New King of Dirt Series tour debuts June 13; Ron Casey Memorial Sportsman race on tap

(From track press release)

WEST HAVEN – The best dirt track drivers in the Northeast are headed to Devil’s Bowl Speedway to make history on Tuesday night, June 13, at 7:00 p.m.  The ground-pounding, high-horsepower 358-Modifieds of the King of Dirt Series (KOD) will compete in the 40-lap “Vermont Modified Mayhem” event, and among the top drivers expected to be chasing the $3,000 victory are “Super” Matt Sheppard and “The Empire Executioner” Tim Fuller.

Accompanying the KOD race is the inaugural $500-to-win “Ron Casey Memorial” 20-lap Sportsman Modified non-winners shootout.  The Tuesday night special is presented by A-Verdi Storage & Office Solutions.

Tuesday’s race is the first-ever event for the new Elmo’s Auto Body KOD Small Block Modified tour.  Devil’s Bowl is considered neutral territory for Small Block Modifieds, with only one previous race run on the 3/10-mile bullring in 2014.  The KOD organization made a big first impression at Devil’s Bowl on May 28 with its Sportsman series, drawing a track-record 42 cars, and Tuesday night’s race is also expected to bring many regional stars.

Leading the list of anticipated entries is five-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y., and 2016 Super DIRT Week Small Block 100 winner Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.  Sheppard, who has won more than 100 features since 2013, will drive C.G. Morey’s Crash Palace No. 14 car.  Fuller will pilot the No. 3RS entry owned by Randy and Bobby Slack that he scored the prestigious victory with at Oswego Speedway.

Neil Stratton of Bennington, Vt., will be on hand to defend his 2014 Modified win at Devil’s Bowl, while other tough competition will come from top drivers Matt DeLorenzo, Marc Johnson, Jeremy Wilder, Elmo Reckner, Brett Haas, and Jason Herrington,.  Local favorites Jessey Mueller, Frank Hoard III, and Jake Scarborough are expected, along with three-time Devil’s Bowl champion Don Ronca and many others.

In addition to the KOD race, the Sportsman Modified division is guaranteed to have a new face in victory lane in the Ron Casey Memorial.  The special $500-to-win, non-points race honors Manchester, Vt., native and low-budget underdog Casey, who passed away last July.  The 20-lap race distance is a tribute to his familiar car number.

The Sportsman race is only open to drivers who have not won a feature on The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl in 2014-17.  Talented drivers who are eligible to compete include Jimmy Ryan, Billy Lussier, Justin Severance, Joey Scarborough, Jackie Brown Jr., Randy Howe, Kevin Chaffee, Ricky Sanville, and more.

Admission for Tuesday, June 13, is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $5 for teenagers, and free for kids age 12 and under.  Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with racing at 7:00 p.m.; the event is expected to be finished by 9:30 p.m.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2.  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: Five-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y., will drive the Crash Palace #14 entry owned by C.G. Morey of Rutland, Vt., in Tuesday night’s King of Dirt Series Small Block Modified race at The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. (Speed51/Mojo photos)