Billington takes Maine State Championship; Hoyt has memorable weekend at Unity
UNITY, Maine (September 29, 2025) – Matt Tanner traveled east to Maine’s Unity Raceway on September 26-27 with just one goal in mind: Put his name on the Fred Frame Championship Trophy.
Mission accomplished.
The Stephentown, NY racer built up enough padding during the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour (SCoNE) season that he needed only to have mediocre results to clinch the points championship. Instead, he locked up it on the first night with authority, running away with his fifth victory of the season on Friday. For good measure, he grabbed a third-place finish in the final A-Main of the year on Saturday.
Tanner was not the only one celebrating, though, as Matt Hoyt recovered from a disastrous flip on Friday to win on Saturday, and Travis Billington capped a strong season by winning the three-race Maine State Championship series title.
The weekend was a triumph for the “little guys,” too, especially in the qualifying rounds. On Friday night, rookie Mac MacDuffie scored the first preliminary win of his Sprint Car career, and fellow underdogs Donald Ottati, Tunk Berry, Mark Reynolds, Nick Kruger, and J.P. Vaillancourt all turned heads as well throughout the weekend.
Ottati threatened to run away with Friday’s 25-lap A-Main victory, leading the first 15 laps and opening up a sizeable advantage on the field. Three yellow flags gave everyone else a chance, though, and Tanner was able to drive from 11th place at the start of the race into the lead at lap 16 and drive off with the win. Billington was the runner-up and Ottati took a career-best third-place finish, with Jake Williams and Matt Hoyt next in line.
Hoyt’s fifth-place effort was remarkable, given that he was upside down on lap 10. Teams are permitted to repair damage during red flag periods under McGee SCoNE Tour rules, and Hoyt’s team was able to replace damaged wings and make quick suspension repairs, getting him back into the race on the lead lap. After restarting 16th, Hoyt raced his way up the outside lane into the top five. Shawn Lawler, Troy Comeau, Tyler Chartrand, Floyd Billington, and Kadyn Berry completed the top 10 in order.
On Saturday, it was Kruger who was poised to win the 25-lap A-Main, as he led the first 19 laps, but Hoyt once again drove up the outside lane, scooting past Kruger for the lead. Two quick yellow flags on laps 21 and 22 brought the field together for a pair of restarts, and that allowed Billington to get to second place in the late stages. Tanner came through for third place ahead of Williams and Chartrand. Kadyn Berry was sixth, followed by Kruger, Comeau, Caiden Herbert, and Reynolds.
Billington’s late run to second place gave him the Maine State Championship title by a scant four points over Hoyt. The title was especially popular with the Unity Raceway crowd, as Billington drives for David Bowser, who is the only Maine-based car owner on the McGee SCoNE Tour.
RACE NOTES:
• A total of 18 teams attended the Unity Raceway weekend events, with 16 of them competing on both nights.
• Matt Tanner’s victory on Friday was his fifth of the season and the 16th of his SCoNE career. Matt Hoyt’s victory on Saturday was his second of the season – both coming at Unity – and the ninth of his SCoNE career.
• A wingless exhibition race was held after the point-counting finale on Saturday night. Four cars entered and only Troy Comeau’s car was able to last more than two laps due to mechanical failures on the cars of J.P. Vaillancourt, Floyd Billington, and Tyler Chartrand.
• Chris Downs Motorsports presented the Hard Charger Award, with a $50 bonus going on Friday to Jake Williams, who started 15th and finished fourth to gain a race-high 11 positions, and another $50 bonus going on Saturday to Matt Hoyt, who started eighth and finished first to gain a race-high seven positions.
• Tyler Chartrand won a $50 bonus each night from Dave Bowser Motorsports as the top-finishing rookie in eighth place on Friday and fifth place on Saturday; Mark Reynolds posted finishes of 12th and 10th during the weekend, and Mac MacDuffie was 15th and 12th.
• The Hoyt Racing No. 07 team posted a $100 bonus each night for the leader of lap 20 in memory of Evan Donna, which went to Matt Tanner and Matt Hoyt, respectively.
