Munger and Savoie Winners at Devil’s Bowl
WEST HAVEN, VT – Here’s some bad news for the rest of the 358 modified competitors at Devil’s Bowl Speedway: Gene Munger won the opening-night feature.
Munger, one of the most popular drivers at the Bowl, has been a slow starter in recent years, but he came out of the gate like a thoroughbred Sunday night, overpowering the field in the 30-lap Syracuse Qualifier that kicked off the 2005 season at the Vermont track.
Bob Savoie, another CVRA veteran, picked up the win in the second modified feature, as Devil’s Bowl had twin features in all divisions because of a rainout the previous week.
The last time Munger sat in victory lane on opening night at the Bowl was in 1994, but he had an easy time picking up his 10th career victory Sunday, as he came out of the sixth starting position and overpowered the field, hitting the finish line a whopping 7.3 seconds ahead of Ron Proctor.
Lance Harting came off the front row and set the early pace, but Munger was on the move quickly and was running third, behind Harting and Proctor, after 12 laps.
Munger picked off Proctor on lap 14 and two laps later, rocketed past Harting to take the lead for good. Running under a green flag for the rest of the feature, Munger left the field in his dust. Following Proctor across the finish line were Savoie, Vince Quenneville Jr., and Ken Tremont Jr., who is planning on running a full schedule at the Bowl this season.
Proctor jumped from the three-hole to set the pace in the second 30-lap feature, but Quenneville, the 2003 track champion who suffered through a winless season last year, was hooked up and hungry for a victory.
Quenneville worked his way around Proctor on lap 16 and tried to put some distance on the field, but Savoie was having nothing to do with that strategy.
Savoie, who had started eighth in the Sampson Motorsports 18, kept haunting Quenneville and finally took the lead on lap 23. Seven laps later, Savoie hit the finish line first for his first win at the Bowl since Aug. 18, 1996. But the victory was the 27th of Savoie’s career at the Vermont track.
Quenneville finished second, with Tremont third, Munger fourth, and Mike Perrotte fifth.
Savoie’s win may turn out to be more important than Munger’s in the long run, because the second set of features carried double points, as that part of the card was the annual Spring Championships.
Lazzaro Motorsports teammates Scott Duell and Hollywood Joe Santoro swept the two 20-lap pro-street stock features. Duell found his way to victory lane first, outrunning Ed Thompson to win the first feature, and Santoro and Duell finished one-two in the second feature, as Santoro extended his CVRA winning streak to four races.
William Duprey and Pat Cram picked up victories in the Rentway Limited features, swapping ends of one-two finishes in each event, while Mike Clark and Randy Manhey were victorious in the Pro-Built mini-stock features.
Devil’s Bowl will be hosting the annual Judith L. Richards Memorial, a benefit for the Rutland Area Visiting Nurses Association/Hospice, on Sunday. All divisions will be in action, with racing starting at 6 p.m.
MODIFIEDS (FROM 5/29): GENE MUNGER, Ron Proctor, Bob Savoie, Vince Quenneville Jr., Ken Tremont Jr., Mike Perrotte, Tim Laduc, Ray Hoard, Lance Harting, Brian Whittemore, C.V. Elms, Jim Ryan, Randy Howe, Denny Young, Stan Lemiesz, Matt Depew, John Proctor, Chris Vernold, Todd Stone, Gardner Stone, Frank Hoard Sr.
PRO-STREET STOCKS (FROM 5/29): SCOTT DUELL, Ed Thompson, Cale Kneer, Lori Cary, Don Williams, Walt Brownell Jr., John Harrison, Mike Haines, Scott Fowler, Jeff Martin, Mike Bussino, Jeff Washburn, Robert Langevin, Davis Geno, Don Piper.
RENTWAY LIMITEDS (FROM 5/29): WILLIAM DUPREY, Pat Cram, Billy Lussier, Jamie Buzzell, Mark Burch, Kevin Elliot, Joey Trudeau, Jared McMahon, Jamie Farr, Tim Brunell, Curtis Condon, Joe Ladd, Adam Piper, William Vradenburgh.
PRO-BUILT MINI STOCKS (FROM 5/29): MIKE CLARK, Jason Bishop, John Baldwin, Carl Whittemore Jr., Jamie Gearwar.
MODIFIEDS (6/5): BOB SAVOIE, Vince Quenneville Jr., Ken Tremont Jr., Gene Munger, Mike Perrotte, Ray Hoard, Tim Laduc, Ron Proctor, Todd Stone, Jim Ryan, C.V. Elms, Stan Lemiesz, Mike Bruno, Chris Vernold, Randy Howe, Denny Young, Frank Hoard Sr., John Proctor, Rick Davis, Brian Whittemore, Matt Depew, Lance Harting.
PRO-STREET STOCKS (6/5): JOE SANTORO, Scott Duell, Jeff Washburn, Lori Cary, Cale Kneer, Mike Haines, Scott Fowler, Robert Langevin, Walt Brownell Jr., Ed Thompson, Jeff Martin, Don Williams, Don Piper.
RENTWAY LIMITEDS (6/5): PAT CRAM, William Duprey, Curtis Condon, Joey Trudeau, Kevin Elliott, Jamie Buzzell, Billy Lussier, Adam Piper, Jamie Farr, Tim Whitney, William Vradenburgh, Adam Forbes, Joe Ladd, Tim Brunell, Mark Burch, Benny Ladd, Bill Burlingame.
PRO-BUILT MINI STOCKS (6/5): RANDY MANHEY, John Baldwin, Mike Clark, Carl Whittemore Jr., Jamie Gearwar, Jason Bishop.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway