When times get tough, sometimes change is needed to shake things up and build for success. That's exactly what the late C.J. Richards had in mind when it came time to sell Devil's Bowl Speedway, to long-time racer Mike Bruno and his wife Alayne.
Bruno hung up his racing helmet and put on his worker's hat, making safety and facility improvements his top priority. The first task was replacing the frontstretch wall that had been in place since the 1970's with a safer, 8-foot wall that goes four feet deep into the ground. The pit area is now prepped to be paved, which the Buno's hope to have done sometime this season.
But beyond those enhancements, the Bruno's set out to make Devil's Bowl a family-friendly atmosphere, because for their family, racing has always been a big part of their lives. Their children had a lot of input on what would be added to Devil's Bowl, outside of just racing. For the first 3 weeks of the season, carnival attractions were there for children to ride. There's also an arcade.
More than being fun for the family, a return of quality racing to the West Haven half-mile, is something that Mike hopes to see as a former-driver. Other racer's Vince Quenneville Jr. and Brent Dragon are excited to support the track as often as they can.
But the biggest change of all, weekly racing will now be on Friday nights at 6:30pm. It's a change the Bruno's hope will bring more driver's to the track, more fans to the stands, and more family fun at Devil's Bowl.
