DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY REGIONAL REPORT: April 29, 2013
Hoar scores ACT victory at Thunder Road
The Northeastern stock car racing scene turns its attention to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT this week with Sunday’s running of the 39th annual 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 for the American-Canadian Tour. Several drivers with ties to the fast half-mile track were in action at other tracks in the region last weekend, with former Spring Green winner Brian Hoar headlining the winners list at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
American-Canadian Tour Late Models
Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, VT
Merchants Bank 150 – Sunday, April 28
• Brian Hoar of Williston, VT took the 38th ACT Late Model Tour victory of his career in come-from-behind fashion. Hoar started third and fell back as far as sixth before making his way into the lead with only 23 laps remaining. Hoar won the first-ever ACT event at Devil’s Bowl Speedway – the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green – in May 2011, and was a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model feature in June 2012.
• Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, VT finished second to Hoar after leading 91 laps. Pembroke clinched the 2012 Vermont State Late Model Championship with a fourth-place finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway last September. Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT – the 1990 Devil’s Bowl Speedway Pro Stock champion – finished third. Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH, who won last year’s Spring Green at Devil’s Bowl, was fourth.
• The ACT Late Model Tour visits Devil’s Bowl Speedway twice in 2013 – The 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 opens the season this Sunday, May 5 at 1:30pm, followed on Sunday, July 28 by a 150-lap mid-summer showdown.
• A pair of Bond Auto Parts Modified drivers – Alex Bell of Cambridge, NY and Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT – took part in Saturday’s open practice session at Thunder Road, preparing for the inaugural 50-lap Modified event that will be held during the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 26. Both drivers turned lightning-quick laps in the 12.9-second range. Another Modified test session is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 at Thunder Road.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds
Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, CT
Spring Sizzler – Sunday, April 29
• Part-time Bond Auto Parts Modified driver Joe Williams of Scotia, NY made his first SK Modified appearance of the season at Stafford Motor Speedway, a half-mile track similar to Devil’s Bowl Speedway, finishing 16th in just his second-ever SK Modified start. Williams, a Devil’s Bowl feature winner in 2012, will race in Sunday’s 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green for Sargen Racing.
Big Block Modifieds
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, NY – Friday, April 27
Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, NY – Saturday, April 28
• Part-time Bond Auto Parts Modified driver Kenny Tremont, Jr. of West Sand Lake, NY had a strong two-night performance on the dirt at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Lebanon Valley Speedway. Tremont drove a back-up car to a seventh-place finish at Albany-Saratoga on Friday, followed by a third-place effort at Lebanon Valley on Saturday. Tremont – who won the Modified championship on asphalt at Devil’s Bowl in 2010 – is expected to compete in the Bond Auto Parts Modified event at the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday as part of his limited schedule at the track in 2013.
The 39th annual 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green begins at 1:30pm on Sunday, May 5. General admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under. The 2nd annual Devil’s Bowl Downtown Fan Festival will kick the weekend off on Saturday, May 4, 9:00am to 12:00 noon in Downtown Rutland, VT.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4. For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway
PHOTO: Devil’s Bowl Speedway driver Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT negotiates Turn 1 at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre aboard his Bond Auto Parts Modified during a test session on Saturday, April 27. (Alan Ward photo)
PHOTO: Brian Hoar of Williston, VT celebrates his American-Canadian Tour victory at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre. Hoar and the ACT Late Model Tour will invade Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven on Sunday, May 5. (Leif Tillotson photo)