Quenneville Back On Top At Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Bushey, Duprey, Masterson win in close finishes
WEST HAVEN, VT – Vince Quenneville, Jr., returned to victory lane at Devil’s Bowl Speedway at the Cat Country 105.3 Night event on Friday, winning the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modified feature. Quenneville, of Brandon, VT, bolted from his 10th starting position into the lead early and was never headed. The victory was his fourth of the year and vaulted him into the unofficial championship point lead.
Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY had a very strong run and finished second for his best result since a victory on May 25. Cambridge, NY young gun Alex Bell flew through the field after a crash in the opening laps and a subsequent trip to pit road to finish third. Rookie Jeff Haskins of Wells, VT finished a career-best fourth, and Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY rebounded from a mid-race crash to finish fifth, despite missing the left-side sheet metal on his car. Joey Roberts was sixth, followed by Ron Proctor, Cody Sargen, Jason Bruno, and Andy Smith.
Although Quenneville now has the championship lead, he only has an eight-point cushion on Proctor, 662-654, unofficially. Only four races remain on the regular-season schedule for the Modifieds including a double-feature event on Friday, August 3.
Fairfax, VT racer Craig Bushey posted his seventh J&S Steel Late Model win of the season, but he worked for every inch over the race’s 25 laps. Bushey used a series of late restarts to work through the field and engage Bryan Town in a battle for the win. Bushey beat Charlestown, NH racer Town by a fender at the finish line, the official margin of victory just .038 of a second. Chris Curtis of Rutland, MA finished third in his second start of the year, followed by Matt White and Kevin Elliott.
Defending champion Bill Duprey of Hydeville, VT captured his third Renegade win of the year in a 15-lap dash despite a constant presence by Ryan Keith. Pittsford, VT driver Keith settled for second place, then stood by as safety workers extinguished a brake fire on his car in victory lane. Robert Gordon of Milton, VT was third.
Rookie sensation Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT ran to his seventh Bomber win of the year in a 20-lap feature, topping an entertaining duel for second between Morrisonville, NY’s Tyson Drown and Bobby LaVair of Gabriels, NY; Drown got the spot at the finish. Ray Germain, Jr., was fourth and rookie Bruce Schawb, Jr., was a career-best fifth.
Frank Fiorino, Jr., of Whitehall, NY won the first-ever Daredevil race for spectators. Fiorino was selected by random draw to compete in a five-lap feature race and drove a track-prepared Honda Accord sponsored by Casella Waste Management to the win. Kevin St. Marie of Whitehall, NY was the runner-up in a Ford Taurus station wagon, followed by Subdury, VT’s Bret Williams in a Ford Crown Victoria ex-police car and Sandy DeLorme of Granville, NY in a Chevrolet Malibu.
A donation drive was held by Cat Country 105.3 on behalf of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during intermission. An impressive total of $626.00 was raised during the drive, which lasted just five minutes.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is back in action at Devil’s Bowl Speedway with “Family Fun Friday” on Friday, August 3. A jam-packed card featuring twin 20-lap Modified features, a 30-lap Bomber special, Late Models, Renegades, and kids’ racecar rides begins at 7:30pm; gates open at 5:00pm. General admission is $15 for adults and offers a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. Admission for children 12 and under is free.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four 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.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Cat Country 105.3 Night
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Friday, July 27, 2012
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature (35 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (10) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
2. (7) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
3. (8) Alex Bell, Cambridge, NY
4. (3) # Jeff Haskins, Wells, VT
5. (12) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
6. (6) # Joey Roberts, Georgia, VT
7. (9) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
8. (2) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
9. (14) Jason Bruno, Plattsburgh, NY
10. (1) # Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, NY
11. (5) Mike Bush, Hudson Falls, NY
12. (15) Dylan Smith, Randolph, VT
13. (13) Matt Atwood, Whitehall, NY
14. (14) Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT
15. (4) Jamie Proctor, Schuylerville, NY
Heat Winners: Joey Roberts, Jamie Proctor
J&S Steel Late Model Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (10) Craig Bushey, Fairfax, VT
2. (4) Bryan Town, Charlestown, NH
3. (12) Chris Curtis, Rutland, MA
4. (5) Matt White, Northfield, VT
5. (11) Kevin Elliott, Rutland, VT
6. (2) Dan Petronis, Mechanicville, NY
7. (1) # Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
8. (3) Norm Andrews, Northfield, VT
9. (9) # Jesse Carris, Rutland, VT
10. (6) # Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT
11. (8) Chris Wilk, Mendon, VT
12. (7) # Tom Eriksen, Jr., West Ferrisburgh, VT
Heat Winners: Norm Andrews, Craig Bushey
Renegade Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (2) Bill Duprey, Hydeville, VT
2. (4) Ryan Keith, Pittsford, VT
3. (3) Robert Gordon, Milton, VT
4. (1) Jeremy Jones, Leicester, VT
5. (5) Frank Monroe, Granville, NY
Heat Winner: Ryan Keith
Bomber Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (9) # Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
2. (11) Tyson Drown, Morrisonville, NY
3. (13) Bobby LaVair, Gabriels, NY
4. (10) Ray Germain, Jr., Bristol, VT
5. (2) # Bruce Schwab, Jr., Whitehall, NY
6. (6) Dan Collins, Rennselaer, NY
7. (4) # Gerald LaFlam, Hinesburg, VT
8. (7) Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
9. (3) Garrett Given, Cornwall, VT
10. (1) # Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
11. (8) Harold LaVair, Gabriels, NY
12. (5) Mitchell Dundon, Orwell, VT
13. (12) John McCarron, Rennselaer, NY
Heat Winners: Matt Monaghan, Josh Masterson
Daredevil Feature (5 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Frank Fiorino, Jr., Whitehall, NY
2. Kevin St. Marie, Whitehall, NY
3. Bret Williams, Sudbury, VT
4. Sandy DeLorme, Granville, NY
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway
PHOTO: Vince Quenneville, Jr., took down his fourth win of 2012 on Cat Country 105.3 Night. (MemorEvents photo)