JIMMY HORTON WINS 100TH MODIFIED FEATURE AT BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY

Bridgeport, NJ – Twenty-seven years after winning his first race on the 5/8th mile Bridgeport Speedway, Neshanic Station, NJ’s Jimmy Horton won his 100th big block modified feature Saturday night, taking the $2500 to win twenty-five lap main event. Horton put on one heck of a show at New Jersey’s fastest dirt track, starting the feature in nineteenth position and charging through the pack to take the lead on lap eleven, getting his second win of the 2002 season. The seven-time Modified Champion used every inch of the speedway, driving the Miles Concrete #901 high and low and passing bunches of cars to take the win. In Victory Lane, Bridgeport Owner/Promoter Bill Lincoln presented Horton with a special trophy commemorating the special achievement. In other action at the track, 2000 sportsman champion Mark Forte won his first sportsman feature of the 2002 season, while Greg Lotosky grabbed his career first win in the Bridgeport Sprint A-Main. Swedesboro, NJ’s Sam Cassella won his sixth feature of the year, taking the special 600cc Micro Sprint feature that was run on the new ¼ mile speedway, which is now located on the front straightaway. The final event of the night saw Dave Wilhelm win the fifty-lap Enduro Stock feature.

Cream Ridge, NJ’s Carmine Infante, a two-time Bridgeport Sportsman Champion, started the big block modified feature on the pole and blasted out to huge lead within the first two laps. By lap five, Infante, who is back at Bridgeport after running other tracks for the past few years, had a full straightaway lead over the pack. While Infante was trying to run away and hide, the action was hot and heavy as first Doug Hoffman and then Jimmy Horton made moves to charge to the front. Hoffman, who started the event in eighth place, made some daring moves on the racetrack to go all the way up to fourth on just the first lap, but all eyes had to be on the Miles Concrete #901 as Jimmy Horton drove the self-designed Olsen chassised big block through the pack. Horton, who had to qualify for the main event by winning the consolation race after suffering a flat tire on the last lap of his qualifying heat, started the race in nineteenth place, and used every groove of the new clay raceway to rocket up to the front. Horton was a man on a mission, as he cracked the top ten by lap five, and moved in to fifth place just three laps later. Lap eleven saw a seven-car pile up in turn three bring out the caution flag and tighten up the field, which was exactly what Horton needed. On the ensuing restart, Horton used the outside groove to pass everyone between himself and the lead, bringing the crowd to its feet with the daring move. Getting a good bite exiting turn two, Horton flew down the backstretch to take the lead from Infante before entering turn three. While Horton was pulling away from everyone, leaving no doubt he was about to get that elusive 100th career Bridgeport modified victory, 2001 champ Hoffman took the five to go signal in third place before ducking down low under Infante on the backstretch, taking over the runner up spot. At the finish, Horton had over a three second lead on Hoffman, with Infante holding off Wade Hendrickson and the Rio Brothers #R10 for third place. Duane Howard had another steady night, bringing the Big Spring Car Was #126 home in fifth. The normally low-keyed Horton enjoyed his milestone victory lane, receiving a custom made trophy from track owner Bill Lincoln before his crew gave him a champagne bath to celebrate the achievement. Talking about the race, Horton said, “We had to come from the back, and I knew it was going to be tough, but actually the car did its job and I just had to hang on and steer! The car went wherever I put it, if somebody was running on the bottom I could put it on the top, it really surprised me on that last restart when I went from fourth to the lead. I didn’t think the top was that good but I guess the car said it was! This win means a lot to me, you want to win them all, but this is something. I just want to thank all the fans who come here and support me all the time, and also to Miles Concrete, who have been my sponsors for fifteen years and are always here.” Infante, Brian Truppi, and Dave Stonebraker won the eight lap qualifying heats, with Horton winning the consolation race.

The Bridgeport Sportsman feature started with outside polesitter Bob Lilick taking the lead for the first four laps, when a wild ten car crash in turn three brought out the red flag to stop the race. Most of the drivers were shaken up, but okay except for veteran driver Ron Roberts, who had to be transported to the hospital after complaining about possible injuries to his legs. On the restart, Richie Pratt and John Townsend, in his #11A, ran side by side, passing Lilick and battling for the lead all the way around the track. Pratt wrestled away the lead from Townsend as the two racers exited turn four coming down the front straightaway. On the next lap, two-time 2002 winner Bob Sarkisian pulled past Townsend for second place, and tried to catch Pratt, who had the Klair #34 cruising around the speedway. The second half of the race saw mechanical problems play a major factor in the outcome, when Sarkisian dropped out with motor problems on lap eleven, turning the runner up spot over to Jim Britt and his #118. Two laps later, all-time Bridgeport Sportsman feature winner Mark Forte made an outside move on Britt coming through turn four to take second place. Pratt had a comfortable lead over the 2000 Sportsman champ, but coming down the front straight for the white flag, Pratt pulled off the speedway, giving the lead to Forte, who would lead the most important lap, the last one, to get his first win of the 2002 season. It was the Blue Anchor, NJ driver’s 28th career win at the 5/8th mile track. Britt had his best ever finish, coming home in second, while Paulsboro, NJ’s Billy Harris padded his Sportsman point lead with a third place finish. Rookie Jud Mills and Townsend completed the top five. Lilick, Harris, and Townsend won the qualifying heats, while Mills and Dan Cogdill took the consolation races.

