Todd Stone Ends Tremont’s Run
WEST HAVEN, VT – The Streak is over.
Todd Stone got the better of a wild wheel-to-wheel duel with Don Mattison Sunday night to win the 30-lap 358 modified feature at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, ending Ken Tremont Jr.’s five-race winning streak in the process.
In picking up his first win since last August, Stone walked off with $2,000, which included a $1,000 bounty to anyone who could defeat Tremont. Mattison, who has been suffering from motor problems all season, didn’t even bring his own car to the track Sunday night, but instead, got a ride in a George Morse backup car.
Mattison started on the pole and had the fastest car on the track, at one time cranking out the quickest lap of the feature, stopping the clock in 18.200 seconds.
Stone, who started eighth, moved into the No. 2 spot on lap 21 and then got the break he needed when the caution came out on lap 26. Stone’s car was working better on the bottom, while Mattison was hooked up on the high side, creating a wheel-to-wheel shootout for the final four laps.
Just to make things a little more exciting, Tremont, who had started 15th, made it a three-car battle with one to go, when Mattison slipped high, creating an opening in the middle of the track.
But Stone wasn’t going to de denied, hitting the finish line a bumper in front of Mattison, with Tremont less than a car length back in third. Invader Danny Johnson, driving the No. 28 Ryan’s Express at the Bowl for the first time this year, charged up from his 18th starting position to finish fourth, with the top four cars separated by less than a second in a breathtaking finish.
Gene Munger finished, fifth, followed by Matt Depew, Vince Quenneville Jr., Tim Laduc, Ron Proctor, and Gardner Stone.
Although Tremont’s winning streak was snapped, CVRA officials announced there will still be a $500 bounty for anyone who can beat him.
It looked like old times in the pro-street stock feature, with Carl Vladyka picking up his first win of the season, outrunning another Vermont veteran, Fred Little, to the finish line.
Vladyka started fourth and used two early cautions to quickly move to the front. Little, who started eighth, got around Walt Brownell for second on lap 12 and took off after Vladyka, but Vladyka was able to maintain his advantage and had a comfortable lead at the end of the 20-lap feature, with Little second and Jeff Washburn third.
Bill Duprey returned to victory lane for the fourth straight week, outrunning Kevin Elliot to get the win. Despite starting 14th, it only took Duprey four laps to get to the front, and he went on to record his fifth overall win of the season.
Tim Anagnos continued to dominate the mini-stock division, picking up his sixth win of the year.
The Mountain Man Weekend also featured an enduro, which was won by Jason Sabourin.
The season is winding down, but the excitement certainly isn’t. Devil’s Bowl will return to action on Sunday, Aug. 19 with the annual Judith L. Richards Memorial. Gate admissions go directly to benefit the Rutland Area Visiting Nurses and Hospice (RAVNAH). All divisions will be in action, and the budget sportsman will be running the 50-lap Vermont State Championships, which will pay $500 to win. Racing will get underway at 7 p.m.
MODIFIEDS: TODD STONE, Don Mattison, Ken Tremont Jr., Danny Johnson, Gene Munger, Matt Depew, Vince Quenneville Jr., Tim Laduc, Ron Proctor, Gardner Stone, Don Scarborough, Rob Langevin, Frank Hoard Sr., Dustin Delaney, Don Ackner, Chris Tyron, Brian Whittemore, Richard Davis III, Kris Vernold, Stan Lemiesz, D.J. Faulkner, Jim Ryan, Ray Hoard, Robert Allen.
PRO-STREET STOCKS: CARL VLADYKA, Fred Little, Jeff Washburn, Lori Cary, Chuck Towslee, Cale Kneer, Will Hull, Patrick McLaughlin, Chris Fitzgerald, Walt Brownell, Josh Joseph, Justin Perry, Dan Eastman, Ed Thompson, Richard Glode, Mike Bussino, Jeremie Younger, Rob Wood.
LIMITEDS: BILL DUPREY, Kevin Elliot, Joey Trudeau, Bill Decker, Bill Vradenburg, Andy Husk, Justin Parker, D.J. Brundige, Jeremy Jones, Francis Clark Jr., Rob Ketchum, Adam Forbes, Shannon Donnelly, Curtis Condon, Tommy Primeau Jr., Ken Conroy, Tim Brunelle, Pat Cram.
MINI/DUKE STOCKS: TIM ANAGNOS, Car No. 75, Cliff White, Ron Zagata, Shane Marks, Jason Rheome, R.J. Edwards, Chris Mattison, Chris Hutchinson, Andy Smith, Bill Parker, Jeremy Hayes, Russ Farr, Naomi Gould.
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway