Devil’s Bowl Speedway Celebrates Green Mountains at “I Am Vermont Strong 100” Friday
Vermont State Late Model Championship Series event features fundraiser for 2011 flood victims
WEST HAVEN, VT – Devil’s Bowl Speedway celebrates the Green Mountain State on Friday as the Vermont State Championship Series for Late Model stock cars invades the West Haven half-mile oval for a 100-lap event. The home-track heroes of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series J&S Steel Late Model division will square off against invaders from Barre’s Thunder Road and around the northeast.
While the 100-lap Vermont State Late Model Championship Series race will be the focal point for many, Devil’s Bowl Speedway is calling on the community to help its own during a fundraiser to benefit the “I Am Vermont Strong” initiative. I Am Vermont Strong is a non-profit organization that raises relief funds for Vermonters affected by flood damage in storms in 2011 including Tropical Storm Irene.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway will promote the I Am Vermont Strong organization by naming Friday’s race the “I Am Vermont Strong 100” and encouraging fans to donate to the cause. Fans will be able to interact with race drivers during a “helmet pass” in the grandstands to help raise money for the fund.
“Vermonters are incredibly strong and we’re proud to be a part of this state, but we also realize that there’s still so much work to be done to get back to where we were before Irene,” Devil’s Bowl promoter Alayne Bruno said. “Devil’s Bowl is right in Rutland County, which was hit the hardest by the storms last fall. It’s almost impossible not to know someone who lost their car, their home, their business, or even more last year, including many of our racers and fans. We need to keep coming together as a community to help those folks recover.”
Nick Sweet won the opening round of the Vermont State Championship at Thunder Road two weeks ago and finished third in last Friday’s 30-lap Carrara Masonry & Concrete event at Devil’s Bowl. Sweet lives in Barre, a city hammered by flooding in the spring of 2011, and says he’s reminded of the devastation every time he comes to Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
“I love racing at Devil’s Bowl – it’s a beautiful facility and it’s a fun track to drive,” Sweet said, “but the one thing I don’t like about it is that we drive through towns and neighborhoods that were almost wiped off the map whenever we go to the track. It’s sad to see, but hopefully, we can help the victims a little bit.”
Drivers expected to attempt to qualify for the I Am Vermont Strong 100 include Devil’s Bowl stars Kevin Elliott, Chris Wilk, Craig Bushey, and Matt White, Thunder Road stars Sweet, Dave Pembroke, Cris Michaud, and Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, New Yorker Dan Petronis, New Hampshire’s Bryan Town and Aaron Fellows, Maine veteran Ricky Rolfe, and eight-time American-Canadian Tour champion Brian Hoar of Williston, VT, who beat Sweet and Bushey to win last Friday’s Carrara Masonry & Concrete race.
Joining the Late Models on the I Am Vermont Strong 100 card will the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modifieds, Renegades, and Bombers. Gates open at 5:30pm, with green flag racing set for an early 7:00pm start. General admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, six miles north of Exit 2 on US Route 4. For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or click www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway
TO: Craig Bushey (#05) and Nick Sweet (#88) are among the drivers expected to be up front at Friday’s “I Am Vermont Strong 100” at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. (MemorEvents photo)