RICKY “THE ROCKET” ELLIOTT PICKS UP NINTH 2004 BRIDGEPORT VICTORY
Bridgeport, NJ ..August 28, 2004…Seaford, DE’s Ricky Elliott charged to his ninth win of the 2004 season at South Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway Saturday night, going home with the $2500 first place prize money for the Big Block Modified victory. Rob Pierce became the tenth different winner of the seson in the Sunoco Sportsman division, taking his second career win in the 20 lap feature. Pittsgrove, NJ's Shane Smith won the Jasper Sprint A Main, while Mike Hires was the victor in the special Saturday night Outlaw Stock feature.
After Dave Meissner of Meissner Megastore auto dealership of Philadelphia, PA gave the command of “Gentleman, Start Your Engines!” Kyle Strickler jumped out to the early lead in the twenty-five lap Big Block Modified feature event with Mike Franz, Tom Hager, and Rick Laubach in tow. Laubach, who started the race in sixth spot, pulled into third place on the second lap and began to chase down Franz and the runner up spot. On a lap seven restart, Laubach worked past Franz to grab second place and began to chase down Strickler and the lead. Two laps later the yellow flag again had to be displayed when Mike Illes plowed into one of the infield marker tires in turn four, casing a chain reaction that saw Modified point leader slam into the outside wall, inflicting heavy damage to the Overhead Door #0. The restart saw Laubach and Ricky Elliott, who started the event in eleventh place, racing around the big 5/8th mile side by side, with Laubach holding off Elliott’s charge to stick in second place. The caution flag again came out on lap 11, and on the ensuing restart, Laubach used the outside groove in turn one to power past Strickler and grab the lead. Laubach, who returned to action at the track in his own #20 after destroying the Auger #93 earlier in the month, held on to the top spot for just three laps. Elliott, who followed Laubach past Strickler to take the runner up spot, made the same move on a lap 14 restart, running up top to get by Laubach for the lead. Laubach hooked a rut in turn four on the same lap, forcing the Quakertown, PA resident to the pits and ending his comeback night. Elliott controlled the lead, with 2000 Modified Champion Wade Hendrickson now in second place. At the finish, Elliott had almost a straightaway lead over Hendrickson, with Jamie Mills, Strickler, and Mike Franz completing the top five. Filling out positions sixth through tenth were Kevin Hirthler, Carmine Infante, Bob Sarkisian, Troy Ale, and Duane Howard, who had to run the Ed Firth #37 after destroying the Big Spring Car Wash #126 in his qualifying heat. Heats for the Big Block Modifieds were won by Mills and Laubach.
Vineland, NJ’s Rob Pierce started the 20 lap Sunoco Sportsman feature in third place, and had the lead on the third lap, taking over from Jay Horton. Pierce went the distance to get his second career Sportsman victory, but the win was never easy as the highly competitive sportsman drivers put on quite a show behind the leader. Fellow Vineland resident Eric Kormann knifed his way through the pack, coming from his 16th starting spot to bring home second place money. At the finish, Kormann had Rich Stinson Jr. right on his rear bumper, with Stinson having a successful debut of a brand new #27. Winner of the last Sportsman feature run at the track, John Pursell, had the Hermann #15J flying, fighting his way from 19th starting spot to finish fourth. Veteran Ron Roberts completed the top five in the Roberts Motors #22. The win was Pierce’s first of the season and the second of his career. Kormann, Bill Klingmeyer, and Kevin Collins won the 8 lap qualifying heats with Pursell qualifying for the feature by winning the consolation race.
The Jasper Sprint A Main saw Bridgeton, NJ’s Lee Nardelli duel with pole sitter Hank Trum at the start of the 20 lap event, with Nardelli taking the leadout of turn 4 as the field completed lap 2. Nardelli, in his rookie year with the Jasper Sprints, led Trum around the raceway for the first half of the race, until a yellow flag for Tory Rose on lap 11 tightened up the pack. With the field bunched up, 2002 Jasper Sprint Champion Shane Smith, who started the race in 13th place, made his final move to the front of the pack, after flying through the pack and entering the top five just two laps earlier. After getting the five to go signal from Starter Dennis Weir, Nardelli still had the lead, with Pittsgrove, NJ’s Smith closing in fast. With two to go, Smith was right on Nardelli’s rear bumper and the two were using every inch of the huge speedway to try and outrace each other. With all eyes of the big crowd on hand for the night watching the two speeding winged sprints, Smith made his final move in turns three and four of the last lap to sneak by Nardelli for his second win of the season. Dave Brown, Mark Bitner, and point leader John Wyers filled out the top five. Jon Brennfleck and Nardelli each won their qualifying heat races.
