SOUTH PLATTSBUGH, N.Y. — Brandon’s Vince Quenneville Jr. was a winner as the Northern Modified Challenge Series — normally a Devil’s Bowl Speedway fixture — made its first appearance at Airborne Park Speedway on Saturday with a pair of 30-lap feature races.
Quenneville and fellow veteran Leon Gonyo of New York each posted his first 2014 victory on the Northern Modified Challenge Series.
Quenneville — who won the inaugural Modified Series championship last year, but without a race victory — finally broke into the winner’s circle in the second feature. Speedy Bresette and Chris Frennier led the field for much of the race while Quenneville sliced through traffic. Quenneville, one of only two Vermonters in the field, used a three-wide move to take the lead from Bresette with four laps remaining, then cruised to the win. Frennier finished second.
In the opener, Gonyo started on the pole position by virtue of a random draw. He led every lap, but found himself under nearly constant pressure from Jessey Mueller during the race. Mueller, who won the opening Modified event of the season at Thunder Road in Barre, made multiple attempts for the lead on the outside lane but settled for the runner-up position. Quenneville took seventh.
The Northern Modified Challenge Series, sanctioned by Devil’s Bowl Speedway management, returns to its home track on Friday with the third annual C.J. Richards Memorial 67.