EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard is no stranger to Devil’s Bowl Speedway having raced there weekly back in 2014 before deciding leave to focus on running the full American Canadian Tour in 2015. Back on July 11, 2014, Packard made history at the half mile oval setting two records; becoming the first female to win, and being the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event in the Late Model division there.
She went on to win two more races that year, so to say that the East Montpelier driver is excited to be heading there this weekend would be an understatement. “Devil’s Bowl is like the bread to my butter,” said Emily. “For some reason, when I first went there it just clicked and I was instantly comfortable. We have had some great runs there, and I love the track, with its tight corners and long straightaways, it’s just a driver’s track. Getting my first late model win there was pretty special, and I am really looking forward to this weekend, it has been circled on the calendar since the schedule came out.”
Having had a couple bad weeks at the track, the timing couldn’t be better to help restore the 19-year olds confidence. “This week the Polewarczyk’s have made a couple changes to the car to help with the struggles that we have experienced the past two weeks,” Packard said. “They are confident that these changes are going to help this week and that makes me more confident. I am comfortable with the race track, and I am sure that the car is going to be good right from the start.”
Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team are currently 10th in the American Canadian Tour standings, and are looking for a good finish this weekend. “Realistically, a top-5 run would be great,” said Packard, “obviously, I hope for an even better finish than that. Our finishes the past few weeks don’t reflect how good we really have been, so a top-5 would really show that.”
Practice for the People’s United Bank 100 starts at 3 pm Saturday June 4th, with heats scheduled to begin at 6 pm. Follow along on social media for live updates from the track all day long.