The special Saturday night Outlaw Stock feature was won by Mike Hires, but the 20 lap event went right down to the last lap to decide the winner. Two-time champ Pat Hires led the early portion of the race, until a turn two tangle forced the defending champ to the pits. After halfway, Brian Ludwig appeared to be on his way to his second win of the season, but after receiving the white flag from Starter Gary Buzby, Ludwig drifted to a stop in the first turn with mechanical problems. Mike Hires and Dave Gould, who had been trading paint for lap after lap now saw their opportunity to get the win, and the two ran door to door for almost the complete last lap, with Hires pulling ahead by just a few feet at the finish line to get his second career win. Gould was the close runner up, with Joe Trumbetti, Steve Stark, and Rich Frachetti completing the top five.
Bridgeport Speedway returns to action on Labor Day weekend with and exciting triple header, featuring races on three straight nights. On Thursday Sept. 2, the DIRT Southeast series returns, with a 40 lap feature for Big Block Modifieds, along with a full show of Sportsman racing in a 20 lap main. In addition to those features and qualifying events, the Sportsman will hold a non winners feature, with action starting at 7:30. On Friday night the Micro Sprints, Four Cylinders and Outlaw Stocks return with a full program of heats and feature action on Thornton’ s Gulf Night, starting at 7 pm. Saturday Sept. 4 will see the Modifieds have another special, with Twin Twenty lap features topping the program, along with qualifying events and a full program for the Sunoco Sportsman and Jasper Sprint cars starting at 6:30 pm. For more information, call the speedway hotline at 856-467-4408 during regular business hours or log onto www.bridgeportspeedway.net.
AUG 28th RESULTS
Mod Heat 1 1 Jamie Mills 30
2
Wade Hendrickson
2
3
Kyle Strickler
16
4
Kevin Hirthler
5
Tom Hager
43
6
Howard O'Neal
O9
7
Butch Glisson
6
8
Bud Schweibinz
1
9
Mark Forte
40
10
Don Barone
267
11
Jimmy Chester
44
12
Duane Howard
126
Mod Heat 2
1
Rick Laubach
20
2
Ricky Elliott
85
3
Mike Franz
12
4
Carmine Infante
24
5
Steve Durand
5D
6
Mike Iles
711
7
Doug Hoffman
0
8
Bob Sarkisian
47
9
Troy Ale
19
10
Jim Stong
505
11
Ed Firth
37
12
Dave Howard
66
13
Dan McMahon
5C
14
Jason D'Allessio
9D
Mod Feature 1
1
Ricky Elliott
85
2
Wade Hendrickson
2
3
Jamie Mills
30
4
Kyle Strickler
16
5
Mike Franz
12
6
Kevin Hirthler
117
7
Carmine Infante
24
8
Bob Sarkisian
47
9
Troy Ale
19
10
Duane Howard
37
11
Jim Stong
505
12
Howard O'Neal
O9
13
Tom Hager
43
14
Dave Howard
O4
15
Butch Glisson
6
16
Steve Durand
5D
17
Rick Laubach
20
18
Jimmy Chester
44
19
Mark Forte
40
20
Mike Iles
711
21
Doug Hoffman
0
22
Dan McMahon
5C
23
Jason D'Allessio
9D
24
Don Barone
5B
dns
Bud Schweibinz
1
Sprint Heat 1
1
Jon Brennfleck
