BOB SARKISIAN WINS SPORTSMAN LABOR DAY 30 LAP CHAMPIONSHIP

Bridgeport, NJ – Woolwich, NJ’s Bob Sarkisian won the inaugural Sportsman Labor Day 30 Lap Championship at Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night, adding to his point lead in the 2002 sportsman point race. Sarkisian started the race in eleventh place, and had the Superior Scaffold Service #47 in the lead by the third lap. Sarkisian lost the lead for lap five to Billy Harris, who is second in the season point standings, but quickly regained the lead and went the rest of the way for the win. In modified action, point leader Duane Howard took the lead from polesitter Danny Hieber on the eleventh lap to get his fourth win of the year, increasing his point lead over Wade Hendrickson in the process. Ron Karnbach was a first time winner, taking the twenty lap Jasper Winged Sprint A-Main.

Danny Hieber, driving the Scrappy’s #11 at Bridgeport regularly for the first time in a few years, started the modified thirty lap main event on the pole and shot out of the box to control the lead for the first ten laps of the race. While Hieber had the lead, all eyes were on Oley, PA’s Duane Howard, who was blasting through the pack in the Big Spring Car Wash #126 from his ninth starting spot. A lap five caution flag for Doug Hoffman, in the Lincoln Auto Body Teo #5, and two-time sportsman champ Carmine Infante eliminated the lead Hieber had built up over runner up at the time, Ricky Elliott, who was strong in the Trenton Mack #704. Hoffman and Infante tangled on the backstretch, forcing both drivers to retire from the race. On the ensuing restart, Howard, who was in the fourth position, used the outside of turns one and two to charge past Elliott for the runner up spot. On lap ten, Howard was right on the rear bumper of the leader, and these two ran most of the lap side by side, before Howard launched past Hieber for lead as the two exited turn four, coming down the front straight to complete lap eleven. Now Howard was pulling away from the field and Hieber had his hands full fighting off the advances of Rick Laubach, who was back in the Keith Roussey owned Auger Manufacturing #93, after jumping around in rides for the last few weeks when the #93 lost its big block powerplant. Laubach, who has three wins this season on the big 5/8th mile, battled with Hieber for lap after lap, until he finally was able to grab the second spot using the outside groove in turn two to make his pass on the eighteenth lap. Laubach tried to run down Howard and the lead, and although he was able to cut down on some of the lead, Laubach didn’t have enough to really challenge, and Howard went the rest of the way for his fourth win of the year. Laubach and Elliott finished second and third, while a fast closing Wade Hendrickson came home fourth, with Hieber completing the top five. Stephan Durand, Dave Stonebraker, and Howard won their qualifying heats, with Jimmy Horton taking the consolation race.

The beginning of the inaugural Labor Day 30 for the highly competitive Bridgeport Sportsman saw Bob Sarkisian drive like a man possessed, leaping from his eleventh starting spot to second place in under two laps. One lap later, Sarkisian easily passed polesitter Jim Robinson for the lead, with Paulsboro’s Billy Harris right behind. Harris had the Haldeman Ford #3 right on Sarkisian’s rear bumper and was able to wrestle the lead away on lap five, but Sarkisian came right back to retake the lead on the next lap. Sarkisian and Harris drove around the track for the next few laps side by side for most of the time, but by lap nine Sarkisian had regained control of the front and began to pull away. Yellow fever hit the speedway for thee next ten laps, with the caution flag being displayed on five separate occasions, before everyone again settled back down to racing. With five to go, Sarkisian had a big lead over Harris, with Bob Lilick holding back invaders Mike Lyon and Jack Swain for third place. The last five laps weren’t kind to Lilick and Harris, as both would have mechanical problems that would ruin their good runs. Lilick, who was on his way to his best finish of the year, was forced to the infield on lap 26 with front suspension problems, while Harris limped around the speedway for the last two laps when he had rear suspension problems. At the finish, it was Sarkisian way out in front of Lyons, Swain, and Mark Forte, who rebounded from an early race accident to come home fourth. Harris was able to hold on to come home fifth, keeping Sarkisian in his sights for the season point race. Lilick, Rob Pierce, and Joe Masiado won their qualifying heats, while Swain took the consolation.

