BRADFORD, Vt. — Clay Dow needed a win, and he got one in a big way at Bear Ridge Speedway on Sunday.
Dow dominated early before coming out on top of an intense battle with Chris Donnelly in the final laps for his first victory of the season with the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England tour.
The event, which was presented by Green Mountain Gear-Heads and had been postponed a day by rain, was the fourth of the year for the SCoNE, but it was the first smooth run of the season for Dow, a two-time SCoNE champion.
Dow had only frustration in the first three races, but he was nearly flawless on Sunday night, winning his qualifying heat and taking the lead from the opening circuit of the 25-lap A-Main.
The race ran non-stop without a caution flag, and so Dow pulled away from the field and began lapping cars before the midway point. While the was happening, a highly entertaining fight for second place raged on between former champion Tunk Berry and his 15-year-old nephew, Kadyn Berry, while Donnelly streaked through traffic from the eighth starting position to join them.
Seven-time SCoNE champion Donnelly pulled the trigger at halfway and got past both Berrys, then fought his way through lapped cars to reach Dow with just four laps left.
Dow was held up briefly, allowing Donnelly to get close coming to the two-to-go signal, and when Dow swung high in turn one to set up a pass of the lapped car, he got out of the groove and opened the door.
Donnelly jumped through the hole and took the lead in turn two, but the roles were reversed in turn three, as Donnelly left the bottom open and Dow used a crossover move to reclaim the lead before the lap was completed.
Donnelly tried to repeat the lead swap again on the final lap, but Dow was able to protect the bottom lane in turn one. Donnelly then tried the outside on the backstretch and drew even with Dow in the final corner, but Dow pulled away the finish line to win by a car length. The victory was the 21st of Dow’s SCoNE career, entering him into a tie for third place on the tour’s all-time win list with Will Hull.
Hull was also putting on a show behind the Dow-Donnelly fight, as he first ran with Troy Comeau and rookie Jason Goff before passing them and taking on Tunk and Kadyn Berry.
After dicing with them for a handful of laps, Hull blasted into third place, where he finished. Kadyn Berry took fourth place with Tunk Berry fifth.Â