Gonyo, Atkins Split Modified Shootouts at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Rookie wins wild Late Model main; Bradford snaps LaVair’s streak
WEST HAVEN, VT – Devil’s Bowl Speedway played host to some wild stock car racing action under a full moon on Friday, July 31, and saw two first-time winners on Allen Pools & Spas Night. The event kicked off the second half of the season for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere.
Veteran drivers Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY, and Greg Atkins of Clintonville, NY split a pair of 20-lap “shootout” feature races for the Bond Auto Parts Modified division. In the opening race, Billy Lussier held the early lead and began to stretch out before a caution period with five laps complete bunched the field for a restart. Gonyo pounced to seize the lead and then drove away for his second victory of the season. Vince Quenneville Jr. finished second. Joey Roberts survived an early scrape with Codie Aubin to finish third, followed by Jimmy Ryan and Ron Proctor.
In the nightcap, Ryan took the lead after Roberts and Aubin came together again on lap 3 and held off a spirited drive by Atkins in the first half of the race. Atkins finally completed his pass for the lead at lap 12, then sped away to take the first Devil’s Bowl win of his long career. Proctor was the runner-up, followed by Quenneville, Ryan, and Lussier.
Proctor continues to lead the track championship standings, though Quenneville was able to trim his deficit from 14 points down to just nine (548-539). Atkins moved into third place, 29 points behind Proctor. Atkins’ win will also help him stay near the top of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings; he ranks ninth out of more than 1,000 drivers at nearly 60 short tracks across North America.
Seventeen-year-old rookie Richard Lowrey III of Charlotte, VT became the seventh different winner in as many races in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division after an intense finish. Seth Bridge led the first 23 laps uncontested and looked like a first-time winner before the action heated up behind him, when point leader Josh Masterson got turned around to bring out the caution flag. Bridge held the lead for four laps after the restart but faced heavy pressure from Lowrey, Todd Stone, Steve Miller, and others. Bridge then got turned around himself and nailed the inside retaining wall to set up a green-white-checkered finish.
Lowrey and Miller produced hard, clean racing over the final two laps before Lowrey scooted ahead to take the popular victory. Miller finished second, and Masterson rebounded in impressive fashion in the final seven laps to finish third. Former champion Chris Bergeron finished fourth with Robert Bryant Jr. fifth. Masterson leads Bryant by 46 points (422-376) for the championship, with Miller another 19 back in third.
Robert Gordon of Milton, VT won an ever-changing two-segment race for the Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep Renegade division. The defending champion finished second in each of the two 15-lap, cumulatively scored runs to earn a low total of four segment points. He battled the entire distance in tight quarters with segment winners Scott FitzGerald and Jimmy Bushey, and rookies Matt Monaghan and Shawn Franklin. FitzGerald scored five segment points (first, fourth) to take the overall runner-up position. Bushey and Monaghan each earned six points, and Bushey earned the tiebreaker by winning the second leg to take third place overall.
Chuck Bradford of Addison, VT was a popular winner in the 15-lap Portland Glass Mini Stock feature. Bradford snapped a five-race win streak by Chris LaVair and earned a $100 “bounty” bonus in the process. The action was non-stop as Bradford, LaVair, John McCarron, and Harold LaVair ran in a tight group up front. Bradford passed Chris LaVair on the outside to take the lead on lap 12, then LaVair’s car shut down on the final lap. Harold LaVair took the runner-up spot with McCarron third. Kyle Sorensen was a career-best fourth, with rookie Tanner Crary fifth.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Friday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. with the fourth annual Carrara Masonry & Concrete “C.J. Richards Memorial” event. The Modified division will race 67 laps in honor of the track’s late founder, Richards, who opened the facility in 1967. Late Models, Renegades, and Mini Stocks will be on the card, along with the MFT Sauce & Rub Co. Enduro Series. Special general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.
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 – Allen Pools & Spas Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere
Friday, July 31, 2015
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #1 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (7) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
2. (10) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
3. (8) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
4. (3) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, VT
5. (9) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
6. (4) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, NY
7. (2) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
8. (5) # Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, VT
9. (1) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
10. (6) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
Heat Winners: Greg Atkins; Leon Gonyo
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Vince Quenneville Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Codie Aubin
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #2 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (4) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, NY
2. (8) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
3. (9) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
4. (3) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, VT
5. (2) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
6. (1) # Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, VT
7. (10) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
8. (6) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
9. (5) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
10. (7) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Ron Proctor
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Joey Roberts
Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (1) # Richard Lowrey III, Charlotte, VT
2. (3) Steve Miller, Vergennes, VT
3. (8) Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
4. (10) Chris Bergeron, Claremont, NH
5. (12) Robert Bryant Jr., Brooklyn, CT
6. (11) Rich Lowrey Jr., Charlotte, VT
7. (4) Chad White, Fort Ann, NY
8. (9) Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, VT
9. (6) Mark Norris, Benson, VT
10. (7) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
11. (2) Seth Bridge, Mendon, VT
12. (5) Robert Hagar, Windsor, VT
Heat Winners: Todd Stone; Steve Miller
Semi-Feature Winner: Bobby Therrien
Crazy Horse Racing Winners Circle Challenge: Richard Lowrey III
Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep Renegade Feature (15 laps x 2)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Segment Points
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (6) Robert Gordon, Milton, VT – 4 points
2. (2) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, VT – 5 points
3. (7) Jimmy Bushey, Mooers Forks, NY – 6 points
4. (3) # Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT – 6 points
5. (1) # Shawn Franklin, Waitsfield, VT – 10 points
6. (4) Jared Blake, North Hero, VT – 12 points
7. (5) Don Franklin, Milton, VT – 13 points
Segment Winners: Scott FitzGerald; Jimmy Bushey
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Robert Gordon
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (9) Chuck Bradford, Addison, VT
2. (3) Harold LaVair Jr., Gabriels, NY
3. (5) John McCarron, Rensselaer, NY
4. (1) Kyle Sorensen, Ballston Spa, NY
5. (7) # Tanner Crary, Saranac Lake, NY
6. (6) Dan Collins, Rensselaer, NY
7. (8) # Bradley Bertrand, Ferrisburgh, VT
8. (10) Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
9. (2) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, VT
10. (4) Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
Heat Winners: Harold LaVair Jr.; Chuck Bradford
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Chuck Bradford
Sources: Devil’s Bowl Speedway