Gettin’ Saucy: Moran Feeds SCoNE Hotshots Dirt In Rollin’ Hoedown At Devil’s Bowl

So who doesn’t get bored at times with a same ol’, same ol’ press release about racing? Why not twang it up a bit right with a little help from AI? Original press release from Sprint Cars of New England and offered up to AI.

Well now, y’all ever seen a fella go from nappin’ to rippin’ like a scalded dog? ‘Cause Chase Moran sure did just that Saturday night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. That boy’s got two gears—dead asleep or wide open—and lucky for us, he showed up in “Go Mode.”

The 21-year-old whippersnapper from Fultonville, New York, drove like he had a hickory switch chasin’ him, and pulled off the biggest win of his young career in the McGee Automotive Family Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) Tour. He weaved through traffic like a snake in a henhouse and snagged his first win of the season—and a nice fat $1,200 payday to boot, thanks to the Hard Charger bonus. He also hauled off the shiny Coastal 181 Cup, presented by the racin’ book fellas over at Coastal 181.

Now don’t go thinkin’ it was a one-man band out there. Kyle Smith from down in Massachusetts came to play. He won his heat like he was out for a Sunday drive and led most of the big show. Holcomb grabbed the lead at the start, but wouldn’t ya know it—before the second lap could even settle, the first of five cautions flew. Smith nailed the restart, squeezed past Holcomb like a buttered biscuit through a screen door, and held the lead like it owed him money.

Meanwhile, the rest of the field was dancin’ like it was a hoedown on moonshine. The Billington boys—Floyd and Travis—were right in the thick of it with Holcomb, Jeff Trombley, Moran, Chris Donnelly, and Matt Tanner. The track was racier than a rooster at sunrise—three-wide, four-wide, side-by-side—looked like rush hour on a mountain logging road.

Then ol’ Tanner got a bit squirrelly battlin’ with Travis, and that brought out another caution around Lap 16. Smith still had the lead, but Moran had that look in his eye—like a hound dog eyein’ a squirrel. Once he slipped past Trombley, it was like someone lit a fire under his seat. He caught Smith with five laps to go, tried a couple of different grooves, then gave it the ol’ Appalachian slingshot on Lap 22 and made it stick like molasses on cornbread.

Looked like it was all over but the shoutin’, but wouldn’t ya know it—on the last dang corner, Smith’s steering went belly-up and he flew off track like a lawn chair in a windstorm. The yellow came out before Moran could cross the line, so they lined ‘em back up for a good ol’ green-white-checkered shootout. Chase said “not today” and stomped the loud pedal, leavin’ everyone in the dust to claim his second-ever SCoNE win.

And bless their hearts, the old fellers behind him weren’t about to roll over. Sixty-year-old Floyd Billington, wheelin’ a car older than some drivers’ prom dates, zipped into second for his best run of the season. Trombley (67 years young and still raisin’ Cain) finished third, and Holcomb (age 56) stayed in the top five all night, bringin’ it home fourth. Travis Billington rounded out the top five, provin’ that the Billingtons sure don’t mind mixin’ it up.

Top 10 rundown:
6. Chris Donnelly
7. Matt Hoyt
8. Matt Tanner (after a wild ride back from that spin)
9. Kadyn Berry
10. Chad Miller

RACE NOTES FROM THE HOLLAR:

• 22 cars signed in at Devil’s Bowl. Mia Koponen and Donald Ottati made their first SCoNE rides of the season—welcome to the fray!
• Moran’s win was his first this year and second in his SCoNE career. You better keep your eyes on that boy.
• Kyle Smith and Scott Holcomb won the heat races, both lookin’ slicker than a frog in a rainstorm.
• Thanks to Chris Downs Motorsports, the Hard Charger Award came with a $200 cash kicker. Moran grabbed that too after stormin’ from 10th to 1st like he had somewhere to be.
• Mark Reynolds got himself a $50 rookie bonus from Dave Bowser Motorsports for finishin’ 17th. Tyler Chartrand wrapped up the night in 19th.
• The Hard Luck Award (sponsored by Coastal 181 and Baker River Racing for $150) went to local fella Nick Kruger from Rupert, VT. Poor guy tore up his car in Hot Laps before the night even got started. Backstretch wall: 1, rear axle: 0.
• A little’un from the stands pulled a number for a bonus prize, and Matt Hoyt got $100 for finishin’ seventh. Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time.
• After four rounds of racin’, here’s how the points stack up:
   1. Matt Tanner – 170
   2. Travis Billington – 152
   3. Chase Moran – 149
   4. Floyd Billington – 143
   5. Matt Hoyt – 141