Sports

Locals fare well at Devil’s Bowl

ORWELL DRIVER RONNIE ALGER (No. 54) takes the inside position in his white Monte Carlo, with Kevin Elliott (No. 98) and Andrew FitzGerald (No. 55) race up top through Turn 2 in Super Stock action at Devil's Bowl Speedway on Sunday. Alan Ward photo courtesy of Devil’s Bowl

WEST HAVEN — New York racer Kenny Tremont Jr. won the 54-lap Charlie LaDuc Memorial at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, a night during which local drivers settled for a series of top-three finishes, including Middlebury’s Justin Comes in that 54-lap main event.
Tremont was in 13th place at lap 29, but took the lead seven circuits later and was never behind after that. Alex Bell dominated the first half of the race, but several caution periods hit just past the midway point and the race changed dramatically. 
After being stuck outside the top 10 all race, Tremont sliced through the pack three-wide more than once and reached the lead by lap 36. 
A scary wreck with five laps remaining drew the red flag as Walter Hammond lost a wheel and took out three other cars; none of the drivers were injured. That restart put Tremont and Comes on the front row, but Tremont was never seriously challenged and drove to his third-straight win in the annual race honoring the memory of longtime driver Charlie LaDuc.
Pierson made a late move to steal the runner-up finish from Comes, marking the second week in a row for a Tremont-Pierson 1-2 result in the division.
Mike Parodi of South Glens Falls, N.Y., claimed the win in the 20-laph Limited Sportsman race. Parodi was able to successfully pass leader Anthony Warren of Shoreham after a restart with six laps left. From there, he ran a smooth line to take his first Devil’s Bowl victory and first in a Modified race.
Warren claimed the runner-up finish after leading the first 14 laps. James Hanson of Orwell took third with Brandon’s Dave Snow fourth and Leicester’s Adam Piper fifth. 
Josh Bussino of Belmont landed in the winner’s circle for the first time in two years in the 20-lap Super Stock feature. Scott FitzGerald came from deep in the field to finish second, with Orwell’s Garrett Given in third. 
Shawn Moquin of Milton continued his hot start in the Mini Stock division’s 20-lapper. Moquin flew from 10th at the start to take the lead just four laps into the race, and he had an easy go after that; Moquin now has two wins and two runner-up finishes in four starts. Panton’s Mike Preston edged Middlebury’s Jake Barrows for second place, but his car was disqualified in post-race inspection for a weight violation, and Barrows moved up to second.
Shawn McPhee of Rutland became the first repeat winner in the 500cc Mini Sprint division’s with a victory in a 20-lap race. Rookie Jack Koponen led the first nine laps before Cody O’Brien took over, but McPhee grabbed the lead on a lap 12 restart and cruised to the win. Samantha Mulready finished second while Koponen held on for third. 
The Champlain Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds made their maiden voyage to Devil’s Bowl with a 15-lap race for both Modified and Sportsman cars. Driving a 1980s, Gremlin-bodied car, John Flach of Ravena, N.Y., completed a decisive pass of Rob Sanford with four laps left to take the overall victory and the Modified division win. Sanford, in a Jeff Hoetzler tribute car, finished second, and Kevin Perry of Hampton, N.Y., finished third to take the Sportsman win. 
The winners and local finishers were:
•Pepsi Sportsman Modified Feature (54 laps): 1. Kenny Tremont Jr.; 3. Comes, Middlebury; 9. Mike Palmer, Salisbury; 10. Brent Warren, Salisbury; 23. Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon; 24. Jimmy Ryan, Shoreham; 26. Tim LaDuc, Orwell.
•O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature (20 laps): 1. Parodi; 2. Warren, Shoreham; 3. Hanson, Orwell; 4. Snow, Brandon; 5. Piper, Leicester; 7. Comes, Middlebury.
•Super Stock Feature (20 laps): 1. Bussino; 3. Given, Orwell; 7. Kaleb Shepard, Vergennes; 12. Alger, Orwell.
•Mini Stock Feature (20 laps): 1. Moquin; 2. Barrows, Middlebury.
•Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint Feature (20 laps): 1. McPhee; 4. Kevin Smith, Brandon; 8. Alyza McKeighan, Brandon.
•Champlain Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Feature (15 laps); 1. Flach.

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