Mike Donaghy had the Grandinetti #23 on the pole for thee Jasper Winged Sprint twenty-lap A-Main, and took off with the early lead. Jeff Mueller and five-time winner Kevin Nagy put on an early show with their exciting rim riding daredevil antics as they flew up through the pack from their sixth and ninth starting spots, respectively. These two were fourth and fifth by lap one, but Mueller lost it in turn two on the next lap, spinning out and bringing out the yellow flag. Nagy went to third on the restart and took second on the front straight of the next lap, charging past Mares Stellfox and Keith Andersen in the process. Donaghy fought as hard as he could, but he couldn’t hold Nagy back, who took over first place as the two exited turn four and came down the front stretch for lap five. Point leader Shane Smith climbed into the top five on lap eight, and started his weekly march to the front. On lap fifteen, Smith made an outside move in turns three and four to roar into second and began to catch Nagy. The next lap saw Smith again try to use the outside, but this time he jumped out of the groove, and lost the position to Ron Karnbach, who was really coming on in the Lippincott Excavating #66. About the same time that Smith lost ground, Nagy had the front wing on his #45N break loose, causing his mount to become an extremely ill handling beast. Karnbach got past Nagy on the outside of turn two, taking over the lead on lap eighteen, while on the last lap, Steve Strubble worked the Helget #94 past Nagy on the outside of turn three. At the finish, Karnbach had his career first win, with Strubble, Nagy, Smith, and Donaghy completing the top five.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS SATURDAY AUGUST 31, 2002

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Durand, J.Chester, Elliott, Laubach, Iles, Lineman Sr

Heat 2 – Stonebraker, Hoffman, Bottcher, Hirthler, Hallowell, Schweibinz

Heat 3 – Howard, Hendrickson, Hieber, Infante, Franz, B.Chester

Consi – Horton, Kressley, Irwin, Firth, Daniels, Vasquez

MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

DUANE HOWARD, Rick Laubach, Ricky Elliott, Wade Hendrickson, Danny Hieber, Jimmy Horton, Dave Stonebraker, Stephan Durand, Jimmy Chester, Bud Schweibinz, Steve Bottcher, Mike Iles, Dave Adams, Mike Franz, Brian Kressley, Kevin Hirthler, Don Hallowell, Billy Joe Chester, Scott Irwin, Bob Lineman Sr, Dave Daniels, Ed Firth, Doug Hoffman, Carmine Infante

DNS- Phil Vasquez

BRIDDGEPORT SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – Lilick, Sarkisian, Robertson, Lineman Jr, Pratt, Stinson

Heat 2 – Pierce, Price, Wyant, Britt, Harris, Roberts

Heat 3 – Masiado, Forte, Wescott, Mills, Burkhart, Collins

Consi – Swain, Lyons, Pursell, Cogdill, Horton, Miller, Lindale, Lippincott

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 30 LAPS

BOB SARKISIAN, Mike Lyons, Jack Swain, Mark Forte, Billy Harris, Joe Masiado, Bob Lineman Jr, John Pursell, Kevin Collins, Rob Wyant, Andy Burkhart, Dennis Price, Ron Roberts, Richie Pratt Jr, Bob Lilick, Tom Miller, Sam Wescott, Rich Stinson. Steve Lindale, Jay Horton, Rob Pierce, Judd Mills, Dan Cogdill, Jim Robertson, Larry Lippincott

JASPER WINGED SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Donaghy, Stellfox, C.Brown, Mueller, Schmidt, Smith

Heat 2 –Karnbach, Nagy, Andersen, Durbin, Piersig, Howe

JASPER WINGED SPRINT A-MAIN – 20 LAPS

RON KARNBACH, Steve Strubble, Kevin Nagy, Shane Smith, Mike Donaghy, Mares Stellfox, Keith Andersen, Mike Piersig, Warren Durbin, Chip Brown, Jeff Mueller, Steve Schmidt, John Wyers, Matt Beasley, Joe Howe, Jeff Foote, John Barnett, Jim Fowler, Al DeAngelis, Donnie Smith