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Joey Scarborough wins Firecracker 44 in front of packed house at the Bowl

West Haven, Vt - Race fans were treated to a little bit of everything at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday night. Primary sponsor, the McGee Automotive Family, powered the annual spectacular fireworks display and held a Thomas Rhett concert experience giveaway. And there were plenty of explosive moments on the track as well, with all six of the weekly divisions plus a 50-lap Enduro on the card at New England’s fastest half-mile dirt track.
The main event of the evening was the Firecracker 44 for the headline division, Sunoco Sportsman Modifieds. Joey Scarborough charged from the 16th starting position to pick up his third win of the season and the $2,000 winner’s purse. Polesitter Josh LeClaire set the early pace and led until lap 26 when the caution flew. Kevin Chafee took the lead after the restart and threatened to pull away, but a pileup in turn four on lap 35 took out several contenders and reshuffled the deck. Soon after the restart, Scarborough wrestled the top spot away from Chaffee and cruised to the checkered flag to secure his perch atop the point standings. Derrick McGrew Jr. slipped past Chafee for second, with Chafee finishing third to maintain a spot on the podium. Vince Quenneville and Dave Camara rounded out the top five. Camara earned the Elmo’s Pit Stop “Hard Charger Award” of $100 after gaining 20 spots from the 25th position in the lineup.
In the 25-lap O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman feature, New Hampshire native Kamden Duffy took advantage of a late race melee to capture his second win in the last three weeks. The Granite-stater started eighth and quickly moved into contention, patiently waiting for the right opportunity. Cody O’Brien dominated the early laps and appeared to be poised to take his first win of the season, but William Lussier, Bobbi Hults, and Matt Wade were in hot pursuit. Past winners Duffy, Marty Hutchins, and William Duprey were also weaving their way through traffic. O’Brien still led with three circuits remaining when caution flew, forcing the field to stack back up. On the restart, the field bunched up coming out of turn two, leading to a multi-car pile-up on the backstretch that ended O’Brien’s chances and sent Lussier to the pits. When the green flag ignited the field for the final time, Duprey held the lead, but Duffy scooted around him down the back chute and held on to claim the checkered flag. Duprey crossed the line second, followed by Hutchins, Hults, and Logan Denis.
Queensbury, New York’s Raelin Dunham has been knocking on the door of victory lane all season long at both Devil’s Bowl and Airborne Park. It was finally Dunham’s night as she grabbed the lead late and rolled to her first win of the season. Trevor Hurlburt and James McLellan led the field to the green, with both leading the pack during the early stages. Winston Forbes powered past McLellan on the backstretch on lap six as Dunham was surging toward the front. An incident on lap 7 took out three of the frontrunners, and Dunham restarted second. With Forbes guarding the low line, Dunham shifted up a lane, drove past the leader off of turn four on lap 13, and drove off for the win. Forbes held on for second. Rob Steele, Rob Steves, and Matt Cram completed the top five.
Defending track champion Gage Provencher took control early and cruised to an impressive win in the Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprint feature. Jordan Zakrzewski led briefly from the pole, but once the driver known as “Pig Boy” found his way to the point, there was never a challenge as the 20-lap event went flag to flag. Destin St. Clair had a strong second-place run, followed by Ray Hanson, who advanced from the 10th spot on the grid, Quinn Quenneville, and John Smith.
After a one-week hiatus, Eric Friend returned to victory lane in the 9th State Cannabis Crown Vic feature. It was the third win of the season for Friend at “The Bowl,” and fifth overall. Elisabeth Dupont controlled the pace early and battled to hold off Friend before settling for second. Chad Merrill, Norm Morrill, and TJ Knight also enjoyed top-five finishes.
The Fisher Auto Parts Mini Stocks ran split 15-lap features with a pair of first-time winners visiting victory lane. Jeremy Brownell Jr., whose father is a two-time winner, added to the family trophy case with a win in the first feature, fighting off Jake Mallory, who drove from the back of the grid to place second. Early leader Jon Jordan recovered from a mishap to finish third, followed by Caleb Sprague and Ryan Patch. Tyler Bell cashed in on the long trek from Peru, NY, to claim the second feature. Bell outdueled Kaleb Shepard, who led much of the contest. Jake Fountain, the senior Jeremy Brownell, and Chris Charboneau followed the top two past the flagstand.
Sunoco Sportsman Modified defending champion Tim Laduc traded his open-wheel machine for a full-fendered ride and made it look easy in the 50-lap Enduro. Laduc started 23rd and eased to the front in the early stages and was never challenged. Dan Deforges was second, Jason Porter third, early leader Brett Wilbur fourth, and Jim Henry fifth.
The action continues at Devil’s Bowl on Saturday, July 5th, with the “Mid-season Championships” with double features in all divisions and driver autographs at intermission. The 358 Modifieds will also be on hand for their second appearance of the year. General admission is $15, kids 12 and under get in free! Infield tailgating is $25 per person, and pit passes are $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Racing shifts to 7 p.m. this weekend.

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