Sports

Hanson, Summer prevail at Devil’s Bowl

ORWELL’S LACEY HANSON was a popular winner in a 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division race on Sunday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Photo by Jeremy McGaffin/Showstopper

WEST HAVEN — Orwell’s Lacey Hanson and Ripton’s Chris Sumner won their races to provide the local highlights on Sunday on the Devil’s Bowl Speedway dirt track. Heavy rains washed out Saturday’s race card. 
Hanson scored what a track spokesman called the most popular win of the night in the 25-lap, $400-to-win feature in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Division. The Orwell racer — a former track champion in the winged 360 Sprint Cars — ran what she described as “the longest race of my life” after several caution flags and restarts slowed the action. 
Hanson fended off New York driver Montgomery Tremont at every restart and led all but the opening lap for her first career win in a Modified car. Castleton’s Johnny Bruno surged late and nipped Tremont at the finish line for second. Middlebury’s Austin Comes and Orwell’s Randy Ryan finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the 26-car field
Rookie Chris Sumner made it back-to-back victories in the Mini Stock division, which drew a big field of 32 cars. The race was not without its problems, and its 20-minute time limit was reached with just 11 laps completed of a scheduled 20. Sumner earned his win, driving from 18th at the start to the lead in just eight laps. Middlebury’s Jake Barrows finished a season-best third place.
In the evening’s twin main events, Demetrios Drellos and David Boisclair each won, thus qualifying for this coming Sunday’s Interstate All Battery Center Vermont 200-lap Crate Sportsman Modified race.
Devil’s Bowl’s officials are billing that event as the biggest Crate Sportsman Modified ever held in North America. They are offering a $7,500 purse to the winner, plus $5,000 in bonuses for leading during the race.
New Yorker Drellos won the 54-lap Charlie LaDuc Memorial feature in the Pepsi Sportsman Modified division, but Orwell’s Tim LaDuc led during the race’s middle stages. Point leader Drellos caught LaDuc, and they battled for several laps and faced each other in a couple of restarts before Drellos passed LaDuc and led the final 20 circuits. 
LaDuc settled for second, while Middlebury’s Justin Comes and Whiting’s Jimmy Ryan finished eighth and ninth, respectively.  
Boisclair posted the first Sportsman win of his career at Devil’s Bowl in the 25-lap “Draw Race” for drivers looking to earn a spot in the Vermont 200. Brandon’s Jake Scarborough was 11th. 
New Yorker Jim McKiernan prevailed in a 20-lap Super Stock race after dodging an opening-lap crash. Orwell’s Ronnie Alger took seventh 
Chester’s Austin Chaves grabbed his fourth win of the season in a 29-lap Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division race. Bridport rookie Troy Audet posted his third runner-up finish in the series, Orwell’s Ray Hanson was eighth, and Monkton’s Kaidin White finished ninth.
Clarendon’s Corey Gray remained undefeated this year in the Enduro series at Devil’s Bowl, winning his third straight 50-lapper. Shoreman’s Brent Warren, a regular competitor in the weekly Sportsman Modified division, finished second, also going the 50-lap distance. 
This Sunday’s card, including the Interstate All Battery Center Vermont 200, begins at 5 p.m. The speedway also plans a full evening of action on Saturday, also beginning at 5 p.m.

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