Story By: JUSTIN ST. LOUIS / SPRINT CARS OF NEW ENGLAND – BRADFORD, VT – Chris Donnelly had a point to make at Bear Ridge Speedway, and he made it with resounding authority. The seven-time McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) champion wanted to redeem himself after a handful of frustrating outings, and did so on Saturday, July 22, by lapping most of the field and cruising to a convincing victory.
The win was worth $1,000 for “The Professor” and tightened his stranglehold on the championship point standings entering a month-long break before the season’s final three races.
Donnelly’s run to the win on Hoosier Tire East Night at Bear Ridge Speedway was seemingly inevitable, as he flew through the field in his qualifying heat, narrowly missing the win by inches to rookie Jason Goff. Donnelly qualified within the handicapped starting positions at the front of the field and need just a half-dozen laps to climb from sixth place at the start into the lead.
The Piermont, N.H., veteran swept his Fornwalt Excavation/Tuck’s Repair No. 17 past Goff and early leader Doug McPhail and never looked back in the caution-free, 25-lap A-Main feature, lapping the field up to sixth place. He beat Goff by an incredible margin of 11.120 seconds on a track that was averaging 14 seconds per lap.
Goff’s runner-up finish was the best run of his rookie season, and his Don Mason-owned team was finally able to register a solid result after some promising runs that went sour. Matt Tanner made a rare Bear Ridge appearance and had a strong run from 12th starting position to finish third and collect the Rockingham Boat Hard Charger Award.
Will Hull, Doug McPhail, and Troy Comeau had an entertaining three-way battle for most of the race, and after swapping positions several times, they finished 4-5-6 as the final three drivers on the lead lap. Jake Williams was seventh ahead of Mark Cole, Floyd Billington, and Kadyn Berry.
RACE NOTES:
· A field of 14 cars attended the event. Canaan, N.H.’s Toby Stark made his first appearance of the season.
· The 25-lap A-Main feature race ran caution-free and was completed in just six minutes and four seconds. In seven A-Mains in 2023, SCoNE has had only six total caution flags.
· Chris Donnelly’s victory was his second of the season and the all-time leading 42nd win of his SCoNE career.
· The two qualifying heat races were won by Jason Goff and Mark Cole, with each grabbing a $50 bonus from CMD Logging of Barnstead, New Hampshire. The heat win was Goff’s third in a row and Cole’s second; they each won heats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, and Goff also won one at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on July 8.
· Rockingham Boat of Hampstead, N.H., presented the Hard Charger Award, with a $50 bonus going to Matt Tanner, who drove from the 12th starting position to finish third.
· Rookie J.P. Vaillancourt was awarded the Panther Frameworx “Hard Luck” Award after a crash in his qualifying heat that damaged his front end suspension.
The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England tour has a four-week break before returning to Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday, August 26.
OFFICIAL RESULTS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt.
Hoosier Tire East Night
Saturday, July 22, 2023
A-Main Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# – denotes rookie
1. (6) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
2. (1) # Jason Goff, Preston Hollow, N.Y.
3. (12) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, N.Y.
4. (5) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt.
5. (2) Doug McPhail, Tilton, N.H.
6. (4) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, N.H.
7. (8) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H.
8. (3) Mark Cole, Lebanon, N.H.
9. (9) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y.
10. (11) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, N.H.
11. (7) Nick Comeau, Hebron, N.H.
12. (10) # Ron Davis Jr., Moultonborough, N.H.
13. (13) # J.P. Vaillancourt, Campton, N.H.
14. (14) Toby Stark, Canaan, N.H.
Lap Leaders (2 lead change among 3 drivers): Jason Goff, grid; Doug McPhail, 1-5; Chris Donnelly, 6-25.
Cautions: None.
Contingency Award Winners:
- CMD Logging Heat Winners: Jason Goff, Mark Cole
- Rockingham Boat “Hard Charger” Award: Matt Tanner (+9 positions)
- Panther Frameworx “Hard Luck” Award: J.P. Vaillancourt
- 802 Print Award: Matt Tanner (3rd)
- Hull Motorsports Award: Doug McPhail (5th)
- Big Al’s Photos Award: Troy Comeau (6th)
- Waddell Communications & Repairs Award: Jake Williams (7th)
- 87Speed Award: Mark Cole (8th)
- Uncommon Deeds Podcast Award: Floyd Billington (9th)
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