Packard Makes History, Quenneville Ends Drought at Devil’s Bowl
Packard youngest driver and first woman to win Late Model race at Vermont track
WEST HAVEN, VT – Emily Packard made stock car racing history at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, July 11. The East Montpelier, VT native – who will enter her senior year at Union 32 High School this fall – set two records at the Rutland County track, becoming the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event in the Late Model division at 17 years, six months, 10 days, and by becoming the first woman to win in the division.
The night was not without other exciting moments; in twin feature races for the Bond Auto Parts Modified division, defending track champion Todd Stone notched his third victory of the season in the opener round, then veteran Vince Quenneville, Jr., ended a losing skid of nearly two years in the nightcap. Chuck Bradford was also a winner in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock division for the third time.
Packard had been on the cusp of the landmark win all season, earning top-five finishes in all five previous races; her No. 9 Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels Ford led 62 laps and finished second one week earlier in the Coca-Cola Firecracker 100. Packard’s Friday night drive was a 30-lap, flag-to-flag romp, as she beat former Thunder Road champion and Devil’s Bowl feature winner Jamie Fisher of Shelburne, VT for the win, with Josh Masterson third. Packard’s U-32 high school classmate, Joey M. Laquerre, finished fourth in his second appearance of the season, with Robert Bryant, Jr., completing the top five.
After struggling in a handful of races earlier in the year, Middlebury, VT driver Stone’s No. 1X G. Stone Motors team seems to have hit his stride in the Modified ranks. He won the opening 25-lap race for his third victory in the last six starts, extending his point lead in the division. Keeseville, NY driver Jamie LaFountain, the 2013 Rookie of the Year at Devil’s Bowl, made his first trip to the podium with a career-best runner-up finish. Quenneville, Ron Proctor, and Jason Durgan rounded out the top five.
Brandon, VT racer Quenneville finally saw his dry spell come to an end with a popular win in the second 25-lapper. After race five wins in 2012, Quenneville went scoreless last season despite racking up the inaugural Northern Modified Challenge Series championship in his No. 78 Black Diamond Builders/Green Mountain Feeds entry. Stone completed a solid night in second place with Leon Gonyo and Joey Roberts in tow; all three started near the rear of the field. Hometown rookie Billy Lussier had his best-ever showing at Devil’s Bowl with a fifth-place run.
Chuck Bradford of Addison, VT is beginning to threaten the Mini Stock division with a runaway to the championship after taking his third win of the year in the No. 18 A&H Signs/Jackman Fuels Subaru. Number-two point man and defending champion Jake Noble of Benson, VT kept Bradford on his toes, however, rebounding from a dismal run on July 4 to finish second. John McCarron, Mike Whalen, Jr., and Bobby LaVair completed the top five finishers.
Rufus Garrett of Plattsburgh, NY won in the Daredevil “community” racing division, taking down the first run of the year for fans drawn at random to race a set of track-owned racecars. Addison County Sheriff Gerald Grant remained undefeated in the street-legal Spectator Races, driving his potent 2013 Toyota Tundra pickup to the win. Race fans were treated to buy-one-get-one free general admission through a special coupon offer through the track’s official Twitter page at @DevilsBowlSpeed (twitter.com/devilsbowlspeed).
Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to action on Friday, July 18 with the annual Rutland Herald Mid-Season Championships. All four weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions – Modified, Late Model, Renegade, and Mini Stock – will be on the card, along with the SK Light class, and the annual driver autograph session. Regular general admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 62+), and free for children age 12 and under. The “Fans First” program will grant free admission to residents of Rutland and West Rutland, VT who present valid identification. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m., with racing at 7:00 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, call (802) 265-3112 or visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com. 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 – “Twitter Twin 25s” Night
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
Friday, July 11, 2014
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #1 (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (6) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
2. (2) Jamie LaFountain, Plattsburgh, NY
3. (1) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
4. (3) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
5. (5) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, NY
6. (4) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
7. (7) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
8. (8) Johnny Scarborough, Bomoseen, VT
9. (12) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
10. (9) # Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
11. (10) # Jason Reome, Ballston Spa, NY
12. (11) # Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, NY
13. (13) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
Heat Winners: Joey Roberts, Todd Stone
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #2 (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (2) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
2. (12) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
3. (10) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
4. (11) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
5. (1) # Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
6. (4) Jamie LaFountain, Plattsburgh, NY
7. (3) # Jason Reome, Ballston Spa, NY
8. (9) Johnny Scarborough, Bomoseen, VT
9. (5) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
10. (6) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
11. (8) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, NY
12. (7) # Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, NY
13. (13) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
Late Model Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. Emily Packard, East Montpelier, VT
2. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT
3. Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
4. Joey M. Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT
5. Robert Bryant, Jr., Brooklyn, CT
6. Bucko Branham, Plattsburgh, NY
7. # Dan St. Hilare, Shelburne, VT
8. Carol Parker, Fair Haven, VT
9. Norm Andrews, Northfield, VT
Heat Winner: Emily Packard, Josh Masterson
Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (9) Chuck Bradford, Addison, VT
2. (7) Jake Noble, Benson, VT
3. (14) John McCarron, Rensselaer, NY
4. (8) Mike Whalen, Jr., Plattsburgh, NY
5. (12) Bobby LaVair, Saranac Lake, NY
6. (11) Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT
7. (1) Harold LaVair, Jr., Gabriels, NY
8. (3) Kyle Sorensen, Ballston Spa, NY
9. (10) # Shaylynn Senecal, West Rutland, VT
10. (6) Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
11. (3) # Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, VT
12. (2) Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
13. (4) Lance Masterson, Lincoln, VT
Heat Winners: Bobby LaVair, Chris LaVair
Sources: Justin St. Louis/Devil’s Bowl Speedway PR