LaDuc Sails to Open Competition Win for 50th Devil’s Bowl Speedway Victory

LaDuc Sails to Open Competition Win for 50th Devil’s Bowl Speedway Victory
Yetman survives for KOD Pro Stock championship

Story By: Justin St. Louis/Devils Bowl Speedway

Photos By: Barry Snelling/Devil’s Bowl Speedway
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Tim LaDuc cemented his place in the Devil’s Bowl Speedway record books on Sunday, September 17, taking the 50th feature race win of his career. The Orwell, Vt., veteran topped a wild-looking field in the Sunoco Race Fuels “Carl Vladyka Memorial” open-competition event for Sportsman Modifieds, dominating the post-season 29-lap special with a billboard-style sail panel mounted to the body of his car.
Other race winners during the event included Kenny Martin Jr., Chris Murray, Jesse Durkee, and Bill Fountain, while both Rob Yetman and Cory Gray celebrated championships.
LaDuc was a convincing winner in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified race; his No. 54 car ran roofless and benefitted from the aerodynamic stability of the large sail panel. He led every lap in route to his fourth win of the season and the 50th of his Devil’s Bowl career, giving him sole possession of second place on the track’s all-time victory list. LaDuc dedicated the win to his mother – long-time Devil’s Bowl staple Barbara LaDuc – who is at home recovering from recent health issues.
Track champion Kenny Tremont Jr. experimented with several body configurations during the day, and in the main event he carried a combination of three smaller sail panels and a front-mounted Sprint Car wing to finish in second place. Jimmy Ryan, Rookie of the Year James Fadden, and Floyd Billington – all using rear-mounted sail panels – completed the top five in the finishing order.
Kenny Martin Jr. of Ballston Spa, N.Y., won the season finale for the visiting King of Dirt Racing Series Pro Stocks, but it was Castleton, N.Y.’s Rob Yetman celebrating the championship. Martin started on the pole position and led every one of the feature race’s 29 laps, but was never assured of the win until the checkered flag waved; at one point, Martin was part of a four-wide battle for the lead.
Jon Routhier made late moves to take second place, and Byron Wescott saw a full-contract, final-lap battle with Rich Crane go his way for third place. Crane, who challenged Martin for the lead for much of the race, settled for fourth place with Yetman fifth.
Yetman entered the race with a seven-point lead on Nick Stone and 13 points on Martin, but – along with Stone – was involved in two early crashes. Yetman was forced to come from 15th place with a badly-battered race car to outdistance Martin and Stone for the King of Dirt championship.
Chris Murray of Fair Haven, Vt., capped his championship season in the Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock class by winning that division’s 20-lap open competition race. Murray used wider tires and a billboard sail similar to LaDuc’s to rebound from a mid-race spin and take his sixth victory of the season.
Scott FitzGerald, running a half-billboard and large rear spoiler, led the majority of the race before finishing second. Lebanon Valley Speedway regular Zach Seyerlein was impressive in his first Devil’s Bowl start and finished third. Lou Gancarz and Garrett Given completed the top five.
Jesse Durkee of South Royalton, Vt., won the most exciting race of the night, taking the 20-lap, open competition, $750-to-win feature for the Portland Glass Mini Stock division’s “Sweepstakes” finale. Durkee, who won the Bear Ridge Speedway championship 24 hours earlier, came from 10th place at the start to grab the lead at lap 6, but his engine began to give up at the halfway mark.
Home track driver Andrew FitzGerald reeled Durkee in and took the lead with four laps left, but the pair diced back-and-forth for the remainder of the race. FitzGerald blew a tire coming to the finish line and Durkee beat him to win by less than six inches. Matt Boucher drove his Northeast Mini Stock Tour entry from 15th to finish a close third, followed by Saturday night Fonda Speedway winner P.J. Bleau and Devil’s Bowl regular Jason Porter.
Bill Fountain of Altona, N.Y., added another significant accomplishment to his stat line by winning the 50-lap Enduro Series finale, and will go down in history as the final driver to win on the current 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl. Earlier in the month, Fountain was the final winner on the half-mile Asphalt Track; Devil’s Bowl Speedway will transition to an all-dirt half-mile surface for the 2018 season.
Cory Gray of Clarendon, Vt., was part of an entertaining mid-race fight for the lead with Brett Wood and Shawn Fountain, and held the point until Bill Fountain took over with eight circuits remaining. Gray finished second to wrap up his second-straight Enduro championship. His twin brother, Kyle Gray, finished third in the race, one lap down, driving the popular No. 7 “Chicken Pit” car. Jake Barrows finished fourth, three laps behind, with Cam Gadue fifth, four laps off the pace.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 2017 season is now complete. An informational meeting is planned to take place during the month of October, with the date and location to be announced.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at @DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the hashtag #DevilsBowl.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Sunoco Race Fuels “Carl Vladyka Memorial” Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Dirt Track – West Haven, Vt.
Sunday, September 17, 2017

