WEST HAVEN, Vt. — Troy Audet technically has not lost a race that he has competed in at Devil’s Bowl Speedway during the last two weeks, but that does not mean that the road has been an easy one for him. The Bridport, Vt., driver topped the Sunoco Sportsman Modified feature on Sunday, May 21 – which was postponed on Saturday by rain — to headline a list of winners that included Scott Towslee, Nick Austin-Neil, Logan Denis, Jason Porter, and Eric Leno.
Audet won his qualifying heat race on May 13 at Devil’s Bowl, only to crash at the finish line after contact with another car. Audet’s car was heavily damaged and he was forced to withdraw from the feature race that night, but a week’s worth of repair work found him just as fast on Sunday night as he was before the accident.
Audet won his qualifying heat again and then led every circuit of the 30-lap feature, but that was no walk in the park, either. The former Limited Sportsman division champion had to hold the field off over eight restarts, and he survived a lead-swapping charge by veteran Jimmy Ryan with five laps to go, using a brilliant crossover move to regain the point and drive off with the victory.
Ryan was in striking range throughout the distance, but he gave up the runner-up position in the final laps as Walter J. Hammond turned up the wick – after a 20-lap battle in traffic with his father, Walt Hammond Jr. – and stole the spot. Ryan finished third, Adam Piper ran up front all race and finished an impressive fourth, and Tanner Siemons drove forward for fifth place.
Visiting Brian Calabrese drove from 20th at the start to finish sixth and earned the $100 Elmo’s Pit Stop Hard Charger bonus. The top 10 was completed by Marty Kelly III, Tim LaDuc, Billy Lussier, and Justin Comes. Audet, Piper, and Anthony Warren won the heats, and rookie Josh LeClaire won the consolation race.
Modified newcomer Scott Towslee was the official winner of the 25-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman feature following post-race technical inspection. The Manchester, Vt., youngster led a dozen laps in the middle of the race before giving up the lead to Timmy Aldrighetti and crossing the finish line second, but a rev box violation left Aldrighetti disqualified and allowed Towslee to inherit the win.
Randy Ryan finished second officially, and early-season championship point leader Hunter Nutter was third. Katrina Bean and Gary English were next in line, and the top 10 was rounded out by Alex Layn, Bob Kilburn, A.J. Munger, John Gosselin, and Freddie Little. Qualifying heats were won by Munger, Aldrighetti, and Layn.
Another first-time winner broke through in the Hoosier Daddy Racing Novice Sportsman class, as Salisbury, Vt.’s Nick Austin-Neil ran to the checkers for the first time in a 20-lap feature. Austin-Neil, who started his career in the former Youth Mini Stock division, passed Mike Clark for the lead on lap 14 and ran away over the balance of the race; Austin-Neil also turned the fastest lap in any of the three Sportsman divisions during the night, averaging 92.779 mph.
Donald Williams was the runner-up and point leader Tyler Travis took third place, giving him three podium finishes in as many races. Clark held on for fourth place after leading, with Bobbi Jo Hults fifth. Adam LaFountain was sixth, followed by Eric Shaw, Randy Edson, Russ Farr, and Matt Wade. Heat wins went to Clark and Austin-Neil.
The Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint division ran a three-segment special event, with the overall winner determined by a scoring point system. Defending champion Logan Denis became the first repeat winner at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in 2023 by taking the overall victory; the Whiting, Vt., youngster finished third in each of the first two 12-lap segments and won the final leg to score 7 points (3, 3, 1) and claim the lowest overall total.
Roger LaDuc was the overall runner-up with finishes of first, seventh, and second for 10 points (1, 7, 2). John Smith was third overall with 13 points (5, 5, 3), ahead of Chayton Young with 14 points (6, 2, 6) and Kevin Smith with 15 points (2, 6, 7). In addition to LaDuc and Denis winning segments, rookie John Carleton took his first checkered flag in the middle round.
The rough-and-tumble Mini Stock division saw an old name return to the track for the first time in five years, and that name ended up at the top of the heap, as Jason Porter made the long haul from Freeport, Maine, to the winner’s circle. Porter, driving a car borrowed from Bear Ridge Speedway champion Logan Martin, started 14th and threaded his way through traffic before taking the lead from Craig Kirby and grabbing his first win at Devil’s Bowl since 2018.
Former champions Kirby and Chris Conroy finished second and third, respectively, followed by Cody Dion and Airborne Speedway regular Ryan Senecal. Levi Cram was sixth, followed by Austin McKirryher, rookie Ryan Patch, Griff Mahoney, and Jake Barrows. Heats were won by Brian Blake, Conroy, and Adam Mahoney. The “B” feature was won by Jakobee Alger, who escaped from a wild, multi-car crash on the first lap.
The event finished with the season’s first 50-lap Enduro race, drawing 41 cars and plenty of excitement. Red flags stopped the action on several occasions, and when the smoke cleared it was Whiting, Vt.’s Eric Leno scored as the winner, narrowly holding off teammate Brent Wilbur. The full Enduro finish will be posted soon at www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway returns to action with a two-day event on Memorial Day weekend, as the annual “Northeast Crate Nationals” return. Racing starts on Saturday, May 27, at 5:00 p.m. with qualifying for all weekly divisions and features for the Novice Sportsman, 500cc Mini Sprint, and Crown Vic divisions, as well as an optional Sportsman Modified open practice and $500-to-win “Dash For Cash.”
Qualifying for the headline Sportsman Modified division starts on Sunday, May 28, at 5:00 p.m., followed by the 100-lap, $5,000-to-win main event. Also on the Sunday card are the Sprint Cars of New England and feature races for the Limited Sportsman and Mini Stock divisions.
Grandstand general admission is just $20 for adults and free for children aged 12 and under, good for both days. Infield drive-in parking is also available for $25 for adults and free for kids. Pit area passes are $35 for members and $45 for non-members.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2, and just 20 minutes from Rutland, Vt. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway, and on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.
