HOFFMAN TAKES DRAMATIC WIN TO COLLECT 80TH CAREER
BRIDGEPORT NEW JERSEY - DOUG HOFFMAN RACED TO HIS 80TH CAREER WIN SATURDAY NIGHT AT BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY DESPITE A BROKEN SHOCK TOWER ON HIS RIGHT FRONT THAT WAS ONE LAP FROM ELIMINATING HIM FROM THE FEATURE. THE VICTORY IN THE 25 LAP MODIFIED FEATURE INCHED HIM CLOSER TOWARD THE TOP OF THE ALL TIME WIN LIST.
EARLY LEADER DUANE HOWARD DROPPED OUT WHILE LEADING WITH READ END PROBLEMS HANDING THE LEAD TO HOFFMAN. DESPITE SERVERAL RESTARTS HOFFMAN WITHSTOOD ALL CHALLENGES FROM EVENTUAL RUNNER UP RICKY ELLIOTT TO SCORE THE POLULAR WIN.
HOFFMAN SAW HOWARD DROP BY THE WAY SIDE AND A CRASH BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD PLACE RICK LAUBACH AND JIMMY CHESTER MOVE HIM INTO CONTENTION FOR THE WIN. AFTER SECURING THE LEAD ONLY THE BROKEN SHOCK IN THE CLOSING LAPS COULD HAVE PREVENTED HIM FROM VICTORY.
FOLLOWING HOFFMAN WAS RICKY ELLIOTT, SECOND, JIMMY CHESTER THIRD AFTER COMING FROM THE REAR, WADE HENDRICKSON FOURTH, AND RICK LAUBACH COMING FROM THE REAR FOR FIFTH.
HEAT WINNERS FOR THE STELLER 42 CAR FIELD ON HAND WERE JAMIE MILLS, WADE HENDRICKSON, AND DOUG HOFFMAN, WITH THE CONSOLATION GOING TO DON BARONE.
RICH STINSON JR. SCORED THE WIN IN THE 20 LAP SUNOCO SPORTSMAN FEATURE, TAKING THE LEAD LATE IN THE RACE AFTER EARLY LEADER SAM WESCOTT JR. BLEW A MOTOR WHILE LEADING. FOR STINSON IT WAS HIS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON AND FIFTEENTH CAREER AT BRIDGEPORT. STINSON PATIENTLY WORKED HIS WAY FROM HIS MIDPACK STARTING SPOT TO BE IN POSITION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WESCOTTS MISFORTUNES TO SCORE THE VICTORY. IT WAS STINSONS THIRD CONSECUTIVE TOP FIVE FINISH THIS SEASON, WHICH HAS NOW GIVIN HIM THE POINT LEAD.
KEVIN COLLINS LATE RACE CHARGE NETTED HIM SECOND PLACE FOLLOWED BY JOHN PURSELL, BOB LINEMEN JR. AND DREW RICCO, WHO SCORED FIFTH AFTER STARTING FROM NINTEENTH POSITION.
QUALIFYING HEAT VICTORIES WENT TO RICH STINSON JR., JOHN PURSELL AND RICHIE PRATT JR. CONSOLATIONS WERE WON BY DREW RICCO AND STEVE LINDALE.
THE JASPER SPRINT 20 LAP FEATURE WAS WON BY SHANE SMITH FOR HIS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON. SHANE SMITH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A LATE RACE RESTART TO BLAST FROM FOURTH TO FIRST AND BEAT JEFF MUELLER TO THE LINE. FOR SMITH THE 2002 CHAMPION, WHO WAS HELD WINLESS LAST YEAR, THE VICTORY WAS WELCOMED RELIEF AFTER A 2003 SEASON FILLED WITH BAD LUCK. FOR SMITH IT WAS THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW HE PUT ON A LATE RACE CHARGE TO SCORE A TOP FINISH. THE LATE RACE RESTART WAS SET UP WHEN EARLY LEADER STEVE SCHMIDT BROKE AND RETIRED FROM THE RACE. SCHMIDT WAS ATTEMPTING TO SCORE THE SECOND VICTORY OF THE 2004 SEASON.
FOLLOWING SMITH WAS JEFF MUELLER, LAST PLACE STARTING MARK BITNER, JON BRENFLECK AND MATT BEASLEY. HEAT RACE VICTORIES WENT TO STEVIE SCHMIDT AND JEFF MUELLER.
THE NEXT EVENT AT BRIDGEPORT SWEEDWAY WILL FEATURE THE RETURN OF THE UNITED RACING CLUB SPRINTS, JOINING THE BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS, SUNOCO SPORTSMAN, AND THE FIRST RACE FOR THE SPORTSMAN ROOKIE DIVISION ON SATURDAY MAY FIRST STARTING AT 6:00.
