Rabtoy Claims Wild Super Stock 50 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Proctor, Lussier split Modified Twin 20s
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Dylan Rabtoy is emerging near the forefront of Vermont stock car racing’s youth movement, and on Saturday, August 19, he scored another victory for the youngsters at The Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. The 18-year-old from Swanton, Vt., topped the list of winners during the annual “C.J. Richards Memorial” event presented by Rutland Regional Medical Center, which also included Ron Proctor, Billy Lussier, Roo Forrest, Lynn Denton, Cory Gray, and Nate Corcoran.
Rabtoy’s win came in an exciting 50-lap feature race for the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock division of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The majority of the race was an exciting battle between second-generation stars Rabtoy and rookie Kelsea Woodard. In just her fourth start in the Super Stock class, 16-year-old Woodard led the first three laps before Rabtoy got to the front. Rabtoy officially led every lap at the start/finish line from that point until the checkered flag, but the pair traded the point several times in the corners and the straights throughout the event.
After a two multi-car crashes earlier in the race, it all came apart during a restart on lap 48 when the cars Woodard and third-place driver Jared Blake made contact and collected Scott FitzGerald and Tony Salerno, with all four sailing off the top of Turn 2; Jim McKiernan also incurred damage in the incident, which necessitated a red flag period for a lengthy cleanup. Two more crashes after the restart prompted race officials to cut the race one lap short due to time constraints.
When the smoke cleared, Rabtoy came away with his third win of the season. R.J. Germain – who recovered from crashes on laps 4 and 36 – finished second. McKiernan was given credit for third place, Salerno fourth, and Blake fifth, with the top 10 completed by Woodard, Chris Cardarelli, FitzGerald, Bill Burlingame, and Austin McKiernan. Unofficially, Rabtoy and Jim McKiernan are tied atop the championship standings at 550 points each with just two races left in the season.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Sportsman Modified division was in action with two 20-lap, sprint-style features; both races ran caution-free with a quick pace. Ron Proctor of Charlton, N.Y., won the first feature ahead Vince Quenneville Jr., Joey Roberts, and Billy Lussier. Hometown favorite Lussier, of Fair Haven, Vt., won the nightcap ahead of Roberts, Quenneville, and Proctor. Quenneville holds an unofficial championship lead of eight points over Proctor, 541-533, as the season nears its end.
Seventeen-year-old Roo Forrest of West Rutland, Vt., picked up his third win of the season in the 15-lap race for the Portland Glass Mini Stocks. Rookies Mike Preston and Cam Gadue led laps early before Forrest made his way from ninth at the start into the lead just before the halfway mark. Gadue finished second behind Forrest, with another freshman – point leader Shawn Moquin – third. Preston and Kaleb Shepard each turned in their best runs of the year in fourth and fifth, respectively. Moquin’s lead over Forrest in the title race was trimmed to 21 points, unofficially, 553-532.
Lynn Denton of Milton, Vt., came out of a photo finish as a first-time winner in the Ladies Mini Stock division, taking a 10-lap feature race that had its share of bumps and bruises. Denton beat Sami Sargent – who took a momentary flight off the track on the second lap – by inches at the finish line. Maddy Rabtoy, who led the first few laps, finished third. Stephanie Roberts and Alayne Bruno, who crashed together in the final laps, completed the finish order.
A 50-lap Enduro Series race was run in quick fashion with Rutland, Vt.’s Cory “Cubby” Gray getting his second win of the season. “Wild Bill” Fountain finished second with 14-year-old Johnny Bruno third as the final car on the lead lap. Josh Payea and Hunter Murray, each one lap behind, completed the unofficial top five; however, the full finish is under scoring review and will be released soon.
Nate Corcoran of Vergennes, Vt., won the Street-Legal Spectator Races, with his 2011 Honda Civic beating Josh Jerger’s 1994 Jeep Cherokee in the finale. In addition, the “Deathwish Performance” team put on a 12-car drag racing exhibition at intermission in advance of Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s fifth and final Wednesday Night Drag Racing Series event coming up on August 23.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on its 3/10-mile Dirt Track on Sunday, August 20, with the $1,200-to-win Charlie LaDuc Memorial “Ol’ Reliable 54” event for Sportsman Modifieds. Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, and the Catamount Mini Sprints will also be in action. General admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (62+), $5 for teenagers (13-17), and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00 p.m.
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 @DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the hashtag #DevilsBowl.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Rutland Regional Medical Center Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Asphalt Track – West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock Feature (50 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (4) Dylan Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt.
2. (8) R.J. Germain, Bristol, Vt.
3. (7) Jim McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
4. (1) Tony Salerno, Mineville, N.Y.
5. (6) Jared Blake, North Hero, Vt.
6. (2) # Kelsea Woodard, Waterbury Center, Vt.
7. (10) # Chris Cardarelli, Milton, Vt.
8. (3) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
9. (11) Bill Burlingame, Gansevoort, N.Y.
10. (5) Austin McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
11. (9) Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, N.Y.
12. (12) # Brett Wood, Georgia, Vt.
Heat Winners: Kelsea Woodard, Dylan Rabtoy
O’Reilly Auto Parts Sportsman Modified Feature #1 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
2. (2) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
3. (3) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
4. (4) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
Heat Winner: Ron Proctor
O’Reilly Auto Parts Sportsman Modified Feature #2 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
2. (2) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
3. (3) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
4. (4) Ron Proctor, Charlton, N.Y.
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (9) Roo Forrest, West Rutland, Vt.
2. (4) # Cam Gadue, Highgate, Vt.
3. (7) # Shawn Moquin, Milton, Vt.
4. (2) # Mike Preston, Panton, Vt.
5. (1) Kaleb Shepard, New Haven, Vt.
6. (10) # Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
7. (11) Tanner Lunt, Fort Ann, N.Y.
8. (13) Cameron Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
9. (3) Zach Wood, Georgia, Vt.
10. (6) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
11. (5) Garrett Given Sr., Cornwall, Vt.
12. (8) # Russ Champine II, Rutland, Vt.
13. (12) John McCarron, Rensselaer, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Zach Wood, Cam Gadue
Ladies Mini Stock Feature (10 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (2) Lynn Denton, Milton, Vt.
2. (1) Sami Sargent, Bristol, Vt.
3. (3) Maddy Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt.
4. (5) Stephanie Roberts, Fletcher, Vt.
5. (4) Alayne Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
Enduro Series Feature (50 laps) – OFFICIAL FINISH UNDER SCORING REVIEW
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Laps Completed
1. (17) Cory Gray, Clarendon, Vt. – 50 Laps
2. (77) Bill Fountain, Altona, N.Y. – 50 Laps
3. (11) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt. – 50 Laps
4. (52) Josh Payea, East Georgia, Vt. – 49 Laps
5. (91) Hunter Murray, Cambridge, Vt. – 49 Laps
Sources: Justin St. Louis/Devil’s Bowl Speedway PR