WEST HAVEN — New York’s Demetrios Drellos, Castleton’s Johnny Bruno, West Rutland’s Andrew FitzGerald, New Hampshire’s Chris Conroy and Springfield’s Cody O’Brien earned track championships on Saturday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. 
Middlebury’s Austin Comes provided the local highlight with a win in the 25-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature, three county drivers earned Rookie of the Year honors in their divisions, and several other Addison County and Brandon drivers picked up top-five finishes.
Drellos earned his Sportsman Modified championship despite being penalized for driving off the track without permission after an accident with 10 laps remaining in the race. That gave East Corinth’s Adam Pierson a chance to catch the points leader, but Pierson’s 10th-place finish left him eight points short. 
North Bennington’s Marty Kelly III edged Brandon’s Joey Scarborough down the home stretch for the win. Whiting’s Jimmy Ryan was third, Orwell’s Tim LaDuc finished fourth, and Middlebury’s Justin Stone was eighth, three spots ahead of his father, Todd Stone. Justin Stone’s effort clinched him Rookie of the Year honors in the division.
The Sportsman Modified division also offered a 25-lap Draw Race feature that gave outside racers a chance to shine without having to battle through the weekly handicapping system. New York driver Derek Bornt prevailed in a race that saw no local finisher in the top 10.
Comes’ win in the 25-lap feature in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman division came despite a first-lap wreck. Comes returned to the track with vise-grip pliers holding a broken brake line together.  
Comes caught leader Anthony Ryan of Benson on the 20th lap and drove away to the win. Ryan was the runner-up, with Bruno in third, Orwell’s Lacey Hanson in fourth, and Shoreham’s John Gosselin and Anthony Warren in fifth and sixth, respectively. 
Warren finished just behind Bruno, 17, in the points standings. Bruno won his second straight Limited Sportsman title. 
New York racer Hunter Sanchez prevailed in the Super Stock division’s 20-lap feature. No local drivers cracked the top 10. West Rutland’s Fitzgerald ran second and clinched the series championship, with Orwell’s Ronnie Alger second in the points standings. Alger ran 11th on Saturday. 
Another New Yorker, Josh LaPorte, won the 15-lap Mini Stock feature. Brandon’s Griff Mahoney finished 10th in a big field. Conroy nailed down the Mini Stock championship by taking third. Ripton’s Chris Sumner didn’t have his best night, settling for 18th, but a summer of good results earned him Rookie of the Year honors in the division. 
Springfield’s O’Brien went out on top in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division by sweeping both the race win and the championship. The 15-year-old racer picked up his fifth win of the year and his second championship in three seasons.
Monkton’s Kaidin White edged Bridport’s Troy Audet in the race, taking third to Audet’s fourth, but Audet still topped White in the race for Rookie of the Year by 17 points. 
The Addison County Benefit Pull comes to Devil’s Bowl on Friday and Saturday with two full days of truck, tractor, and garden tractor pulls. More information, including schedules and ticket availability, is online at AddisonCountyBenefitPull.com.
The 2020 stock car racing season closes on Sunday with open-competition “run what ya brung” races for all five weekly divisions, plus mechanic races and a 100-lap Enduro.