Two-day event reset for one week later, on September 27-28
UNITY, Maine (August 29, 2024) – Officials from the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) Tour and Unity Raceway have announced a date shift for the upcoming NAPA Championship Weekend. The two-day event has been moved to one week later and will now be held on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28.
The change was necessary due to both safety and traffic concerns related to the Common Ground Fair, which will be held in the town of Unity on September 20 and 21 – the original race dates for NAPA Championship Weekend. SCoNE visited Unity Raceway in July and drew a standing-room-only crowd, which resulted in jammed parking lots and significant overflow parking outside its School Street entrance. When coupled with the predictable influx of fairgoers, the potential for major traffic congestion prompted race officials to make the change.
In addition, all local ambulance and rescue teams are committed to serving the Common Ground Fair, which would leave Unity Raceway without proper coverage during the races – a non-negotiable circumstance that both Unity Raceway and SCoNE are not willing to risk.
NAPA Auto Parts presents two nights of “Winged, Wild, and Wicked Fast” racing for the McGee SCoNE Tour on September 27-28, at which the 2024 SCoNE champion will be crowned. Each night will have an exciting card of racing for SCoNE and Unity’s weekly racing classes, with SCoNE drivers performing in qualifying heats and a 25-lap feature on both Friday and Saturday. Matt Hoyt – July’s Unity winner – currently leads the championship standings by just 12 points over former champion Will Hull, young stars Kadyn Berry and Jake Williams, and veteran driver Floyd Billington. In all, the top five are separated by only 26 points.
Saturday’s event will also have SCoNE’s first-ever Sabil & Sons “Favorite Driver” Race to benefit the Friends of Veterans organization in White River Junction, Vermont. Drivers who have earned votes in the season-long Favorite Driver Poll will compete in a non-points, winner-take-all race, with the victor grabbing an extra paycheck and winter bragging rights. The payout is still building and is currently well over $500.
“Rescheduling our NAPA Championship Weekend is not ideal, but it’s the right call for the racers, the fans, the residents of Unity, and the folks attending the fair. If anything, it helps the anticipation for the races build that much more,” SCoNE president Justin St. Louis said. “We commend Unity Raceway officials Joey Doyon, Holly Doyon, and Brianna Giggey for being proactive with this situation. We are super excited to get back to Maine for two great nights of racing and crowning our 2024 champion in front of the covered grandstands at Unity.”
Prior to heading to Unity, the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England Tour is in action at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vermont, on Saturday, September 14, for the final round of the five-race Green Mountain Gear-Heads Championship Series presented by Hull Motorsports, and to set the stage for the NAPA Championship Weekend point battle.
To learn more about the Sprint Cars of New England, visit www.nesprintcars.com or find the “SCoNE – Sprint Cars of New England” page on Facebook.
- Justin St. Louis on Aug 29, 2024
- Article Date: 8/29/2024