Duane Howard Wins Big Block Modified Main; Hendrickson Retakes Point Lead

Joe Masiado & Richie Pratt Split Sportsman Twin Fifteens

Bridgeport, NJ – Oley, PA’s Duane Howard drove the Big Spring Car Wash #126 to victory at Bridgeport Speedway Saturday night, winning the twenty-five lap big block modified feature race. The win moved Howard into a tie for second with Jimmy Horton in the season point race, with Wade Hendrickson retaking the lead. Hendrickson and Horton both suffered with mechanical problems that forced them to retire from the event, but Hendrickson was credited with an eleventh place finish that gave him enough points to gain a nine point lead. Both fifteen-lap sportsman features were marred by opening lap nine car pile-ups that saw Joe Masiado pick up his first career win in the first feature, while Richie Pratt Jr. picked up his fifth win of the season in the nightcap. Former ARDC midget driver Mike Piersig won his first sprint race, taking the twenty-lap Jasper Racing Engines Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main.

Second generation modified driver Ben Hatt jumped from his outside pole starting spot to lead the first lap of the big block modified feature event, but fifth starting Wade Hendrickson had nothing but first place on his mind, and after moving into the third spot on the back stretch of the first lap and charging into second at the start-finish line, Hendrickson had his sights set on Hatt. A caution flag period for first Mike Franz and then Steve Bottcher put Hendrickson and Hatt on the front row, and on the restart Hendrickson blasted into first with the Rio Brothers #R10. On the same start, Duane Howard charged into second place in turns one and two, and these two pulled away from the field on New Jersey’s fastest dirt track. On the next lap, Jimmy Horton, the track’s leading all time feature winner, moved into third place and chased down the leaders. For the next five laps, these three were flying around the track, but on lap nine Horton pulled into the infield with mechanical problems, retiring from the event. At the halfway mark, Hendrickson and Howard were locked into their positions, while last week’s winner, Rick Laubach, and 2001 modified champion Doug Hoffman were hooked up in a torrid battle for third place. These two ran door to door for almost two laps, until Hoffman took control of the spot in turns one and two of lap thirteen. Hendrickson was trying to lose Howard, but was never able to get much more than a three or four car length lead over second place runner, and after taking the five to go sign from Starter Dennis Weir, Hendrickson quickly pulled off the track with motor problems, giving Howard the lead. Howard went the rest of the way unchallenged, taking his second win of the season with over a five second lead over runner up Doug Hoffman. Laubach held on to third over a fast closing Jimmy Chester, while two-time Sportsman Champ Carmine Infante had another good night, putting on a great show for the crowd, coming all the way from eighteenth place to finish fifth. Hendrickson, Dave Stonebraker, and Stephan Durand won the eight lap qualifying heats, with Infante taking the consolation.

The first feature of the night was the first of two fifteen lap races scheduled for the highly competitive sportsman racers, and on the opening lap a nine car crash in turn four stopped the race. On the restart, Joe Masiado pushed his #43 into the lead, with Delaware driver Kevin Collins right on his rear bumper. While Collins kept the pressure on Masiado, Judd Mills, Bob Lilick, and Bob Sarkisian were battling for fifth place, running three wide for much of the time. With just two to go, Masiado had a one car length lead over Collins, who had the same lead over a fast charging Jim Britt. With Assistant Starter Chris Burt waving the checkered flags, Masiado had his first career win, with Collins, Britt, and Sarkisian right behind. Beau Wilkins, son of Delaware modified ace Bobby Wilkins, had his best ever sportsman finish, coming home fifth. This race was caution free after the opening lap accident, giving the fans a highly entertaining event.

The second sportsman feature was again stopped on the opening lap for a nine car pileup, this time in turn two. On the restart, front row runners John Pursell and Judd Mills raced each other into the first turn, with Mills grabbing the lead. These two young drivers raced each other all around the track , while the action behind them was hot. Two-time feature winner Bob Sarkisian was holding down third place, with Richie Pratt right on his tail, while Sam Wescott, Dan Cogdill, and Willie Osmun were fighting for fifth spot. At halfway, Mills had a two car length lead over second place, which was being contested for by Pursell, Pratt, and Sarkisian. These three were running under a blanket down the front straight, with Pratt taking control of the spot exiting turn two. A caution period tightened up the field on lap ten, and on the restart Pratt made his move on Mills and the lead. Pratt charged alongside Mills down the front straight on the restart, and entering turn one Pratt dove under Mills, completing the slide job move as the pair exited turn two, forcing Mills out of the groove and back into second place. Pratt, who clearly had the faster racer, pulled away and went on to his fifth win of the year, with Mills getting his best finish coming home second. Wescott, Pursell, and Osmun completed the top five. Jim Robinson, Masiado, and Tom Miller won the heat races, with Osmun taking the consolation race.

