Billington scores first official win; Tanner builds on point lead
LOUDON, New Hampshire (September 21, 2025) – Will Hull has not, by his own standards, had a great season with the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour (SCoNE) in 2025. The two-time champion has struggled at tracks where he usually flourishes, bad luck has reared up a few times, and he had been winless all summer. That changed on Friday, September 19, as the Plainfield, VT veteran won SCoNE’s first-ever “All-Star Showdown” at The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in front of a massive crowd.
In fact, three drivers celebrated wins in front of the record crowd at The Flat Track at NHMS. Before Hull’s victory, Travis Billington finally broke into the “W” column with the first official McGee SCoNE Tour win of his career, and championship point leader Matt Tanner added his fourth triumph of the year.
The event had a new and unique three-feature format that proved to be entertaining for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend audience. Time trials determined the starting order of two 15-lap, split-field features, each of which were counted as official races with championship points. The top six finishers from each race, plus one provisional starter from each, then had the opportunity to compete in a 20-lap, non-points All-Star Showdown.
Second-generation racer Billington started the night off by making a statement in time trials. The South Glens Falls, NY, driver went to the top of the board with a fast lap of 13.908 seconds around the quarter-mile, paperclip-shaped track and earned the pole position for the first feature race. Driving for car owner David Bowser, Billington ran away from the field for most of the race before a caution flag slowed the field with five laps left and stacked everyone together for a restart.
Defending SCoNE champion Matt Hoyt hung with Billington at the restart and put the pressure on in the tricky outside lane, and he very nearly made it work; the pair drag-raced, side by side, off the final corner as the checkered flag waved, and Billington held on by about six feet – just 0.074-seconds – for a popular first win. Scott Holcomb finished third ahead of Tyler Chartrand, Tunk Berry, and Hull as the final Showdown transfer driver.
It was all Tanner in the second feature race, as he led wire-to-wire for his fourth McGee SCoNE Tour victory of the season. The Stephentown, NY racer was smooth and steady, keeping Jordan Fornwalt comfortably behind him. Fornwalt – whose only Sprint Car race each season is the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event – was solid as the runner-up ahead of Floyd Billington, Jake Williams, Kadyn Berry, and final transfer driver Shawn Lawler.
Tanner quickly became his own worst enemy, though, as he drew invert number 12 in victory lane to determine the starting order for the All-Star Showdown, putting himself and fellow feature winner Travis Billington near the back of the field for the special event. Provisional starters Caiden Herbert and Mark Reynolds were added to the field in positions 13 and 14 by virtue of their point standing positions.
The invert put sixth-place finishers Lawler and Hull on the front row, and it was Hull who gained an early advantage. Lawler, Tunk Berry, nephew Kadyn Berry, and Jake Williams put together some exciting action inside the top-five as the heavy hitters from the first two features diced in the back half of the field. Chartrand’s spin after the halfway mark grouped the field together, and then quick yellows for spins by each of the Billingtons on laps 15 and 16 created a final four-lap shootout.
Williams gave Hull a brief challenge for the lead, but Hull was not to be denied, grabbing the win for his third career NHMS victory. Tunk Berry, the 2009 SCoNE Tour champion, drove around the outside of Williams late in the race to take the runner-up finish – his first podium result since September 16, 2022, at Legion Speedway, three years and one day earlier. Williams capped a strong night in third place ahead of Kadyn Berry and Hoyt. Holcomb, Tanner, Fornwalt, Lawler, and Herbert completed the top 10 finishers in order.
RACE NOTES:
• A field of 21 cars attended the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event. Jordan Fornwalt and Dustin Sehn each made his first appearance of the season, with Sehn making his SCoNE debut.
• Travis Billington’s victory in Feature 1 was the first of his SCoNE career; he is the 55th different driver to win a Sprint Cars of New England feature. Billington’s best previous finish was second, five times.
• Matt Tanner’s victory in Feature 2 was his fourth of 2025 and the 15th of his SCoNE career; he ranks fifth all-time.
