BRADFORD, Vt. — The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England tour wraps up its 20th championship season on Saturday, September 16, at Bear Ridge Speedway.
While the title itself has been decided, the next five positions are up for grabs. Chris Donnelly has mathematically clinched his record eighth SCoNE title, but from second-place Will Hull to sixth-place Matt Tanner, it’s anyone’s guess.
While Donnelly has certainly had nothing to prove and holds virtually every statistical record for SCoNE, he has been remarkable in 2023. Through nine completed races, he has yet to finish worse than fourth, and has earned three victories – all at Bear Ridge.
Donnelly will officially claim his title on Saturday in the race presented by Green Mountain Gear-Heads of Williston, Vt., to extend his record for SCoNE championships.
Hull – a two-time SCoNE champion himself – heads the battle for second place in the championship standings, but not by much. Veteran driver Jake Williams enters the race in third place, just 17 points behind Hull, with Floyd Billington fourth another 19 markers back. Just nine points behind Billington, Troy Comeau ranks fifth and Matt Tanner is only five points behind Comeau; only 50 points cover the quintet.
Kadyn Berry sits seventh, top rookie Jason Goff is eighth, and Nick Comeau and Doug McPhail round out the top 10.
Thirty-seven drivers have competed in SCoNE so far in 2023, the most in a single season in a decade, and 27 of them have scored at least one top 10 finish. Drivers have come from six U.S. states and the Canadian province of Quebec, and promoters at all three host tracks have made significant increases in purse payouts.
In addition to Donnelly’s three wins in four races at Bear Ridge so far, Tanner has matched that stat at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Clay Dow (Bear Ridge), Caleb Lamson (Devil’s Bowl), and NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) also visited victory lane.
After the Bear Ridge title finale, a special, non-points event will be held at Unity Raceway in Unity, Maine, on Friday, September 29.