Billings Files First Official Demolition Derby Entry at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway is getting ready to make the ground shake, and Mark Billings Jr. is first in line. Billings has filed the first official Demolition Derby entry for the inaugural “Rutland County Rumble” on Saturday, May 13, and is ready to smash his way to a $1,000 payday.
The event will be a can’t-miss show, featuring the return of both the Demolition Derby and Truck & Tractor Pulls to Devil’s Bowl Speedway after many years away. The event begins at 12:00 noon with pulling in three truck classes and the popular Altered Farm Tractor class. The Demolition Derby is expected to begin at approximately 6:00 p.m. to cap off a fun day of action. The event has gained a ton of interest from across the region since being announced last month, and the phone has been ringing off the hook at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway office.
The Demolition Derby is open to any competitor with a four-cylinder or six-cylinder car. The event will crash its way through heats, consolations, and a feature event paying $1,000 to the winner. Billings is expected to be joined by many top demo derby drivers from Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and beyond.
Billings says he’s more than ready to throw down at the Rutland County Rumble. The 26 year-old has prepared a 1995 Toyota Camry station wagon and will haul it 100 miles from his home in Swanton, Vt., near the Canadian border. Billings started running demolition derbies around Vermont six years ago and has claimed a handful of heat wins; he’s hopeful that he can finally break through at Devil’s Bowl on May 13 for his first feature win. He says, however, that he has only two main goals: Hit hard and have fun.
“You have to protect the front end of the car in order to stay running, but I go out there and run as hard as I can and try to put on a show,” Billings said. “I know a few guys up in my area who are putting cars together for Devil’s Bowl, and we’re looking forward it. I do it because it’s fun meeting new people and making new friends.”
Demolition Derby rules and entry forms are available by clicking on the “Demo” tab on the Devil’s Bowl Speedway website at www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com. Competitors can contact Demolition Derby Director Jeremy Carpenter with questions at (518) 420-5445. The pre-entry fee is just $30.00 if received on or before May 5; otherwise the entry fee is $40.00.
Rules and entry forms for the Truck & Tractor Pulls – which will feature the 2.5 Diesel, 2.6 Pro Diesel, and Super Stock 4×4 truck classes along with the Altered Farm Tractors – are available by clicking on the “Pulls” tab of the Devil’s Bowl website.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2. 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.
Sources: Justin St. Louis/Devil’s Bowl Speedway PR