Laduc Visits Victory Lane
WEST HAVEN, VT – There aren’t many sure things in life, but one thing you can always bet on is that Tim Laduc is going to be a solid contender at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Laduc came out of the fifth row and ruined a strong run by Ron Proctor to record his first win of the season in Sunday night’s 30-lap 358 modified feature at the Bowl.
The win was the 10th of Laduc’s modified career at the Bowl. Since moving up to the modified division in 2000, when he won the track title in his rookie campaign, Laduc has been a consistent front-runner. He’s won at least one feature in seven of the eight seasons he’s been campaigning 358s, and during the one season that he didn’t win a feature, in 2001, he finished second five times.
Proctor and Don Mattison controlled the action early in Sunday night’s feature. Mattison led the first three laps, Proctor set the pace for the next two and Mattison went back in front on lap six. But Mattison’s night ended prematurely on lap 10 when he became the victim of mechanical problems, giving the lead back to Proctor.
Ray Hoard then kept the pressure on Proctor while Laduc and Gene Munger duked it out for third. Laduc took advantage of a restart on lap 22 to move into second, and charged past Proctor with five laps to go to get the lead for good.
Proctor held off a hard-charging Todd Stone for second, giving Proctor his best finish since he ran second to Ken Tremont Jr. on July 31, 2005. Tremont finished fourth, behind Stone, with Hoard hitting the stripe fifth.
Lori Cary continued her domination of the pro-street stock division, walking off with her third victory in as many weeks. Cary and defending track champion Cale Kneer started one-two and that was the way they finished, although Jeff Washburn stuck his nose in with the leaders and made it exciting all the way to the finish. Cary took the checkered flag just 0.208 seconds ahead of Kneer, with Washburn another car length behind in third. Mike Bussino and Carl Vladyka completed the top five.
Frank Hoard III came away with his first career victory in the budget sportsman division. Hoard started on the pole and led all 20 laps, but the finish had the fans on the edge of their seats. Fred Proctor swung out on the final lap and pulled even with Hoard and when the two hit the finish line, it looked like it was going to be a dead-heat. But thanks to computerized scoring, Hoard hit the finish line an incredible 0.005 seconds ahead of Proctor to officially get the win. Kale Groff finished third, with Mike Vicsonti fourth and Angela Hoard fifth.
Joey Trudeau picked up his second win of the season in the limited division. Trudeau grabbed the lead on lap 10 and then held off Kevin Elliot to get the win.
Travis Tromans became the third different winner in as many weeks in the mini/duke stock division. After starting fifth, Tromans moved to the point after just three laps and dominated the feature, leaving the field in his dust. Cliff White was a distant second, with Jim Anagnos third.
Devil’s Bowl will return to action on Sunday, June 17, with all divisions in action. The track will also hold its annual Fathers’ Race, and it will also be Bikers Night, when anyone arriving on a motorcycle being admitted free of charge. Racing will begin at 7 p.m.
MODIFIEDS: TIM LADUC, Ron Proctor, Todd Stone, Ken Tremont Jr., Ray Hoard, Vince Quenneville Jr., Don Scarborough, Jim Ryan, Gardner Stone, Don Ackner, Dustin Delaney, Matt Depew, Rich Salisbury, Gene Munger, Rob Langevin, Kris Vernold, Frank Hoard Sr., Don Mattison, Brian Whittemore, Stan Lemiesz.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: LORI CARY, Cale Kneer, Jeff Washburn, Mike Bussino, Carl Vladyka, Dan Eastman, Walt Brownell, Donnie Williams, Ed Thompson, Pat McLaughlin, Carl Cram, Randy Miller, John Turco, Fred Little, Jon Bates, Richard Glode, Jeremie Younger, William Hull, Chuck Towslee, Justin Perry.
BUDGET SPORTSMAN: FRANK HOARD III, Fred Proctor, Kale Groff, Mike Visconti, Angela Hoard, Kris Bradbury, Jared McMahon, Tim Reed, Ray Heath Jr., Ralph Denison, Pal Dunham Jr.
LIMITEDS: JOEY TRUDEAU, Kevin Elliot, D.J. Brundige, Anthony Marro, Bill Vradenburg, Jeremy Jones, Francis Clark Jr., Mark Wallett, Randy Alger, Shannon Donnelly, Jeffrey Donnelly, Nicholas Byrne, Curtis Condon, Bill Duprey, Bill Decker, C.J. Vitagliano.
MINI/DUKE STOCKS: TRAVIS TROMANS (4), Cliff White (4), Jim Anagnos (6), Chris Murray (4), Shane Marks (4), Carl Whittemore (6), R.J. Edwards (6), Tim Anagnos (6), Russ Farr Jr. (Duke), Naomi Gould (Duke), Justin Parker (Duke), Chris Atwood (Duke).
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway