Bruno Invests In Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s Future; Fridays Could Be An Option If Albany Doesn’t Open

By LEN SAMMONS
The pending sale of Albany-Saratoga Speedway by owner Howie Commander has put plans for the 2027 racing season on hold. Should the money change hands before the March 31 deadline, the dirt track in Malta, N.Y., would close for good, leaving a void in Friday night racing in New York’s Capital District.
If or when Albany-Saratoga closes, it would leave only Lebanon Valley Speedway, also owned by Commander, Fonda Speedway, promoted by Brett Deyo and Glen Ridge in the Capital District. Both Lebanon and Fonda  have traditionally raced on Saturday nights, going head-to-head against each other for decades. Glen Ridge, near Fonda, races on Sunday nights.
“I’m sticking to Saturday night,” said Commander, who would welcome teams that have competed exclusively at Albany-Saratoga with open arms at Lebanon Valley on Saturday nights. He believes recent improvements at The Valley, including widening the racing surface to improve competition, will make the track more attractive to teams that have not competed there in the past.
Commander has begun doing business with Deyo, who leases Fonda Speedway and manages the Short Track Super Series. Commander has hinted that Deyo could move Fonda to Friday nights and work with him at Lebanon Valley on Saturdays. Deyo, however, issued a formal press release last week stating that he was preparing for Fonda’s 76th season of Saturday night competition in 2027.
If Fonda does not move to Friday nights, three other tracks located less than two hours from Malta, N.Y., would welcome some of Albany-Saratoga’s more than 100 weekly racers.
Current Friday night options include Gary Palmer’s Accord Speedway to the south and Utica-Rome Speedway to the west operating under DIRTcar rules.
To the north, Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., could be the best option if the track were to switch from Saturday to Friday night competition.
Mike Bruno, who owns Devil’s Bowl with his wife, told AARN in a Friday interview that he would consider a weekly schedule change.
“My wife is dead against going Friday nights because we’ve done so good on Saturdays, but I think it might be a good move,” said Bruno.
When Devil’s Bowl was a paved track, Friday night races were held with success.
“There is a rodeo ten miles from us on Saturday that we lost 200-300 people from the Fourth of July until Labor Day when we moved to Saturday. If we were to get a percentage of them back, it would add up,” said Bruno.
“We never went Friday with the dirt because we were friends with Lyle (DeVore, Albany promoter until his death after the 2025 season). When it was pavement, it was a different deal, and we ran on Friday.”
Bruno is interested in the possibility of moving to Friday nights, but he can’t wait until the end of March to make that decision.
“Until I see the bleachers ripped up or something official that Albany-Saratoga is closed, I’m waiting. If he doesn’t sell it, he might run races on Friday just to pay the taxes,” said Bruno.
“If the sale doesn’t go through, he might not run a full season, but I think he will do something and not let that property just sit there.”
Bruno is in the same position as the racers who compete at Albany-Saratoga: waiting.
“Where does it leave the racers? That’s the biggest issue for a racer faithful to Albany-Saratoga on Friday. Can they wait to March to see what happens?” said Bruno.
“I can’t say I’m going to move Devil’s Bowl to Friday and then come March I find out I’m running against it. If he said he was only going to do five or six specials on a Friday, I’d be willing to work with him and do whatever I could to make it work so we’re good neighbors and schedule on Fridays around those shows.”
Bruno is completely revamping Devil’s Bowl. In doing so, he is demonstrating that he and his wife are committed to the track for the long haul. They have turned down an attractive offer from Copart, a company that has purchased several speedways across the country.
“Six years ago we had a Copart contract. I have worked for them for 20 years. I owned a towing company that towed cars for them and a lot to put them. They bought me out; I still have two contracts with them,” said Bruno.
“They wanted to buy Devil’s Bowl for $3 million dollars during COVID, but we turned them down because we sold our other operations – what would we do? I was 50, we’re workers, we didn’t just want to sit on the beach.”
The Brunos are now investing in Devil’s Bowl’s future with new grandstands and a revamped racing surface.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a few years, and our big sponsor was willing to do it now. I’m 55, I don’t want to look back in 10 or 15 years and take on a project like this or say I wish I had done it,” said Bruno.
“I also want people to know this place isn’t going anywhere. In our area the Legion Speedway closed, and Lee is up for sale. So much negative, it’s putting up red flags everywhere.”
At one point, Bruno owned three car repair shops, a truck repair business, 20 tow trucks, and a race track he is investing in, not selling.
“Most people who are selling tracks are older, and where they are at, the value of their properties has gone up so much that they can’t make that in a racing operation and sell, and I understand that,” said Bruno.
“Copart is looking for flat ground to store vehicles, so race tracks are targeted. It’s an online business; cars are picked up, and they sit there until they are auctioned off and picked up. It’s not a salvage yard.”
The clay racing surface, which had been laid on top of a former paved Devil’s Bowl Speedway, was completely removed after the season ended. The pavement underneath was removed, changes were made to the track, and the clay was laid back in place this past week, along with several new loads.
“We only had six or eight inches on top of the pavement, so we dug it out a foot to make sure we got it all and any shale stones and started with a good base,” Bruno explained.
“The track design will be pretty much the same, but we widened turn four by ten feet so cars don’t get pinched off like they had in the past. We also had a cliff off the backstretch; we’re going to make it like Malta so you can go off and drive back on.”
Bruno has made the track more consistent, with 50-foot straightaways and 60-foot corners in hopes of improving the racing competition.
“We had just put clay on top of the pavement; now we’ve been able to fine-tune the layout. It’s going to be good,” said Bruno.
“We’re also going to add 5 to 8 degrees more banking. Dug the bottom of the corners out; we were limited with the pavement under it before.”
Bruno takes pride in providing a smooth racing surface that is commonly very slick.
“I want it to be smooth. The reason it was so slick was because of the pavement underneath; it would dry out quicker,” said Bruno.
“Ultimately, what I would like is to still have a smooth surface, but as the sun goes down, have some bite to it. As the dew comes in, the track gets faster as the night goes on. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Bruno also leases Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The track ran on Thursday nights this past season, with special events on Sundays. Should he move Devil’s Bowl to Friday nights, it would allow him to run Airborne on a more desirable Saturday night.
“I’ll stick with Thursdays unless something changes. I couldn’t go Friday there because Can-Am, Mohawk and Graby run that night. It wouldn’t be beneficial,” said Bruno.
“But if I moved Devil’s Bowl to Friday, Saturday would work at Airborne. Thursday nights are getting tougher; more people are watching it on TV and not coming to the track. I’m not a fan of that; I want to see people in the grandstands.”