LOUDON, N.H.  – The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) tour will make its own little piece of history on Friday, July 14, as NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe becomes the first big-league driver to take on the “winged, wild, and wicked fast” warriors. Briscoe brings a wealth of dirt track racing experience with him to the “Friday Night Dirt Duels” at The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) and is likely to be one of the drivers to beat.

Mitchell, Ind., native Briscoe is coming to NHMS for the NASCAR Cup Series “Crayon 301” on Sunday, July 16, where he will drive the No. 14 Mobil 1 Gen G Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. On Friday, he’ll be teamed up with Matt Tanner, of Stephentown, N.Y., who will provide Briscoe with a new car sponsored by Mahindra Tractors and Rifenburg Contracting Corp. Tanner has won with both SCoNE and the Empire Super Sprints tour in 2023 and last weekend finished second at Devil’s Bowl Speedway with the same car that Briscoe will pilot.

Briscoe is not coming to the Friday Night Dirt Duels just to play around; he grew up on dirt tracks in the Midwest and broke Jeff Gordon’s record as the youngest driver to win a feature race in a 410 Sprint Car when he was just 13 years old. When his busy NASCAR schedule allows, he competes in a half-dozen or more dirt races each year.

Briscoe turned a volunteer shop position into a full-time ARCA Menards Series ride and won the 2016 ARCA championship before bigger opportunities came along. He won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on dirt at Eldora Speedway in 2018, he had an incredible nine-win season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, and he became a NASCAR Cup Series winner at Phoenix Raceway in 2022; he is only the third driver to be crowned Rookie of the Year in each of NASCAR’s three national series, joining Cup champions Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.

“Chase Briscoe’s background certainly fits the mold for what the McGee Sprint Cars tour represents,” said SCoNE president Justin St. Louis. “He’s a hard worker, his father and grandfather were great dirt drivers, and he slept on couches and volunteered in race shops to make his dream of racing in NASCAR happen. SCoNE is full of great drivers who can respect those humble beginnings, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll go easy on him, either. The Flat Track is tough, and we have some tough racers. When you mix in the party atmosphere there and a great payout, it should be a great event.”

The SCoNE A-Main feature race at the Friday Night Dirt Duels pays $3,000 to the winner, making it the season’s richest event. The runner-up will earn $1,500, fifth place is worth $400, and last place pays a minimum of $200. In addition, longtime SCoNE sponsor Kondrat Kustoms of Freedom, N.H., has posted $100 in tow money for every team that does not qualify for the A-Main.

Seven-time and defending SCoNE champion Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., will be looking for his first victory on The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday night. He leads the SCoNE point standings with half of the season’s 10 races completed, scoring a win at Bear Ridge Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. “Professor” Donnelly holds a 41-point edge on two-time champion and former NHMS winner Will Hull (259-218), with Floyd Billington, Jake Williams, and teenager Kadyn Berry next in line.

Joining SCoNE at the Friday Night Dirt Duels will be the DIRTcar Xtreme Dirt Midget Association and both the 600cc and 500cc divisions of the Granite State Mini Sprints. Pit gates and competitor registration open at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, July 14, and general admission ticket sales begin at 4:00 p.m. Racing is scheduled to start at 5:25 p.m. and can be streamed live on FloRacing.

The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is located at the south end of the NHMS complex, on Route 106 in Loudon, N.H., next to the New England Racing Museum. Fans are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, as there are only a few permanent grandstand seats available. For more information, visit www.nhms.com.

For more information, find the official “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” page on Facebook, or visit www.nesprintcars.com.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England

After 5 of 10 Races Completed

Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Points-(Wins)

# - denotes rookie

1.       (17) Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H. – 259 (1)

2.       (61) Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt. – 218

3.       (69K) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, N.Y. – 200

4.       (73) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, N.H. – 185

5.       (12) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, N.H. – 182

6.       (89) Troy Comeau, Rumney, N.H. – 179

7.       (90) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, N.Y. – 171 (2)

8.       (31) Clay Dow, Barnstead, N.H. – 153 (1)

9.       (77) # Ron Davis Jr., Moultonboro, N.H. – 138

10.   (6) Doug McPhail, Tilton, N.H. – 132

Upcoming Events:

·         Friday, July 14 – The Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, N.H.

·         Saturday, July 22 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt.

·         Saturday, August 26 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vt.