Continuing with the theme of opening lap accidents, the Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main started with a scary flip that saw Jeff Mueller and his Precise Landscaping #3J vault over the wall in turn one, bringing out the red flag. Mueller was found outside the wall out of his car, which he exited under his own power. After being checked out in the ambulance by track EMT Dave Weber, Mueller was found to be okay and was taken to his pit spot, a shaken but lucky driver with just some minor bumps and bruises. On the restart, second generation driver Steve Schmidt jumped out to the lead, with Mike Piersig right on his rear. The first half of the race went along with Schmidt, Piersig, and Chip Brown holding down the front three positions, but on lap eleven Schmidt’s night came to an end when he spun in the fourth turn, after it appeared that something locked up the car causing the spin along with a small fire. The second half of the race saw Piersig controlling the front spot, while four time winner Kevin Nagy was charging to the front. Nagy, who started fifteenth, was in third place on lap twelve and with five to go, he took second place from Ron Karnbach by diving low through turn two. On the last lap, the fast closing Nagy was coming up on Piersig, but time ran out and Piersig had his first ever sprint car win, with Nagy only a quarter of a second right behind. Karnbach held on to third place with Brown and Keith Andersen filling out the top five. Greg Lotosky and Schmidt won the qualifying heats for the Jasper Racing Engine sprints.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS SATURDAY JUNE 29, 2002

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Hendrickson, Howard, Horton, J.Chester, P.Weaver, D’Allesio

Heat 2 – Stonebraker, Hatt, Bottcher, W.Weaver, Ratoskey, Dekutoski

Heat 3 – Durand, Elliott, Laubach, Hoffman, Hieber, Vasquez

Consi – Infante, Adams, Franz, Schweibinz, Iles, B.Chester

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

DUANE HOWARD, Doug Hoffman, Rick Laubach, Jimmy Chester, Carmine Infante, Dave Adams, Wayne Weaver, Stephan Durand, Phil Vasquez, Rob Ratoskey, Wade Hendrickson, Danny Hieber, Ben Hatt, Dave Stonebraker, Paul Weaver, Mike Iles, Joe Dekutoski, Jason D’Allessio, Jimmy Horton, Billy Joe Chester, Bud Schweibinz, Mike Franz, Steve Bottcher, Ricky Elliott

Lap Leaders - Hatt: 1, Hendrickson: 19, Howard: 5

SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – Robinson, Pursell, Mills, Wyant, Horton, Stinson

Heat 2 – Masiado, Pratt, Wilkins, Hirthler, Britt, Pierce

Heat 3 – Miller, Collins, Lindale, Forte, Harris, Cogdill

Consi – Osmun, Sarkisian, Burkhart, Lilick, DiNatale, Briggs, Wescott, DeMedio

Sportsman Feature #1 – 15 Laps

JOE MASIADO, Kevin Collins, Jim Britt, Bob Sarkisian, Beau Wilkins, Dan Cogdill, Judd Mills, John Pursell, Sam Wescott, Jay Horton, Mark Forte, Bill Briggs, Bob Lilick, Andy Burkhart, Mike DeMedio, Robert Wyant Jr, Jim Robinson, Blaine Sadler, Rob Pierce, Bruce Hirthler, Tom Miller, Steve Lindale, Richie Pratt, Billy Harris, Willie Osmun, Mario DiNatale DNS-Rich Stinson

Lap Leaders - Masiado: 15

Sportsman Feature #2 – 15 Laps

RICHIE PRATT, Judd Mills, Sam Wescott, John Pursell, Willie Osmun, Dan Cogdill, Kevin Collins, Beau Wilkins, Dennis Price, Robert Wyant, C. Ottinger, Jay Horton, Rob Pierce, Tom Miller, Mike DeMedio, Bob Sarkisian, Bob Lilick, Billy Harris, Blaine Sadler, Jim Britt, Steve Lindale, Mark Forte, Joe Masiado, Bill Briggs, Andy Burkhart, Jim Robinson DNS- Hirthler, DiNatale

Lap Leaders – Mills: 10, Pratt: 5

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Lotosky, Brown, Piersig, Donaghy, Fleetwood, Durbin

Heat 2 – Schmidt, Brown, Karnbach, Mueller, Andersen, Butts

Bridgeport Sprint A-Main – 20 Laps

MIKE PIERSIG, Kevin Nagy, Ron Karnbach, Chip Brown, Keith Andersen, Warren Durbin, Joe Butts Jr, Dave Brown, John Wyers, Mike Donaghy, Shane Smith, Matt Beasley, Jon Brennfleck, Joe Howe, Gary Mondschein, Jeff Foote, Doug Suiter, Steve Schmidt, Steve Fleetwood, Jim Fowler, Jeff Mueller DNS- Steve Strubble, Greg Lotosky, Mares Stellfox

Lap Leaders – Schmidt: 11, Piersig: 9