Donnelly maintains advantage over tight battle from 2nd through 7th
BRADFORD, Vt. (August 22, 2023) – The long August break is finally coming to an end for the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour, and the stretch drive toward the championship finale begins on Saturday, August 26. After a four-week layoff, the “winged, wild, and wicked fast” racers of the SCoNE tour will begin wrapping up their point battles with three events in the next four weekends, beginning at Bear Ridge Speedway.
Green Mountain Gear-Heads of Williston, Vt., presents the SCoNE portion of the event on Saturday night, and Chris Donnelly will try to lengthen his point lead. The seven-time SCoNE champion has a comfortable 90-point cushion on second place driver Will Hull, with two wins and a perfect record of seven top-five finishes in as many starts this season. Both of Donnelly’s victories in 2023 have come at Bear Ridge, including a dominant drive in the most recent race there on July 22.
Interestingly, two-time SCoNE champion Hull has yet to win an A-Main feature race this year, but he has visited the winner’s circle a dozen times at Bear Ridge in SCoNE competition over the course of his career. Third-place point man Matt Tanner is not expected to compete at Bear Ridge as he chases the Empire Super Sprints tour in his native New York, but fourth-place runner Jake Williams has three SCoNE wins at the Bradford, Vt., track, and fifth-place Floyd Billington has a pair of checkered flags at the tough quarter-mile oval.
Sixth-place Troy Comeau tallied his best-ever SCoNE finish of third place at Bear Ridge in 2015, and he has won there in both a Wingless Sprint Car and a Sportsman Modified. Youngster Kadyn Berry – who ranks seventh overall – posted the first top-five finish of his SCoNE career at Bear Ridge in June with a fourth-place effort. Just 40 points separate second-place Hull and seventh-place Berry, making it a wide-open fight. Doug McPhail sits eighth, well within striking distance, ahead of Clay Dow and rookie Jason Goff.
Former champion Dow plans to be on track with SCoNE on Saturday, but only in a research-and-development role, as he debuts a 410-cubic-inch engine strictly as a test run against the 360s utilized by SCoNE; Dow will not earn points or prize money in the race, but he is expected to lay down some quick lap times.
The Rookie of the Year battle is razor-thin, as Preston Hollow, N.Y.’s Jason Goff holds a slim, four-point edge on Moultonborough, N.H.’s Ron Davis; Goff posted a brilliant runner-up finish in the most recent event at Bear Ridge in July and is riding a streak of three consecutive qualifying heat wins.
Bear Ridge Speedway is located on Kidder Road in Bradford, Vt., and racing starts at the famous “6:00-ish” post time on Saturday, August 26. Grandstand general admission is $15 for adults and $2 for kids 11 and under. Pit passes are $35. For more information, visit www.bearridgespeedway.com.
To learn more about the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England, visit www.nesprintcars.com or find the “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” page on Facebook.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
After 7 of 10 Races Completed
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Points-(Wins)
(#) - denotes rookie
- (17) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H. – 365 (2)
- (61) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt. – 275
- (90) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, N.Y. – 263 (2)
- (73) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H. – 259
- (69K) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 255
- (89) Troy Comeau, Rumney, N.H. – 250
- (12) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, N.H. – 235
- (6) Doug McPhail, Tilton, N.H. – 200
- (31) Clay Dow, Barnstead, N.H. – 198 (1)
- (19J) # Jason Goff, Preston Hollow, N.Y. – 186
Upcoming Events:
• Saturday, August 26 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt.
• Sunday, September 3 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, Vt.
• Saturday, September 16 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt. – CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE