Annual stock car show offers sneak preview of Vermont track’s 50th season

(From track press release)

RUTLAND – Winter might be trying to make a late surge in Vermont, but rest assured that the stock car racing season is on its way.   Race fans can head indoors on April 9-10 for a sneak preview of the 2016 season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland, Vt., as the track again participates in the annual Rutland Regional Racecar Show to benefit the March of Dimes and March for Babies charities.

The Rutland Regional Racecar Show is the first opportunity of the year for race fans of all ages to get a free, up-close-and-personal look at the fresh NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing machinery ready to battle on Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s half-mile asphalt oval on Saturday nights and the 3/10-mile dirt track on Sunday nights.  Cars and drivers from Devil’s Bowl and other tracks in the region will be on hand on Saturday, April 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Sunday, April 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Diamond Run Mall.

Confirmed cars expected to be at the show include open-wheel Sportsman Modifieds driven by asphalt champion “VQ2” Vince Quenneville Jr.; Fair Haven, Vt., natives Bob Kilburn and Billy Lussier; Plattsburgh, N.Y., invader Jason Durgan; and two-track Devil’s Bowl racer Jackie Brown Jr. of Hurley, N.Y.

Others expected are Late Model champion “Rocket” Josh Masterson and Most Improved Driver Seth Bridge, Renegade drivers Scott FitzGerald, Jim McKiernan, and Tony Salerno, Mini Stock driver Andrew FitzGerald, and new Bandit Youth Division racer Roo Forrest.

“We’re really excited for the 50th racing season to begin at Devil’s Bowl, and it’s always fun to see our race fans come out to the Diamond Run Mall for this event,” Devil’s Bowl Speedway Media Director Justin St. Louis said.  “There’s a lot of excitement about our new schedule of Saturday night asphalt racing and Sunday night dirt racing, and we can’t wait to wave the green flag.”

Admission to the show is free, though visitors are encouraged to make a donation to the March for Babies charity; a donation center will be located in the mall during the show.  The Diamond Run Mall is conveniently located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 4 and 7 in Rutland, Vermont.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s 50th season of racing will include NASCAR Whelen All-American Series-sanctioned action for both the half-mile asphalt and the 3/10-mile dirt tracks, totaling 27 scheduled events.  The asphalt track will race on Saturday nights, and the dirt track will race on Sunday nights; opening weekend is May 21-22.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of Exit 2 off of U.S. Route 4 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 Twitter and Instagram at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the #DevilsBowl hashtag.

PHOTO: Jason Durgan’s #17 Devil’s Bowl Speedway Modified will be on display for the second straight year at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland, Vt., on April 9-10(Devil’s Bowl Speedway photo)