With the racing world paused amid the COVID-19 outbreak, SPEED SPORT is highlighting race tracks around the United States. This is part of that ongoing series.
Track of the Day: Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Address: 2743 Route Route 22-A, Fair Haven, VT 05743
Website: www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com
History: Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway has gone through several transformations during its lengthy history, which dates back to 1967.
Founded by C.J. Richards in 1967, the facility currently features a half-mile dirt track, through it wasn’t all that long ago that the property played host to dirt and asphalt racing at the same time.
Originally built as a dirt track, the half-mile oval was paved from 1971 to ’74 before switching back to dirt in 1975. It remained a dirt track through the 2009 season, but in 2010 the half-mile oval returned to a paved surface.
Under the ownership of Mike and Alayne Bruno, Devil’s Bowl Speedway added a three-tenths-mile dirt track in the infield of the half-mile oval in 2014 and both tracks hosted racing on a regular basis.
However, in late 2017 the Bruno family decided to transition the half-mile oval back to a dirt surface. The asphalt surface was covered in clay from a nearby property in West Haven, Vt., and dirt racing become the headlining attraction at Devil’s Bowl Speedway again. The track remains under the guidance of the Bruno family.
The track hosts weekly racing from May through early October, with action headlined by the sportsman modified division.
Devil’s Bowl’s biggest event is the Vermont 200, which is scheduled for Sept. 5-6 and will offer a $12,000 payout to the winner of a 100-lap sportsman modified feature.