The Bridgeport Winged Sprints had a safe night with no one flipping or crashing hard like the past two weeks, when the sprinters kept the tow trucks and infield safety crews too busy. The A-Main saw Greg Lotosky pull away from the field from his pole position starting spot, and with only a lap twelve yellow flag for the #41 of Gary Mondschein, who pulled off the track on the front straightaway, he was never really challenged for the lead. Jeff Mueller, driving the Precise Landscaping #3J, spent most of the race in the runner up spot, with Warren Durbin right on his bumper. New Egypt, NJ’s Durbin had the Lucas Electric #69 up from his sixth starting spot and into third by lap four, and he kept the pressure on Mueller for the next fourteen laps. While Lotosky was staying ahead of Mueller and Durbin, Kevin Nagy was rim-riding with his #45N trying to get to the front. On the second lap, Nagy almost launched his sprinter out over the fence in turns one and two, when he jumped the groove on the high side of the track. He steadily moved forward, until he got behind Durbin, who had enough to hold off the Bridgeport ¼ Mile Micro Sprint graduate. These two ran side by side for a few laps, until Durbin’s sprinter really got some bite exiting turn two low, and was able to pull away. Lap seventeen saw Durbin fly past Mueller on the backstretch, while Nagy made the same move one lap later for third place. At the finish, Lotosky had his first career win, making him the sixth different winner this season. Durbin held off Nagy for second, with Mueller and Matt Beasley filling out the top five. Two heats were run for the Jasper Racing Engines sprinters, with Lotosky and Nagy winning the eight lap events.

Abingdon, MD’s Dave Wilhelm started the fifty-lap Enduro Stock feature in ninth position and used his talent and experience to work his way to the front of the pack of stock bodied racers. Polesitter Steve Haegele took off at the beginning of the race and tried to get a big enough lead to run and hide from the rest of the field, but first Curtis Nichols and then Wilhelm took turns at cutting down on the lead. With ten to go , Wilhelm got past Haegele for the lead, and although a yellow flag with two to go again brought the pack together, Wilhelm was able to on and get his first win of the season. Haegele was disqualified after the post race tech inspection, giving the runner up spot to Thorofare, NJ’s Bob Hopely. Joe Trombetti, Dave Ecret, and Tracy Rocap completed the top five.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – Saturday June 8, 2002

SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – Lilick, Lozorak, Forte, Wyant, Burkhart, Klingmeyer

Heat 2 – Harris, Sadler, Britt, Wilkins, Lineman

Heat 3 – Townsend, Sarkisian, Pierce, McDonnell, Stinson, DeMedio

Consi 1 – Mills, Wescott, Briggs, Lindale

Consi 2 – Cogdill, Holsten, Pursell, Roberts

SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

MARK FORTE, Jim Britt, Billy Harris, Jud Mills, John Townsend, Dan Cogdill, Beau Wilkins, Andy Burkhart, Bob Lilick, Bill Briggs, Rob Pierce, Robert Wyant, Richie Pratt, Rich Stinson, Bob Sarkisian, Rick Holsten, Steve Lozorak, Frank McDonnell, Bill Klingmeyer, Blaine Sadler, Mike DeMedio, Bob Lineman Jr, Sam Wescott, John Pursell, Ron Roberts, Steve Lindale

LAP LEADERS: Lilick-4, Pratt-14, Forte-2

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Infante, Hendrickson, Chester, Hoffman, Howard, Weaver

Heat 2 – Truppi, Adams, Elliott, Bottcher, B.Chester, Dekutoski

Heat 3 – Stonebraker, Laubach, Rust, Hirthler, Durand, Franz

Consi – Horton, Foskey, Hatt, Irwin, Simpson, Iles

MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

JIMMY HORTON, Doug Hoffman, Carmine Infante, Wade Hendrickson, Duane Howard, Jimmy Chester, Ricky Elliott, Steve Bottcher, Deron Rust, Dave Stonebraker, Kevin Hirthler, Brian Truppi, Dave Adams, Mike Iles, Paul Weaver, Cliff Foskey, Mike Franz, Joe Dekutoski, Gary Simpson, Rick Laubach, Stephan Durand, Billy Joe Chester, Scott Irwin, Ben Hatt

LAP LEADERS: Infante-11, Horton-14

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Lotosky, Brown, Stellfox, Mueller, Smith, Anderson

Heat 2 – Nagy, Piersig, Durbin, Schmidt, Beasley, Fleetwood

BRIDGEPORT SPRINT A- MAIN – 20 LAPS

GREG LOTOSKY, Warren Durbin, Kevin Nagy, Jeff Mueller, Matt Beasley, Shane Smith, Steve Schmidt, Steve Fleetwood, Mares Stellfox, Dave Brown, Mike Donaghy, Keith Anderson, Mike Piersig, Joe Howe, Jon Brennfleck, Ron Karnbach, George Coffin, Gary Mondschein, Chip Brown

LAP LEADERS: Lotosky-20

ENDURO STOCK FEATURE – 50 LAPS

DAVE WILHELM, Bob Hopely, Joe Trombetti, Dave Ecret, Tracy Rocap, Jim Griffin, Robert Benz, Ken Watson, Liz Mallows, Rich Erdbrink