WEST HAVEN — Middlebury driver Todd Stone swept a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series stock car racing doubleheader at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Aug. 23, taking two 25-lap features in the track’s headline Bond Auto Parts Modified division.
The victories were the eighth and ninth of the season for the G. Stone Motors-sponsored No. 1X Teo Pro Car as Stone’s dominant summer continued.
Two other Addison County drivers joined Stone on the winner’s list, Bristol’s Josh Masterson in the Late Model division and Addison’s Chuck Bradford in the Mini Stock division; other winners that night were Chris Bergeron, Stephen Donahue, Richie Turner, and Jake Noble.
In the two main events, Stone started from the 12th and 13th positions and worked his way up through the fields. In the opening race, Stone drove from the back to pass Brandon’s Dave Snow for the lead on lap 15 and then cruised to an easy victory. Joe Williams of Scotia, N.Y., took second, with Joey Roberts of Fletcher third. Snow held on for a career-best fourth, with Brandon’s Vince Quenneville Jr. in fifth.
The nightcap appeared to belong to two-time track champion Ron Proctor of Charlton, N.Y. Proctor built a sizeable lead before a caution period with just three laps remaining set up a restart.
Stone, who was fourth at the time, sliced his way past Quenneville and N.Y. driver Leon Gonyo, and then chased Proctor down on the last lap, stealing the victory out of the final corner. Proctor settled for second, with Gonyo third. Quenneville and Middlebury’s Hunter Bates completed the top five finishers.
In the opening feature for the Late Model division, the veteran Bergeron from New Hampshire squared off with 16-year-old New York rookie Brandon Atkins before Bergeron took a clean, hard-fought battle for the win. Atkins took second; Robert Bryant Jr., of Brooklyn, Conn., was third; and Masterson and Hunter Bates were fourth and fifth, respectively. After several early caution flags, the race was cut from 25 laps to 20 due to time constraints.
Atkins was again at center stage in the second race, this time battling his fellow rookie, Masterson. The pair raced door-to-door for several laps before Masterson pulled ahead, but Atkins battled back to draw even as the laps clicked away. The youngsters race side-by-side over the final two laps, with Masterson edging Atkins for the win. Bryant was third for the second time of the night, with New Hampshire’s Ricky Bly fourth and Bates fifth.
The Renegade division returned for twin 15-lap features, and 15-year-old rookie Stephen Donahue of Graniteville produced the first victory of his career in the opening race. Defending champion Robert Gordon of Milton finished second, with rookie Ray Germain Jr. of Bristol a career-best third. In the second event, Richie Turner of Fairfax posted his second win of the year ahead of Donahue and rookie Brad Bushey of Cambridge.
Benson’s Noble ran to his second win of the year in the opening 15-lap feature for the Mini Stock division. Noble beat Mike Whalen, Jr. of Plattsburgh, N.Y., and rookie Lacey Hanson of Orwell for the win.
Bradford, a rookie from Addison, earned his second win of the summer in the second race, with Noble the runner-up and New York’s Chris LaVair third.
The Daredevil community racing division saw six race fans drawn at random compete in track-owned racecars in a four-lap race. Keegan Burnham of Proctor won, followed by Brandon’s Dan DeForge, Anthony White, Ryan Benoit, Ray Barrows Sr., and Middlebury’s A.J. LaRose.
DeForge double-dipped on the evening, and won the Spectator Races event for street-legal vehicles in one-on-one elimination races. DeForge drove a 2008 Pontiac G5 to win the final round against Tim Whitney Sr. of Cornwall.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 2013 racing season comes to a close at Vermont 200 Championship Weekend on Sept. 14 and 15. All four NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions will crown their champions, and major events will be held for the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series and the Northern Modified Challenge Series.
Local finishers this past Friday were:
•  Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature No. 1 (25 laps): 1. Stone; 4. Snow; 5. Quenneville; 6. Bates.
•  Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature No. 2 (25 laps): 1. Stone; 4. Quenneville; 5. Bates; 13. Snow.
•  Late Model Feature No. 1 (C to 20 laps): 4. Masterson; 5. Bates; 14. Tommy Eriksen Jr., Ferrisburgh.
•  Late Model Feature No. 2 (25 laps): 1. Masterson; 5. Bates; 14. Eriksen.
•  Renegade Feature No. 1 (15 laps): 3. Germain.
•  Renegade Feature No. 2 (15 laps): 4. Germain.
•  Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock Feature No. 1 (15 laps): 3. Hanson; 4. Bradford; 14. Lance Masterson, Lincoln.
•  Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock Feature No. 2 (15 laps): 1. Bradford; 4. Hanson; 12. Lance Masterson.
•  Daredevil Feature (4 laps): 2. Dan DeForge, Brandon; 6. A.J. LaRose, Middlebury.