Stone Captures Driver of the Year

By Tom Haley
THE RUTLAND HERALD
You can tell a lot about athletes by the way they carry themselves. The late great New York Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford once said that he could tell a winner by the way they walk down the street.

“When his team rolled in, they just looked different,” former Devil’s Bowl announcer Justin St. Louis said of driver Todd Stone. “They didn’t look like everyone else. Their hauler was beautiful and they had uniforms.”

The Middlebury driver captured the Bowl’s 2022 track championship in the Sunoco Sportsman Modified division.

Now, Stone adds another jewel to the crown — the Rutland Herald Driver of the Year accolade.

Stone won’t be competing at Devil’s Bowl this season. He will run selected races at other tracks starting with some races in Florida in February.

Most of his focus will be on his son Justin who finished fifth in the Sportsman Modified class this season.

Todd and Justin were running 1-2 in the standings for part of the season and that was about as much fun as a racing family can have.

Todd enjoyed competing against his son and when they were running 1-2 it made the experience all the better.

“Being 1-2, that probably hasn’t happened at many tracks,” Todd said. “I wish we could have finished 1-2 and I would have been OK if he had beaten me.”

It’s will be a far different focus for Todd in 2023. His main role will be as a team owner and he will oversee the operation for Justin as his son steps out of the comfort level of Devil’s Bowl and goes racing at other tracks, some far from home.

“I really want to see how far he can go,” Stone said.

Todd leaves his weekly racing status at Devil’s Bowl with a storehouse of memories.

And they have been good ones including his association with track owners Mike and Alayne Bruno.

“Mike and I are good friends. I had a great time at the Bowl,” Stone said.

Stone said that Mike also gets where he is coming from in overseeing Justin’s career as he strikes out in search of bigger challenges. Mike’s son Johnny Bruno is also a talented racer and a student at Central Florida University.

It was when when he won on July 9 at the Devil’s Bowl Mid-Season Championship when double points were on the line that Stone became confident of being able to win the big prize at the end.

“That is when I knew that it was achievable,” Stone said. “Other people had some hard luck on that night.”

A 54-year-old Stone does not believe he will have a difficult time transitioning from racing full time to concentrating on wearing the hat of team owner for Justin.

“I am going to support him as much as I can. I am going to oversee the whole deal without overstepping,” Stone said.

Heading up the team means he is still part of a team and that is a component of racing that Stone relishes. His connection with his own team while racing is something he held special.

“I would not have been able to do any of this without my team. I don’t do it fully for me. I enjoy the team aspect of it,” Stone said.

“He has got a lot of talent,” St. Louis said. “Twice this year he came back from 17th place to win and that is not easy to do.

“He won $10,000 racing in Florida. He has done a lot more than 95% of the drivers in this area will ever do.

“He is just the consummate professional and always has a handshake and a smile.

“From a fan perspective, I also appreciate his managerial aspect.

“He is good for the sport. He has made a huge impact on the sport.”

The 2023 race season will start early for Todd and Justin Stone with Speedweeks in Florida.

But 2022 will forever be special to Todd Stone. It was about going out on top at the track in nearby West Haven, a place that had become a second home.

tom.haley @rutlandherald.com