56D
2
John Wyers
84
3
Mark Bitner
M15
4
Jim Bewley
23B
5
Hank Trum
41
6
Joe Thuet
76
7
Shane Smith
OO
8
Al DeAngelis
1
9
Jeff Danes
44
10
Torrey Rose
309
Sprint Heat 2
1
Lee Nardelli
23
2
Mares Stellfox
56
3
Jack Curtis
88
4
Bob Adams
14
5
Dave Brown
22
6
Jeff Foote
15
7
Mike Piersig
77
8
Bob Rasmussen
5
9
Brooke Bowman
2B
10
Jim Wyers
84W
Sprint Feature
1
Shane Smith
OO
2
Lee Nardelli
23
3
Dave Brown
22
4
Mark Bitner
M15
5
John Wyers
84
6
Hank Trum
41
7
Mike Piersig
77
8
Jon Brennfleck
56D
9
Jim Bewley
23B
10
Joe Thuet
76
11
Brooke Bowman
2B
12
Jeff Foote
15
13
Mares Stellfox
56
14
Bob Rasmussen
5
15
Bob Adams
14
16
Jack Curtis
88
17
Jeff Danes
44
18
Torrey Rose
309
19
Al DeAngelis
1
20
Jim Wyers
84W
Sportsman Heat 1
1
Eric Kormann
16S
2
Drew Ricco
34
3
Anthony Moran
61M
4
Bob Lineman Jr
usa1
5
Mike Brannigan
18X
6
Christopher Christ
30X
dnq
Brian Lilick
76x
dnq
EJ Harrington
17B
dnq
Dave Matz
OO
dnq
Billy Chester
41
dnq
Rick Kostes
12K
dnq
Mike Gibbons
916
dnq
Billy Harris
3
dnq
Ron Roberts
22
Sportsman heat 2
1
Bill Klingmeyer
17
2
Bob Lilick
76
3
Sam Wescott
51
4
Rob Pierce
88
5
Paul Collins
89
6
Steve Lozorak
123
dnq
George Gareis
5f
dnq
John Pratt
17H
dnq
Jesse Hill
99H
dnq
Bob Gibbons
94
dnq
Jimmy Horton IV
X43
dnq
Richie Pratt,Jr
28
dnq
John Pursell
15J
Sportsman heat 3
1
Kevin Collins
126
2
Jay Horton
30
3
Sean Carman
47
4
Mark Forte, Jr
M40
5
Rich Stinson
27
6
Jim Britt
1J
dnq
Dave Hunt
5
dnq
John Kelly
47K
dnq
Dennis Price
O8
dnq
Blain Sadler
75
dnq
Rich Reider
1
dnq
Tracy Rocap
101
dnq
Don Bogey
9
dnq
Joe Langshaw
5L
dnq
Ron Ford
65
Sportsman Consi 1
1
John Pursell
15J
2
Dave Hunt
5
3
Ron Roberts
22
4
Dennis Price
O8
5
George Gareis
5f
6
John Pratt
17H
7
John Kelly
47K
8
Billy Chester
41
dnq
Rich Reider
1
dnq
Blain Sadler
75
dnq
Billy Harris
3
dnq
Jesse Hill
99H
dnq
Dave Matz
OO
dnq
Rick Kostes
12K
Sportsman Feature
1
Rob Pierce
88
2
Eric Kormann
16S
3
Rich Stinson
27
4
John Pursell
15J
5
Ron Roberts
22
6
Sean Carman
47
7
Dave Hunt
5
8
Dennis Price
O8
9
Mark Forte, Jr
M40
10
John Pratt
17H
11
Anthony Moran
61M
12
Steve Lozorak
123
13
Richie Pratt
9
14
Billy Chester
41
15
Sam Wescott
51
16
George Gareis
5f
17
Jim Britt
1J
18
Paul Collins
89
19
Jay Horton
30
20
Kevin Collins
126
21
Bill Klingmeyer
17
22
Bob Lilick
76
23
John Kelly
47K
24
Mike Brannigan
18X
25
Christopher Christ
30X
26
Bob Lineman Jr
usa1
27
Drew Ricco
34
Outlawstock Features
1
Mike Hires
4
2
David Gould Jr
37
3
Joe Trumbetti
20
4
Steve Stark
8
5
Rich Franchetti
88
6
Tom Alley
OO
7
Bucky Albright
O1
8
Chris Prychka
28
9
Bill Dwespohl
8d
10
Bob Dooley
171
11
Jim Honaker
52b
12
Chuck Faisst
F1
13
Brian Ludwig
94
14
Fred Ingham
21
15
Ron Dirkes
7
16
Jeff Dirkes
O6
17
Kevin Gates
66
18
Gary Klimeeczak
11
19
Sean McHugh
25x
20
Rick Haegle
38
21
Keith Appleby
74
22
Pat Hires
25
23
Ken Watson
6
24
Jim Erdbrink Jr
13