SPORTSMAN HEAT #1 1. Rich Stinson #27 2. Sam Wescott #51 3. Ron Roberts #Z14 4. Bob Lineman #USA1 5. Eric Korman #16S 6. Dan Cogdill #26
SPORTSMAN HEAT #2 1. John Pursell #15j 2. Rob Wyant #707 3. Christopher Christ #30X 4. Tom Miller #77 5. John Heckler #55 6. Bob Lineman Jr #11
SPORTSMAN HEAT #3 1. Richie Pratt Jr. #34 2. Bob Lilick #76 3. John Kelly #47 4. Kevin Collins #126 5. Dennis Price #08 6. Rob Pierce #88
SPORTSMAN Consi #1 1. Drew Ricco #48 2. Mike Hughes #4 3. Paul Collins #89 4. Rick Kostes
SPORTSMAN Consi #2 1. Steve Lindale #54 2. Billy Chester #41 3. Rob Ratoskey #107R 4. Bruce Hirthler #9
SPORTSMAN FEATURE 1 Rich Stinson #27 2. Kevin Collins #126 3. John Pursell #15 4. Bob Lineman Jr #11 5. Drew Ricco #48 6. Paul Collins #89 7. Ron Roberts #Z14 8. Dennis Price #08 9. Rob Ratoskey #107R 10. Tom Miller #77 11. Christopher Christ #30X 12. John Kelly #47 13. Rob Wyant #707 14. Bob Lineman #USA1 15. Bob Lilick #76 16. Sam Wescott #51 17. Billy Chester #41 18. John Heckler #55 19. Eric Korman # 16S 20. Dan Cogdill #26 21. Dave Woolston #44 22. Mike Hughes #4 23. Rob Pierce #88 24. Steve Lindale #54 25. Bruce Hirthler 26. Richie Pratt #34
MODIFIED HEAT #1 1. Jamie Mills #30 2. Ricky Elliot #85 3. Duane Howard #126 4. Kevin Hirthler #117 5. Steve Durand #5D 6. Doug Rose 1DR
MODIFIED HEAT #2 1. Wade Hendrickson #2 2. Dom Buffalino 5B 3. Rick Laubach #93 4. Ryan Kerr #1K 5. Kyle Strickler #16 6. Brian Truppi 02
MODIFIED HEAT #3 1. Doug Hoffman #0 2. Jimmy Chester #44 3. Steve Bottcher #35 4. Mike Franz #12 5. Carmine Infante #24 6. Mark Forte #40
MODIFIED CONSI 1. Don Barone #267 2. Bruce Hopper #08 3. Gary Hager #44 4. Mike Iles #711 5. Joe Dekutoski 100J 6. Don Hallowell 5
MODIFIED FEATURE 1. Doug Hoffman 0 2. Ricky Elliot #85 3. Jimmy Chester #44 4. Wade Hendrickson #2 5. Rick Laubach #93 6. Dom Buffalino 5B 7. 4. Kevin Hirthler #117 8. Kyle Strickler #16 9. Steve Bottcher #35 10. Mike Iles #711 11. Carmine Infante #24 12. Don Barone #267 13. Mike Franz #12 14. Gary Hager #44 15. Steve Durand #5D 16. Don Hallowell 5X 17. Mark Forte #40 18. Doug Rose #DR1 19. Joe Dekutoski 100J 20. Ryan Kerr #1K 21. Duane Howard #126 22. Jamie Mills #30 23. Brian Truppi 02 24. Bruce Hooper #08
SPRINT HEAT #1 1. Steve Schmidt #111 2. John Wyers #84 3. Matt Beasley #12 4. Steve Fleetwood #11M 5. Bob Rasmussen 6. Brooke Bowman #2B 7. Bob Adams #14 8. Lee Nardelli #23 9. Joe Thuet #76 10. Jon Brennfleck #56D 11. Mike Piersig #77 12. Chip Brown #22
SPRINT HEAT #2 1. Jeff Mueller 2. Steve Struble #7 3. Mark Bitner #15 4. Jeff Davis #44 5. Jim Wyers #84 6. Shane Smith #00 7. Dave Brown #97 8. Hank Trum #41 9. Johnathan Swanson #17 10. Gary Mondschein #24 11. Mares Stellfox #56
SPRINT FEATURE 1. Shane Smith #00 2. 1. Jeff Mueller 3. Mark Bitner #15 4. Jon Brennfleck #56D 5. Matt Beasley #12 6.. John Wyers #84W 7. Jim Wyers #84 8. Steve Fleetwood #11 9. Dave Brown #97 10. Bob Rasmussen #5 11. Hank Trum #41 12. Lee Nardelli #23 13. Mares Stellfox #56 14. Joe Thuet #76 15. Bob Adams #14 16. Steve Schmidt #111 17. Jeff Davis 44 18. Johnathan Swanson #17 19. Mike Piersig #77 20. Steve Struble #7 21. Gary Mondschein #24 22. Brooke Bowman 2B