King of Dirt Racing Series Pro Stock Feature (29 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Kenny Martin Jr., Ballston Spa, N.Y.
2. (4) Jon Routhier, Canaan, N.Y.
3. (10) Byron Wescott, Burnt Hills, N.Y.
4. (2) Rich Crane, Canaan, N.Y.
5. (6) Rob Yetman, Castleton, N.Y.
6. (8) Jason Casey, Canaan, Conn.
7. (16) Jay Casey, Canaan, Conn.
8. (9) Scott Govertson, Chatham, N.Y.
9. (15) Jeff Washburn, Benson, Vt.
10. (12) Chuck Dumblewski, Amsterdam, N.Y.
11. (7) Jason Meltz, Ghent, N.Y.
12. (13) Darrell Older, Ballston Spa, N.Y.
13. (3) Gus Hollner, Gloversville, N.Y.
14. (11) Devon Camenga, Troy, N.Y.
15. (14) Dan Older, Ballston Spa, N.Y.
16. (5) Nick Stone, Schenectady, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Jason Meltz, Jon Routhier, Kenny Martin Jr.
King of Dirt Racing Series Pro Stock Champion: Rob Yetman

Central Vermont Motorcycles Sportsman Modified Feature (29 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (2) Tim LaDuc, Orwell, Vt.
2. (1) Kenny Tremont Jr., West Sand Lake, N.Y.
3. (7) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, Vt.
4. (3) James Fadden, Plainfield, N.H.
5. (8) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
6. (9) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, Vt.
7. (6) Brian Whittemore, Pittsford, Vt.
8. (5) Marty Hutchins, Poultney, Vt.
9. (11) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
10. (12) Mike Fisher, Castleton, Vt.
11. (4) Lacey Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
12. (10) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, Vt.
Heat Winners: Jimmy Ryan, Marty Hutchins
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Jimmy Ryan
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Vince Quenneville Jr.

Rosen & Berger Auto Recyclers Super Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (9) Chris Murray, Fair Haven, Vt.
2. (3) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
3. (1) Zach Seyerlein, Lebanon, N.Y.
4. (6) Lou Gancarz, North Adams, Mass.
5. (8) Garrett Given, Cornwall, Vt.
6. (13) David Sparks, Rutland, Vt.
7. (14) Dave Fachini, North Adams, Mass.
8. (12) Matt Mosher, Queensbury, N.Y.
9. (7) Bill Duprey, Hydeville, Vt.
10. (2) Ronnie Alger, Orwell, Vt.
11. (11) Aaron Fachini, North Adams, Mass.
12. (4) Curtis Condon, Queensbury, N.Y.
13. (10) Josh Bussino, Mouth Holly, Vt.
14. (5) Jim McKiernan, Moriah Center, N.Y.
Heat Winners: Jim McKiernan, Curtis Condon

Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (10) Jesse Durkee, South Royalton, Vt.
2. (6) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, Vt.
3. (15) Matt Boucher, Andover, N.H.
4. (9) P.J. Bleau, Cohoes, N.Y.
5. (4) Jason Porter, Freeport, Maine
6. (3) Kelly Miller Jr., Johnson, Vt.
7. (5) Chris Charbonneau, Rutland, Vt.
8. (17) Dakota Desabrais, Brandon, Vt.
9. (7) Sean Lantas, Newport, N.H.
10. (11) Willie Rice, Poultney, Vt.
11. (8) Jake Barrows, Monkton, Vt.
12. (14) Erika Lilly, Castleton, Vt.
13. (1) Ben Grant, Victory Mills, N.Y.
14. (12) Roo Forrest, West Rutland, Vt.
15. (18) Kyle Rogers, Fair Haven, Vt.
16. (13) Steve Ryan, Ballston Spa, N.Y.
17. (2) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt.
18. (16) Mike Verhagen, Delmar, N.Y.
Did Not Start: Chris Conroy, Newport, N.H.; Kaleb Shepard, New Haven, Vt.; Tim Simonds, Clarendon, Vt.; Cameron Kennedy, Rochester, Vt.
Heat Winners: Chris Conroy, Andrew FitzGerald

Enduro Series Feature (50 laps)
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Laps Completed
1. (77) Bill Fountain, Altona, N.Y. – 50 Laps
2. (17) Cory Gray, Clarendon, Vt. – 50 Laps
3. (7) Kyle Gray, Richmond, Vt. – 49 Laps
4. (18X) Jake Barrows, Monkton, Vt. – 47 Laps
5. (62) Cam Gadue, Highgate, Vt. – 46 Laps
6. (20) Craig Kirby, Winooski, Vt. – 46 Laps
7. (314) Albert Rogers, Castleton, Vt. – 46 Laps
8. (25) Kyle Botala, Grand Isle, Vt. – 45 Laps
9. (52) Josh Payea, East Georgia, Vt. – 45 Laps
10. (4) Dillon Botala, Grand Isle, Vt. – 42 Laps
11. (01) Andy Botala, Grand Isle, Vt. – 37 Laps
12. (7NY) Shawn Fountain, Plattsburgh, N.Y. – 33 Laps
13. (802) Brett Wood, Georgia, Vt. – 32 Laps
14. (11) Johnny Bruno, Castleton, Vt. – 5 Laps
Enduro Series Champion: Cory Gray