WEST HAVEN — In dirt track auto racing on July 3, New York driver Kenny Tremont Jr. added to his already impressive win total, and Ripton racer Chris Sumner also picked up a victory at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Tremont is the leader in all-time victories and championships at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, and his victory on July 3 came with personal milestones attached to it.
Tremont dominated the second half of the 100-lap main event in the Sportsman Modified division to take his third consecutive win at Devil’s Bowl and the 85th of his career at the track. The win was the 375th overall victory of his 40-year career, and Tremont has his eye on the century mark at Devil’s Bowl.
“We’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve got a great team and we’re still running well,” Tremont said. “If the breaks keep coming our way, I’d really like to get to 100 wins here at Devil’s Bowl.”
(Tremont crept a little closer to that mark with a win on Sunday; see story on Page 1B.)
New York’s Alex Bell led the first 50 laps of the race before Tremont completed his march from 18th starting position. Bell dueled with East Corinth’s Adam Pierson from that moment on, and Pierson eventually edged Bell for second place at the finish.
Ripton’s Chris Sumner won a 50-lap Enduro Series race on the 0.3-mile infield short track, and the tight confines of the track made for some entertaining action. Sumner’s Honda Accord trailed Shawn Fountain for the first 20 laps, but he took over after the first of two red flags and never looked back. Kyle Botala drove a Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck to the runner-up finish. Orwell’s Kenny Torrey finished third, and Middlebury’s Brian Blake was fourth.
Plainfield’s Will Hull won the 25-lap feature for the Sprint Cars of New England after a thrilling final five laps. Hull started on the pole but fell back to third place early in the running behind Floyd Billington and Peter Dance. Hull clawed his way back past Dance and reached leader Billington in the stretch drive.
Hull made a move on the outside with five laps left, but contact with Billington sent him off the backstretch at full speed. Hull never lifted off the throttle, drove back onto the track, chased Billington down and made a pass on the outside coming out of Turn 4 with one lap left; Billington settled for second. 
Sixteen-year-old Johnny Bruno of Castleton prevailed in the Limited Sportsman division. The youngster battled out front with Brandon’s Matt Bilodeau for most of the 20-lap distance; Bruno led the first seven circuits before Bilodeau passed him on the outside, but Bruno returned the favor on a lap 12 restart and drove away. Bilodeau took second ahead of Mike Ryan, Anthony Warren of Shoreham and Dave Snow or Brandon.
In the 25-lap Super Stock feature West Rutland’s Scott FitzGerald outran his son, Andrew, for the win. Bill Duprey was third, and Orwell’s Garrett Given finished fourth.
Shawn Moquin of Milton continued his hot streak by prevailing in the 20-lap feature in the Mini Stock division, taking his third win and fifth top-two finish in five starts. He took the lead just after halfway point and cruised to the victory. Middlebury’s Jake Barrows came on strong to finish second.
Thirteen-year-old rookie Evan Roberts of Fletcher claimed his second win in the 500cc Mini Sprint division. The 20-lap race was cut short to 14 laps by time constraints, but Roberts had already made a nice drive from ninth at the start to take the lead seven laps in.  
The winners and local finishers at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on July 3 were:
•Sportsman Modified division (100-lap Main Event): 1. Tremont; 10. Justin Comes, Middlebury; 15. Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon; 16. Tim LaDuc, Orwell; 18. Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham; 26. Brent Warren, Salisbury.
•Sprint Cars of New England Feature (25 laps): 1. Hull; 7. Lacey Hanson, Orwell.
•O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (20 laps): 1. Bruno, 2. Bilodeau; 4. Warren; 5. Snow; 6. James Hanson, Orwell; 11. Austin Comes, Middlebury.
•Super Stock Feature (25 laps): 1. FitzGerald; 4. Given; 9. Ronnie Alger, Orwell; 13. Kaleb Shepard, Vergennes.
•Mini Stock Feature (20 laps): 1. Moquin; 2. Barrows; 7. Scott Cowdrey, Leicester.
•Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (20 laps): 1. Roberts; 6. Kevin Smith, Brandon; 11. Alyza McKeighan, Brandon.
•Enduro Series Feature (50 laps): 1. Sumner; 3. Torrey; 4. Blake; 7. Ethan White, Leicester.