• The final point standings for the 2025 McGee Automotive Family SCoNE Tour have Matt Tanner as the champion with 638 points. Travis Billington finished second with 566 points, followed by Jake Williams (547), Matt Hoyt (543), and Tyler Chartrand (493).
• Chartrand clinched the Rookie of the Year title with 493 points, outranking Mark Reynolds (353) and Mac MacDuffie (155).
• Travis Billington clinched the three-race Maine State Championship with 162 points to Matt Hoyt’s 158. Jake Williams (134), Matt Tanner (128), and Troy Comeau (116) completed the top five.
The McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour will celebrate its 2025 season with the annual awards banquet at the New England Racing Museum in Loudon, NH, on Saturday, November 22. Ticket information will be available soon.
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
Unity Raceway – Unity, Maine
Friday, September 26, 2025
A-Main Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1.(11) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY; 2. (6) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 3. (1) Donald Ottati, Rumney, NH; 4. (15) Jake Williams, Tuftonboro, NH; 5. (12) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH; 6. (3) Shawn Lawler, Nashua, NH; 7. (8) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, NH; 8. (7) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY; 9. (13) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 10. (17) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH; 11. (5) J.P. Vaillancourt, Campton, NH; 12. (2) # Mark Reynolds, Hudson Falls, NY; 13. (9) Nick Kruger, Rupert, VT; 14. (10) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT; 15. (4) # Mac MacDuffie, Salisbury, NH; 16, (14) Tunk Berry, North Conway, NH; 17. (16) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH
Lap Leaders (1 lead change among 2 drivers): Donald Ottati, 1-15, Matt Tanner, 16-25.
Cautions (3): Laps 5, 10, 10.
Contingency Award Winners:
• Heat Winners: Mac MacDuffie, Travis Billington
• Chris Downs Motorsports “Hard Charger” Award: Jake Williams (+11 positions)
• Dave Bowser Motorsports Rookie of the Race: Tyler Chartrand (8th)
• Evan Donna Memorial Lap 20 Leader Bonus: Matt Tanner
OFFICIAL RESULTS – McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
Unity Raceway – Unity, Maine
Saturday, September 27, 2025
A-Main Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1.(8) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH; 2. (6) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 3. (9) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY; 4. (10) Jake Williams, Tuftonboro, NH; 5. (7) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY; 6. (11) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH; 7. (2) Nick Kruger, Rupert, VT; 8. (4) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, NH; 9. (7) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH; 10. (3) # Mark Reynolds, Hudson Falls, NY; 11. (12) Mia Koponen, Ludlow, VT; 12. (15) # Mac MacDuffie, Salisbury, NH; 13. (1) Tunk Berry, North Conway, NH; 14. (13) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY; 15. (14) Shawn Lawler, Nashua, NH; Did Not Start: Donald Ottati, Rumney, NH; J.P. Vaillancourt, Campton, NH
Contingency Award Winners:
• Heat Winners: Tyler Chartrand, Matt Hoyt
• Chris Downs Motorsports “Hard Charger” Award: Matt Hoyt (+7 positions)
• Dave Bowser Motorsports Rookie of the Race: Tyler Chartrand (5th)
• Evan Donna Memorial Lap 20 Leader Bonus: Matt Hoyt
McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England
Final 2025 Championship Standings
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Points-(Wins)
(# - denotes rookie)
- (90) Matt Tanner, Stephentown, NY – 638 (5)
- (23B) Travis Billington, South Glens Falls, NY – 566 (1)
- (73) Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, NH – 547
- (07) Matt Hoyt, Campton, NH – 532 (1)
- (12T) # Tyler Chartrand, Johnsonville, NY – 493 (1)
- (23NH) Caiden Herbert, New Hampton, NH – 492 (1)
- (12) Kadyn Berry, Goffstown, NH – 485
- (19) Floyd Billington, South Glens Falls, NY – 477
- (89) Troy Comeau, Wentworth, NH – 444
- (61) Will Hull, Plainfield, VT – 420
(Photos by Don MacIntosh)
- Justin St. Louis on Oct 01, 2025
- Article Date: 10/1/2025