Hackel Holds off Heavy Hitters in Devil’s Bowl Dirt Track Thriller
Christensen cops inaugural Outlaw Midget win
WEST HAVEN, VT – Bobby Hackel brought the house down in a thrilling finish on The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, August 30. The 20-year-old from Rensselaer, NY overcame every challenge thrown his way, fending off two of the northeast’s hottest stock car drivers in Kenny Tremont Jr. and Adam Pierson. Hackel’s win came in the third event of the Berlin Optical Expressions Dirt Track Series n Interstate All Battery Center/Sherwin-Williams Night.
Hackel, whose last win at Devil’s Bowl came on the asphalt half-mile in July 2011, turned a season’s worth of struggles around with an impressive and popular performance in the 35-lap Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli Sportsman Modified race. He held off East Corinth, VT racer Pierson and West Sand Lake, NY’s Tremont over a series of six restarts; Tremont tested Hackel in the final five laps and made an inside-lane charge in the last corner of the race, but Hackel won the drag race to the checkered flag by three feet.
Pierson settled for third place, ahead of Jackie Brown Jr. and Vince Quenneville Jr. Hometown driver Billy Lussier recovered from two different accidents to finish a strong sixth, followed by Jason Sanville, Tim Hodge, Chris Murray, and D.J. Robinson. Josh Sunn, Justin Comes, and Leon Gonyo all ran in the lead pack before falling out of contention late in the race.
Dean Christensen of Granby, CT won the first-ever event for the Lucas Oil POWRi Outlaw Midget Series in a 20-lap dash. Seth Carlson of Brimfield, MA mounted a serious challenge in the middle stages of the race and pulled alongside Christensen before brake troubles dropped him back. Series point leader Frank Malec of Foster, RI took the runner-up position, and Carlson held on for third place. Manny Diaz and Tim Gallant completed the top five finishers.
Bill Duprey of Hydeville, VT was an easy winner in the 25-lap feature for the Renegade division. Darrell Older of Ballston Spa, NY finished second after an intense five-car battle. Curtis Condon ran third, followed by Lou Gancarz and Matt Mosher.
Justin Severance of Rutland, VT dominated the 15-lap Portland Glass Mini Stock race for his second-straight win at The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl. Todd Goldstein was the runner-up in his first Devil’s Bowl start, followed by Brian Bishop, Justin Bishop, and Chris Cardarelli.
The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to action on Saturday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m. with the inaugural Fabian Earthmoving “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” event, an open-competition race for winged 360 Sprint Cars co-sanctioned by the Empire Super Sprints and Sprint Cars of New England tours.
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, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter and Instagram at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Interstate All Battery Center/Sherwin-Williams Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Berlin Optical Expressions Dirt Track Series
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Liberty Street Discount Beverage & Deli Sportsman Modified Feature (35 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (3) Bobby Hackel, Rensselaer, NY
2. (8) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, NY
3. (2) Adam Pierson, East Corinth, VT
4. (11) Jackie Brown Jr., Hurley, NY
5. (10) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
6. (12) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
7. (13) Jason Sanville, Grafton, NH
8. (14) Tim Hodge, Verhsire, VT
9. (1) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, VT
10. (7) D.J. Robinson, Sharon, VT
11. (16) Trevor Rocke, Canaan, NH
12. (20) Jack Gentile, Cohoes, NY
13. (9) Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT
14. (5) Justin Comes, Middlebury, VT
15. (4) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
16. (6) Jason Furman, Ballston Spa, NY
17. (15) Jim Morgan, Hartland, VT
18. (18) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, VT
19. (17) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
20. (19) Trevor Hurlburt, Bomoseen, VT
Heat Winners: Justin Comes; Chris Murray; Josh Sunn
Consi Winner: Jason Sanville
Lucas Oil POWRi Outlaw Midget Series Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Dean Christensen, Granby, CT
2. (4) Frank Malec, Foster, RI
3. (3) Seth Carlson, Brimfield, MA
4. (5) Manny Diaz, Danielson, CT
5. (2) Tim Gallant, Wales, MA
6. (7) Lauryn Burd, Cranston, RI
7. (8) Nate Furman, Amsterdam, NY
8. (6) Andy Barrows, New Ipswich, NH
Did Not Start: Kenney Johnson, Bethany, CT
Heat Winner: Frank Malec
Renegade Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (2) Bill Duprey, Hydeville, VT
2. (6) Darrell Older, Ballston Spa, NY
3. (4) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, NY
4. (4) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, MA
5. (5) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, NY
6. (1) Mark Burch, Fort Edward, NY
7. (7) Josh Coonradt, Milton, NY
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (4) Justin Severance, Rutland, VT
2. (5) Todd Goldstein, Ballston Lake, NY
3. (3) Brian Bishop, Bridport, VT
4. (2) Justin Bishop, North Ferrisburgh, VT
5. (1) Chris Cardarelli, St. George, VT
Heat Winner: Todd Goldstein
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway