Here’s a good rule to follow. Never count out Chad Edwards.
The sportsman driver from Mayfield has had an up-and-down racing career, but just when it looks like he’s slipping back into the shadows, he’s right back in the spotlight.
Edwards chalked up the biggest win of his career Sunday when he won the 35-lap King of Dirt Series race at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven, Vt., finishing on top of a star-studded field that included Ken Tremont Jr. and Rocky Warner.
From the beginning, it looked like Edwards never had a chance. He was 14th out of 41 cars during time trials, and even though he hung around in the top five for most of the feature, all of the attention was on Scott Duell, Tremont and Warner, who were putting on a show up front.
Tremont got the lead on lap 21, with Warner and Duell, who had set a track record during time trials, right behind him.
Duell nosed ahead of Tremont with six laps to go, but immediately pulled into the pits with mechanical problems.
Warner then moved in front on a restart with five laps left, but Tremont, a seven-time track champion at the Bowl, stayed right with him.
Probably not a good thing, because when Warner caught a bump in turn three, he collected Tremont and both drivers ended up stopped in turns three and four.
Who got the lead? Edwards. And that’s where he stayed, getting the win for car owner Tommy Spencer.
Wow. When was the last time Spencer was in victory lane as a car owner? He used to literally live there when he fielded cars for Mike Romano and Tim Clemons (and was a sponsor of Ricky Achzet’s car) at Fonda Speedway during the late 1980s and 1990s. Good to see him back holding a trophy.
Anyway, back to Edwards. Although the KOD race probably ranks as his most important win, it’s not his biggest payday (he took home $1,450). That came in 2010, when he won the 602 Nationals, which paid $1,500 to win, at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park. He won a GRIT Series race at Glen Ridge in 2015, when he was driving for Dodson Construction, and also won a segment of the 2015 Spring Fever at Fonda, losing the overall title by points to Warner.
Although Edwards doesn’t rack up the wins like Warner does, don’t ever count him out of a big race.
GIVE IT A REST
One of the biggest issues Sunday (at least for the computer jockeys on the internet) was allowing Tremont and Bobby Hackel IV to compete in the KOD Series race. The KOD Series is for 602 sportsman drivers, and everyone knows Tremont and Hackel IV are modified drivers.
But here’s why they ran. Because track owner Mike Bruno and KOD series promoter Rob Hazer said they could. Both Tremont and Hackel have supported the dirt track at Devil’s Bowl since Bruno opened it. Hackel, in fact, is the defending track champion. How can you not let him compete at his home track?
I get the argument that Tremont has vastly more experience, and can afford better equipment than a lot of sportsman drivers, who are on tighter budgets. But all that experience didn’t help when Warner spun in front of him, did it?
Give it a rest. If it was OK with Bruno and Hazer that Tremont and Hackel were in the field, that should be the end of the discussion.
AROUND THE TRACKS
Who said racing was for the young? Two weeks ago, 71-year-old Bob Vedder of Schoharie won his first official modified feature at Glen Ridge (he took the checkered flag in a race for non-winners last season), and last Saturday, Ron Proctor of Charlton, 63, picked up his second straight win, driving a 9-year-old race car, on the asphalt track at Devil’s Bowl.
Because of three rainouts, Albany-Saratoga Speedway has scheduled a full points show for Wednesday, June 14. I hope none of the point contenders work second shift.
Lebanon Valley Speedway will be hosting the JC Flach Memorial race for modifieds on Saturday night.
Eddie Marshall drove Kolby Schroeder’s backup car to a third-place finish in the modified feature at the Valley last Saturday. Marshall had to borrow the ride after trashing his own car the week before. He’ll be bringing out a new TEO chassis this weekend.
Danny Varin had a good night at Utica-Rome Sunday. He won the Empire Super Sprints feature and finished third in the modifieds.
Reach Gazette Sports Editor Tom Boggie at 395-3160 or [email protected].
Categories: -Sports-
