trudeau had the lead on lap 10, but couldn’t hold off Cram, who took the lead for good one lap later, forcing Trudeau to settle for second. Piper crossed the finish line third, followed by Jared McMahon and Richard Stone.
John Baldwin picked up his second win of the season in the Pro-Built mini-stock feature.
Devil’s Bowl will be back in action Sunday, with all divisions in action. Racing will start at 7 p.m.
MODIFIEDS: TIM LADUC, Ken Tremont Jr., Todd Stone, Ray Hoard, Frank Hoard Sr., Gene Munger, Mike Perrotte, Ron Proctor, Don Scarborough, Marc Johnson, Matt Depew, Bob Savoie, Rick Davis, Mike Caparon, Adam Pierson, Denny Young, Brian Whittemore, Gardner Stone, Brent LaCoste, Stan Lemiesz, Chris Donnelly, C.V. Elms, Lance Harting, Mike Bruno, Butch Jelley, John Calcagni Jr., Vince Quenneville Jr., Jim Ryan, Chris Vernold.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: ROBERT LANGEVIN, Scott Duell, Ed Thompson, Jeff Washburn, Walt Brownell Jr., Mike Bussino, Cale Kneer, Jeff Martin, Scott Fowler, John Harrison, Dan Bernard, Billy Lussier, Don Williams, Jim Groncki, Dave Wood.
RENTWAY LIMITEDS: PAT CRAM, Joey Trudeau, Adam Piper, Jared McMahon, Richard Stone, William Duprey, Mike Scorzelli, Curtis Condon, Kevin Elliott, Billy Lussier, William Vradenburg, Tony Condon, Tim Brunell, Mike Labelle, Joe Ladd, Steve Holcomb, Tim Whitney, Joe Mulvaney, Jamie Buzzell, Shannon Donnelly, No. 6, Tim Shaw, Bill Burlingame.
PRO-BUILT MINI-STOCKS: JOHN BALDWIN, Jason Bishop, Randy Manhey, Joe Baker, Jamie Gearwar, Carl Whittemore, Mike Clarke, Jeremy Brownell.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway