Story By: JUSTIN ST. LOUIS / DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY – WEST HAVEN, VT – The underdogs shone on Friend Construction Night in the Sportsman Modified division Saturday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Following two short rain delays and a two-hour delay for a local power outage, the feature race was worth the wait for Jimmy Davis.
Mike Fisher, who is 19th in the point standings, led the first 15 laps before the first yellow flag bunched the field for a restart.
Davis jumped out front and then held Fisher off on the second and final restart with four laps left.
The win was the first for Davis at Devil’s Bowl Speedway since June 15, 1997.
Fisher and fourth-place Adam Piper scored career-best finishes.
Championship contenders Justin Comes and Tim LaDuc finished 8th and 12th, respectively, and Comes holds an unofficial lead of 18 points.
Sportsman Modified Feature – 30 Laps
1. 24 Jimmy Davis – Amsterdam, NY
2. 77M Mike Fisher – Castleton, VT
3. 60 Jimmy Ryan – Shoreham, VT
4. 66 Adam Piper – Leicester, VT
5. 60W Anthony Warren – Shoreham, VT
O’Reilly Auto Parts Limited Sportsman Feature – 25 Laps
1. 51 Austin Comes – Middlebury, VT
2. 50X Evan Roberts – Fletcher, VT
3. 44D Bill Duprey – Hydeville, VT
4. 751 Alex Layn – New Haven, VT
5. 211 Anthony Ryan – Benson, VT
SUMMARY: Austin Comes, younger brother of Sportsman driver Justin, picked a good night to earn his fourth win of the season, as championship rival Troy Audet had a bit of an “off” night. Comes started 16th on the field and sliced his way through traffic, reaching Gary English to take the lead away on lap 18. Audet struggled in the midfield, only reaching sixth place. Comes was able to cut a dozen points off of Audet’s lead in the standings, and now trails by 23. Apparent runner-up Randy Ryan was disqualified for an engine infraction, moving Evan Roberts up to the spot; Roberts started 19th on the field.
Super Stock Feature – 15 Laps
1. 52 Jim McKiernan – Moriah Center, NY
2. 3B Paul Braymer – Granville, NY
3. M7 Chris Murray – Fair Haven, VT – 2021 CHAMPION
4. 2X Josh Bussino – Fair Haven, VT
5. 55 Andrew FitzGerald – West Rutland, VT
SUMMARY: Former Devil’s Bowl Speedway asphalt champion Jim McKiernan led every step of the way in a caution-free race for his first win of the season, which came in the championship finale for the Super Stock division. Chris Murray clinched the title by 46 points over Paul Braymer, unofficially.
Mini Stock “A” Feature – 15 Laps
1. 83 Mark Mahoney – Brandon, VT
2. 27X Brian Blake – Cornwall, VT
3. 44 Craig Kirby – St. Albans, VT
4. 18 Daryl Gebo – Orwell, VT
5. 18X Jake Barrows – Cornwall, VT
SUMMARY: Mark Mahoney squeaked out the victory in the Mini Stock “A” Feature, just nipping Brian Blake at the finish line by about three feet, with an official margin of victory of just 74-thousandths (0.074) of a second. Mahoney’s victory was already his second in just nine career starts. Chris Sumner (finished 6th) continues to lead rookie Daryl Gebo by 37 points for the title, 921-884.
Mini Stock “B” Feature – 10 Laps
1. X9 Joe Malzac – East Middlebury, VT
2. 143 Cody Dion – Rutland, VT
3. 4D Donald Olden – Poultney, VT
4. 25 Damian Olden – Poultney, VT
5. 27 Adam Mahoney – Rutland, VT
SUMMARY: Joe Malzac, who started his racing career at Devil’s Bowl Speedway 34 years ago, posted his first win ever by leading all 10 laps of the “B” Feature for the Mini Stocks.
Friend Construction 500cc Mini Sprints – 15 Laps
1. 723 Ray Hanson – Orwell, VT
2. 42JR Kamden Duffy – Richmond, NH
3. 17 Kaidin White – Monkton, VT
4. 10 John Smith – Poultney, VT
5. 54 Roger LaDuc – Orwell, VT
SUMMARY: Ray Hanson left little doubt in wrapping up the 500cc Mini Sprint track championship. Hanson stalked early leader Scott Bachand and took over at lap 4, and then he made a statement by running away for his 11th win of 2021.