Sports

Chris Sumner, Ray Hanson prevail at Devil’s Bowl

WEST HAVEN — Ripton’s Chris Sumner and Orwell’s Ray Hanson kept up their winning ways in undercard feature races on Sunday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Both entered as division leaders on the West Haven dirt oval track and added to their points advantage.  

Sumner entered as the co-leader in the Mini-Stock division with Orwell’s Daryl Gebo and then won one of two 12-lap feature races. Devil’s Bowl officials divided the field because of a big turnout — 38 entrants were ready to go in the pits.

Sumner cruised to his fourth victory of the season in the first of the two Mini-Stock features and was the only local racer in the top five.

Plattsburgh’s Greg Zindler Jr. picked up his first career Devil’s Bowl win in the second Mini-Stock race. Leicester’s Derrick Counter finished fourth.

Hanson picked up his seventh win in seven tries in the 15-lap 500cc Mini Sprint division, which went 15 laps on Sunday — all races were originally scheduled for Saturday, but moved to Sunday due to rainy weather.

Monkton’s Kaidin White led the first nine circuits, but was slowed by lapped traffic. Hanson took advantage to make the pass and cruised home from there. White settled for second, and Brandon’s Kevin Smith was fourth.

Devil’s Bowl also hosted a Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) race on Sunday. Six-time SCoNE champion Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., prevailed in what was his first win at the West Haven track. Local racers were not involved in the top tier.

Queensbury, N.Y., driver Demetrios Drellos picked up his fifth win in the regular main Devil’s Bowl feature, the Sportsman Modified series, this one a 50-lap race. Orwell’s Tim LaDuc led for the first half of the face, but Drellos caught him at the midway mark. They raced together for five laps before Drellos managed a final pass on the 34th lap and maintained the lead for the win.

LaDuc settled for second, and Middlebury’s Todd Stone (fourth) and Brandon’s Vince Quenneville (fifth) also cracked the top five.

In a 25-lap Limited Sportsman race Beau Reeves, 15, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., earned his first Devil’s Bowl win, edging Fair Haven’s Bob Kilburn, 65, for the win in a battle of the ages.

Fair Haven’s Chris Murray kept his big season in the Super Stock season going, outdueling Addison’s Chuck Bradford on the final lap to take the 20-lapper, his fifth win of the summer. Bradford spun out heading to the finish and finished out of the running. 

There was drama at the finish of the opening 50-lap Enduro Series race. Matt Wade recovered from a mid-race spin to chase Eric Leno down in the last lap. There, Wade spun Leno from behind and crossed the finish first as Leno crossed second backwards. But officials disqualified Wade for rough riding and gave Leno the victory, his second of the year in the series.

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