• Will Hull’s victory in the All-Star Showdown was his first of 2025 and the 25th of his SCoNE career; he ranks third all-time.
• Travis Billington was the fastest in time trial qualifying for the second-straight race, backing up his pole award at Bear Ridge Speedway the previous week.
• Tunk Berry was slowest in time trials, nearly two seconds behind polesitter Travis Billington, but rebounded to finish fifth in Feature 1 and qualify for the All-Star Showdown, where he earned his first podium finish in three years.
• Chris Downs Motorsports presented the Hard Charger Award in the All-Star Showdown, with a $50 bonus going to Matt Hoyt, who started 10th and finished fifth to gain five positions.
• Tyler Chartrand won a $50 bonus from Dave Bowser Motorsports as the top-finishing rookie in 12th place in the All-Star Showdown.
• The Hoyt Racing No. 07 team posted a $100 bonus for the leader of lap 20 in memory of Evan Donna, which went to All-Star Showdown winner Will Hull.
• Through the first 12 events of the McGee Automotive Family SCoNE Tour schedule, Matt Tanner holds the championship lead with 536 points. Jake Williams ranks second with 462 points ahead of Travis Billington (457) in third, and Caiden Herbert and Matt Hoyt (442 each), who are tied for fourth.
The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour closes out its 2025 racing season at Maine’s Unity Raceway with two nights of racing on Friday, September 26 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, September 27 (5 p.m.); the events also serve as the final two rounds of the SCoNE Maine State Championship. To learn more about the Sprint Cars of New England, visit www.nesprintcars.com or find “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” 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
The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, NH
Friday, September 19, 2025
A-Main Feature #1 Finish (15 Laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
- (1) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 2. (3) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH; 3. (5) Scott Holcomb, North Granby, CT; 4. (6) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY; 5. (11) Tunk Berry, North Conway, NH; 6. (2) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT; 7. (4) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH; 8. (7) Donald Ottati, Rumney, NH; 9. (9) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, NH; 10. (10) J.P. Vaillancourt, Campton, NH; 11. (8) # Mac MacDuffie, Salisbury, NH
Lap Leaders (0 lead changes): Travis Billington, 1-15.
Cautions (1): Lap 10.
A-Main Feature #2 Finish (15 Laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
- (1) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY; 2. (2) Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford, VT; 3. (3) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 4. (4) Jake Williams, Tuftonboro, NH; 5. (5) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH; 6. (6) Shawn Lawler, Nashua, NH; 7. (8) Dustin Sehn, Deansboro, NY; 8. (7) Clay Dow, Barnstead, NH; 9. (9) # Mark Reynolds, Hudson Falls, NY; 10. (10) Mia Koponen, Ludlow, VT
Lap Leaders (0 lead changes): Matt Tanner, 1-15.
Cautions: None.
All-Star Showdown Finish (20 Laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
- (2) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT; 2. (4) Tunk Berry, North Conway, NH; 3. (5) Jake Williams, Tuftonboro, NH; 4. (3) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH; 5. (10) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH; 6. (8) Scott Holcomb, North Granby, CT; 7. (11) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY; 8. (9) Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford, VT; 9. (1) Shawn Lawler, Nashua, NH; 10. (13) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH; 11. (12) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 12. (6) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY; 13. (14) # Mark Reynolds, Hudson Falls, NY; 14. (7) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY
Lap Leaders (1 lead change among 2 drivers): Shawn Lawler, grid; Will Hull, 1-20.
Cautions (3): Laps 10, 15, 16.
Contingency Award Winners:
• Time Trial Winner: Travis Billington (13.908 seconds)
• Chris Downs Motorsports “Hard Charger” Award: Matt Hoyt (+5 positions)
• Dave Bowser Motorsports Rookie of the Race: Tyler Chartrand (12th)
• Evan Donna Memorial Lap 20 Leader Bonus: Will Hull
Upcoming Events:
• Friday, September 26 – Unity Raceway – Unity, ME
• Saturday, September 27 – Unity Raceway – Unity, ME (Season Finale)
(Photos by Don MacIntosh, Alan Ward, and SCoNE Media)