“Professor” holds point lead entering midway point
WEST HAVEN, Vt. (July 5, 2023) – The “winged, wild, and wicked fast” McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour is primed and ready to invade Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, July 8, and it finds its most successful driver in a familiar position: Chris Donnelly is up front.
The Piermont, N.H., veteran is a seven-time SCoNE champion and holds the lead in the point standings with four of the season’s 10 races complete. "The Professor" has registered one finish in each of the top four positions, garnering a win and a runner-up in the two events held at Bear Ridge Speedway, and finishing third and fourth in the two previous races at Devil’s Bowl. He won a feature on the big Devil’s Bowl half-mile in 2021.
It is far from a runaway, though. Two-time SCoNE champion Will Hull of Plainfield, Vt., sits just 31 points behind Donnelly (211-180) and has improved his finishing position at every event so far in 2023. Hull has three career wins at Devil’s Bowl including his most recent victory on the SCoNE tour in July 2022. South Glens Falls, N.Y., veteran Floyd Billington sits third in SCoNE standings, 56 points behind Donnelly, and posted a runner-up finish at Devil’s Bowl in May and a win there in 2019.
Barnstead, N.H.’s Clay Dow is on the rebound after a rocky start to his 2023 campaign, and sits fourth in the standings, just two points behind Billington. Dow won SCoNE’s most recent race in a thrilling finish with Donnelly at Bear Ridge Speedway on June 25, and he was the 2021 Devil’s Bowl track champion. Warren, N.H.’s Troy Comeau rounds out the top five point drivers, trailing Dow by only eight markers, and is one of only three racers to finish in the top 10 in all four SCoNE races so far.
Devil’s Bowl events traditionally draw not only the best Sprint Car drivers in New England, but also a handful of the top invaders from New York, Canada, and elsewhere. Empire Super Sprints (ESS) regulars Matt Tanner, Jordan Poirier, and Chase Moran have each had successful runs in the two SCoNE events at Devil’s Bowl in 2023; in fact, Tanner has won both races held there this year.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., and racing starts at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 8. Grandstand general admission is $15 for adults and free for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $38. For more information, visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com.
The Devil’s Bowl event on Saturday, July 8, leads into the biggest race of the season for McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England: The “Friday Night Dirt Duels” at The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, July 14, as part of the NASCAR Cup Series “Crayon 301” weekend. That event pays $3,000 to win and is expected to draw a large field of entries including some first-time SCoNE competitors.
For more information, find the official “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” page on Facebook, or visit www.nesprintcars.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
After 4 of 10 Races Completed
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Points-(Wins)
(#) - denotes rookie
- (17) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H. – 211 (1)
- (61) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt. – 180
- (69K) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 155
- (31) Clay Dow, Barnstead, N.H. – 153 (1)
- (89) Troy Comeau, Rumney, N.H. – 145
- (12) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, N.H. – 143
- (73) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H. – 140
- (77) # Ron Davis Jr., Moultonboro, N.H. – 118
- (90) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, N.Y. – 117 (2)
- (6) Doug McPhail, Tilton, N.H. – 112
Upcoming Events:
• Saturday, July 8 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.
• Friday, July 14 – The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, N.H.
• Saturday, July 22 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt.