Big crash leads to big win at home for “Professor” Donnelly
BRADFORD, Vermont (June 29, 2025) – Adversity two weeks ago led directly to triumph for Chris Donnelly at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday, June 28. Known as “The Professor” on the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour (SCoNE), the eight-time series champion rebounded from a disastrous flip in the most recent event at Albany-Saratoga Speedway to post a hard-fought victory at his home track.
The driver from Piermont, NH – situated just seven miles across the Connecticut River from Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT – played the waiting game for the first half of the 25-lap race, stalking leader Caiden Herbert. A dry-slick track surface put passing at a premium, and both Herbert and Donnelly were content to hug the inside line. Herbert’s car had suffered a major driveline failure at Albany-Saratoga, and his strong run came as a bit of medicine to his team as well.
Two-wide lapped traffic forced Herbert’s hand, though, and at lap 14 he had to leave the bottom lane to navigate his way through the slower cars. His move was well-planned, but in the scramble, Donnelly was able to stick his nose under Herbert and both lapped cars, and he stole the lead away. The race went caution-free and Herbert never had a chance to regain the top spot.
Behind them, the action was white-hot and the running order was ever-changing. Rookie Mark Reynolds and former SCoNE Tour champion Tunk Berry fought for third place for several laps before Troy Comeau made an exciting run around the outside of both drivers near the midway point. Floyd Billington had a late charge through traffic to sneak his way into fourth place, and top runners Matt Tanner, Kadyn Berry, Jake Williams, and Matt Hoyt made big moves as well.
At the end of the race – which took just six minutes and 49 seconds to complete – Donnelly stood in victory lane with Herbert and Comeau on the podium in second and third, respectively. Billington finished fourth and Tunk Berry held on for fifth place. Rookie Tyler Chartrand rebounded after falling out of the top 10 early to finish sixth, followed by Kadyn Berry, Williams, Tanner, and Reynolds.
“The wreck [at Albany-Saratoga] was a blessing in disguise,” Donnelly told the crowd after the race. “I found some setup things that were wrong with the car besides just the damage, and I wouldn’t have seen any of it if we didn’t have that crash and have to tear the car apart to fix it. This win feels pretty good and I’m excited to see how the car goes on a bigger track when we go to Devil’s Bowl in two weeks.”
RACE NOTES:
• A field of 19 cars attended the Bear Ridge Speedway event. Three drivers – Mark Cole, Nick Comeau, and first-time Sprint Car racer Mac MacDuffie – made their first SCoNE appearance of the year.
• Chris Donnelly’s victory was his first of the 2025 SCoNE season and was the 45th of his SCoNE career, extending his lead on the all-time win list.
• The two qualifying heat races were won by Troy Comeau and Caiden Herbert.
• Chris Downs Motorsports presented the Hard Charger Award, with a $50 bonus going to Matt Tanner, who started 14th and finished ninth to gain five positions.
• Tyler Chartrand won a $50 bonus from Dave Bowser Motorsports as the top-finishing registered rookie in sixth place; Mark Reynolds finished 10th and Mac MacDuffie was 19th in his first start.
• The top five finishers at Bear Ridge each had a major turnaround from their results at Albany-Saratoga two weeks ago; of the Bear Ridge top five, none was able to score a top-ten at Albany-Saratoga, with Floyd Billington registering the best finish among them in 13th place.
• Through the first three events of the McGee Automotive Family SCoNE Tour schedule, Matt Tanner is the championship leader with 132 points. Jordan Poirier, who did not compete at Bear Ridge, is second at 120, with Travis Billington third at 111, Matt Hoyt fourth at 102, and Chris Donnelly and Jake Williams tied in fifth at 100 points each.
The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour has a weekend off before heading to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven VT, on Saturday, July 12. To learn more about the Sprint Cars of New England, visit www.nesprintcars.com or find the “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” page on Facebook. For more information about McGee Mazda Claremont, NH, McGee Toyota of Claremont, NH, and McGee Toyota of Epping, NH, visit their award-winning dealerships or click on McGeeCars.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont
Saturday, June 28, 2025
A-Main Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(#) – denotes rookie
- (4) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, NH; 2. (2) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH; 3. (6) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, NH; 4. (7) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 5. (3) Tunk Berry, North Conway, NH; 6. (8) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY; 7. (9) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH; 8. (11) Jake Williams, Tuftonboro, NH; 9. (14) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY; 10. (1) # Mark Reynolds, Hudson Falls, NY; 11. (5) Nick Kruger, Rupert, VT; 12. (16) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH; 13. (10) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 14. (13) Scott Holcomb, North Granby, CT; 15. (12) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT; 16. (17) Nick Comeau, Hebron, NH; 17. (15) Shawn Lawler, Nashua, NH; 18. (18) Mark Cole, Lebanon, NH; 19. (19) # Mac MacDuffie, Salisbury, NH
Lap Leaders (2 lead changes among 3 drivers): Mark Reynolds, grid; Caiden Herbert, 1-13; Chris Donnelly 14-25.
Cautions: None.
Contingency Award Winners:
• Heat Winners: Troy Comeau, Caiden Herbert
• Chris Downs Motorsports “Hard Charger” Award: Matt Tanner (+5 positions)
• Dave Bowser Motorsports Rookie of the Race: Tyler Chartrand (6th)
Upcoming Events:
• Saturday, July 12 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, VT
• Saturday, July 19 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, VT
(Photos by Don MacIntosh, Alan Ward, and SCoNE Media)