Masterson, FitzGerald, Wood back on top
Story By: JUSTIN ST. LOUIS / DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY MEDIA Photos By: NICHOEL LAFFOND / DEVILS BOWL SPEEDWAY PHOTO
WEST HAVEN, VT- August 1, 2016- Billy Lussier and Jason Durgan were the stars of the show on the half-mile Asphalt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, July 30, splitting twin 25-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races. Each driver used the outside lane to win in the Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified division on Community College of Vermont Night. Other winners included Josh Masterson, Scott FitzGerald, Zach Wood, and Gerald Grant.
Durgan, of Morrisonville, N.Y., scored in the opening Modified race, methodically working from 12th starting position. Veteran racer Jimmy Ryan of Shoreham, Vt., led the first 19 laps, holding off Joey Roberts for much of the way. Durgan was able to complete a pass for the lead at lap 20 and sailed to the victory – his third in a row. Ryan was the runner-up, followed by Ron Proctor, Roberts, and Vince Quenneville Jr.
In the nightcap, Fair Haven, Vt., racer Lussier had a strong drive on the top. Pole starter Alex Bell led from the start before Lussier charged on the high side, taking over at lap nine. From there he held off a persistent fight from Quenneville to take the second win of his career and of the season. Quenneville finished second, while Durgan recovered from an early tangle to finish third. Bell was a season-best fourth with Proctor fifth.
Josh Masterson of Bristol, Vt., notched his fourth win of the season in the 30-lap Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model race. With a low handicap from three weeks of subpar results, Masterson started from the pole position. He was never able to shake off a 30-lap challenge from Seth Bridge, though, and the two ran virtually every lap bumper-to-bumper. Robert Bryant Jr. nipped Steve Miller by inches at the finish line for third place, and Todd Stone finished fifth in his first start of the season.
West Rutland, Vt.’s Scott FitzGerald won a hairy 15-lap race for the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Renegade class. FitzGerald was crossed up twice in the final five laps after contact from championship rival Jim McKiernan but held onto his racecar and ran to his fourth win of the year. McKiernan left nothing on the table and made a bold move for the win in the final corner but spun his car out of contention. Matt Monaghan survived the scrape to take second, followed by R.J. Germain, Tony Salerno, and McKiernan.
The Portland Glass Mini Stock division continued its recent run as one of the most exciting classes at Devil’s Bowl, with a barnburner of a 15-lap feature. Packed together with no less than five other cars, Garrett Given Sr. led the majority of the race before rookie Zach Wood took over late in the going. Wood, of Georgia, Vt., went on to his third win of the season, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for his three-car team. His father, Brett Wood, finished second with teammate Eric Messier third. C.J. LaVair and Brad Bertrand completed the unofficial top five.
All results in all four divisions are currently unofficial pending the results of post-race technical inspection. Any penalties and/or adjustments in finishing position, if necessary, will be announced soon.
Gerald Grant of Addison, Vt., won the annual one-on-one “Street-Legal Spectator Races” event to close out the evening. After easily sweeping his first two matchups in single-lap races, Grant’s 2013 Toyota Tundra pickup – with an estimated 600 horsepower – won an exciting two-lap finale against Nate Corcoran, driving a 2011 Honda Civic. Other entries included a Chevrolet Camaro, a BMW 330xi, and a block-long 1964 Cadillac Deville.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s half-mile Asphalt Track is back in action on Saturday, August 6 at 7:00 p.m. as Carrara Masonry & Concrete presents the fifth annual “C.J. Richards Memorial” 67-lap event for the Sportsman Modifieds, along with Late Models, Renegades, Mini Stocks, a 50-lap Enduro Series race, and fireworks. Special general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (62+) and teens (13-17), and free for kids 12 and under.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of Exit 2 off of U.S. Route 4 and just 20 minutes from Rutland, Vt. 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.
