BRADFORD, Vt. — Scott Holcomb rallied through the field on Saturday night at Bear Ridge Speedway to claim the win in the Sprint Cars of New England event that saw Clay Dow earn his first series championship.
Holcomb started mid pack and marched through the 19-car starting field in the 40-lap event. The Granby, Conn. driver would take the lead from early race leader Patrick Smith on lap 13 and zoomed away.
Holcomb would zoom away following a lap 17 restart and collect the race win.
Matt Hoyt of Campton, N.H. broke through the field late and began to chase Holcomb down as he encountered lapped traffic, but ran out of time and settled for second.
Dow claimed the Sprint Cars of New England championship with a third place finish. The Barnstead, N.H. driver entered the night one point ahead of his chief competition Will Hull, and with no heat race points on the line, clinched the championship by finishing ahead of him.
The championship for Dow was the first of his career after he was the series Rookie of the Year in 2005. After completing part-time over recent seasons, including a stop as the series’ race director, Dow returned full-time to the driver’s seat and was rewarded as the season champion and came from behind after two disappointing early season finishes.
Five-time series champion Chris Donnelly ran to the fourth position in the 40-lap race while two-time series champion Dan Douville completed the top-five finishers.
Kevin Chaffee, Luke Greenwood, Jake Williams, Ryan Avery, and Lacey Hanson finished sixth through tenth, respectively.
Hull suffered a fuel system problem during the 40-lap event and pitted during the race’s second caution on lap 17. He would return to the track, but was forced to head to the pits just two laps later under green flag conditions and ended his night.
Williams, of Center Tuftonboro, N.H., jumped to second in the final championship point standings after he entered just 13 points back of Dow. Hoyt moved to third while Hull dropped to fourth with his did not finish result. Hanson completed the top-five in the point standings.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — Newport Chevrolet 40
Sprint Cars of New England
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Scott Holcomb, Granby, Conn.
2. Matt Hoyt, Campton, N.H.
3. Clay Dow, Barnstead, N.H.
4. Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
5. Dan Douville, Bridgewater, N.H.
6. Kevin Chaffee, Bradford, Vt.
7. Luke Greenwood, Hudson, N.H.
8. Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H.
9. Ryan Avery, Campton, N.H.
10. Lacey Hanson, Orwell, Vt.
11. Patrick Smith, East Andover, N.H.
12. Dennis McLeod, Concord, N.H.
13. Rick Stone, Cornwall, Conn.
14. Lauren Boisvert, Bristol, N.H.
15. Barry LaValley, Derring, N.H.
16. Tyler Austin, West Fairlee, Vt.
17. Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt.
18. Bill Guertin Jr., Westfield, Mass.
19. Christine Boesch, Concord, N.H.
PHOTOS:
1 – Scott Holcomb (right) celebrates his Sprint Cars of New England win on Saturday night at Bear Ridge Speedway. (Alan Ward photo)
2 – Clay Dow celebrates his 2017 Sprint Cars of New England championship with family, friends, and crew on Saturday night at Bear Ridge Speedway. (Alan Ward photo)
