DAVE ADAMS DRIVES THE HOOTERS #37 TO FIRST BIG BLOCK MODIFIED WIN

Bridgeport, NJ – Oakford, PA’s Dave Adams, driving his own Hooters #37, achieved something Saturday night at New Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway that has been haunting him in his long racing career – a big block modified win! Adams, who charged up from his seventh position starting spot to take the lead on lap eleven, dominated the event, slicing through lapped traffic and holding off seven-time champion Jimmy Horton, who finished second, in the process. Second-generation driver Richie Pratt Jr, son of 1987 Bridgeport Small Block Modified Champion Richie Pratt Sr, picked up his third win of the season, taking the twenty-lap Sportsman feature. Bridgeport Sprint point leader Shane Smith ended Kevin Nagy’s three race win streak, winning the twenty-lap Bridgeport Sprint A-Main. In other action at the track, for the first time on a Saturday night, the new quarter mile oval on the front straight was used, with Hickory, NC’s Brian Roseman making the long tow worthwhile, winning the $600 to win twenty-lap 600cc Micro Sprint feature.

Carmine Infante and Mike Iles led the twenty-four car field to the post to start the big block modified feature, and Infante pulled out to the early lead until lap four, when mechanical problems eliminated Infante from the event. Iles took over the lead, and was building up a nice lead until lap ten, when Dave Adams, who had been in second spot since lap five, really started closing in on the leader. Adams caught the leader on the backstretch, and made his move in turn three, diving under Iles to take the lead coming down to the start finish line for lap eleven. Bridgeport All-Time feature winner Jimmy Horton, still searching for that elusive one-hundredth modified win, followed Adams line and pulled into the runner-up spot at the same time. At the halfway mark, Adams had a five-car length lead, with Horton holding off 2000 champion Wade Hendrickson for second place. On the same lap, Steve Bottcher, driving the Buff Farms #24, brought out the yellow with a right rear flat, eliminating the lead that Adams had built up. On the restart, Adams again was hooked to the new clay, and pulled away from the pack. For the first time this season, modified point leader Hendrickson dropped out of the race, when mechanical problems forced him to the infield on lap sixteen. It would be only the second time this year that Hendrickson would finish out of the top ten. With five to go, Adams had a four second lead over Horton, but lapped traffic would slow down the leader enough for Horton to cut down the advantage. Adams, a two time Bridgeport Small Block Modified Champion in 1987 and 1991, negotiated the lapped cars using every inch of the big 5/8th mile speedway, and while Horton was closing in, at the finish Adams still had a two and a half second lead over runner up Horton. 2001 Champion Doug Hoffman, who started the race in tenth place, ran a steady race to finish third, with last week’s second twenty lap feature winner, Duane Howard, finishing fourth. Branchburg, NJ’s Brian Truppi chased away the bad luck demons to come home in fifth place. When the race was over, an exhausted Adams said, “I’ve been living with this since 1994 and we finally got a good motor program this year, got great sponsors and a great crew. This crew has hung with me, whether I finished last or second, they’ve always been there for me. We were running at two-hundred eighty degrees for the second half of the race, and I knew the motor was hurting, but I wasn’t giving this one up!” Truppi, Infante, and Iles won the qualifying heats, with 2001 Rookie of the Year Stephan Durand taking the consolation race.

Riegelsville, PA’s John Pursell jumped out from his outside pole position start to take the early lead in the twenty-lap Sportsman feature race. While Pursell had his hands full holding off newcomer Bob Lilick, who started sixth, Richie Pratt Jr. was cutting his way through the pack from twelfth place. On lap five, Pratt charged past Lilick for second place, and in turn three Pratt pulled alongside Pursell before taking the lead coming down the front straight for lap six. For the next couple of laps Pursell and Lilick swapped positions, while Pratt was running away from the field. Running down the backstretch of lap eight, point leader Billy Harris, in the Haldeman Ford #3, shot past Lilick and Pursell to take over the runner up spot. Harris, who started eleventh, could never really take a bite out of the lead Pratt had built up, and although a couple of late race cautions would tighten the field back up, Pratt would pull back out on each restart. At the finish, Pratt had his third win of the season with Harris holding on to his point lead with his second place finish. Pursell had his best finish of the season coming home third, with Steve Lindale and Bill Klingmeyer completing the top five. Lindale, Jay Horton, and Pursell won the eight lap qualifying races, with Laurel, DE’s Kevin Collins winning the consolation race.

Again this week, the Bridgeport Sprints had a crazy night, with some great racing mixed with a couple of scary crashes. Young Steve Schmidt looked to be on his way to his first win, pulling out from his pole position starting spot to lead the first fourteen laps. With Schmidt out front, Warren Durbin and Mike Donaghy battled for second place for the first six laps. Durbin, in the Musco Lighting #69, charged into second, but had his hands full with Donaghy, who had the Grandinetti #23 right on Durbin’s rear bumper. On lap seven, point leader Shane Smith, who started the race in ninth, rocketed past Donaghy for third and began to hunt down Durbin and the runner up spot. At halfway, Schmidt still had a comfortable lead over Durbin, who was in a fight with Smith. One lap later, Smith made his move past Durbin exiting turn four, and starting closing in on the leader. Lap twelve saw four-time winner Kevin Nagy get past Durbin for third place and a yellow on lap fourteen for Gary Mondschein, who was driving the Lotosky #45L, set up a duel for the lead. On the restart, Smith flew under Schmidt entering turn one, and by the time they exited turn two, Smith had the lead. After the Selbyville, Delaware driver took the fie to go signal from Starter Chris Burt, the red flag had to be displayed for a scary crash on the front straight that saw Bob Adams launch his #14 after hitting the stopped #88 sprinter of Jack Curtis. Adams took a high speed ride along the front fence that saw part of the railing to the starter’s stand get ripped from its mounts. Luckily both Adams and Curtis walked away from the accident, with Adams shaken in the process. After Schmidt dropped out of the race on the next lap, Nagy began to try and make a move on Smith, but again on lap eighteen the red had to come out for Chip Brown, who flipped his #22 against the wall entering the back straight. Brown was not as lucky as the other two drivers, as he needed to be transported to the hospital to take care of a cut on his arm. When the race continued, Nagy tried to close in on Smith, but couldn’t get close enough to pose a threat for the lead, and at the checkered flag, Smith had his second win of the season, with Nagy right on his rear bumper. Durbin and Donaghy held on for third and fourth, with Matt Beasley coming on at the end to finish fifth. Durbin and Donaghy won the qualifying heats for the Jasper Racing Engines Winged Sprinters.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY JUNE 1, 2002

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Truppi, Horton, Adams, Hoffman, Stonebraker, Barone

Heat 2 – Infante, Schultz, Franz, Weaver, Bottcher, Hirthler

Heat 3 – Iles, J.Chester, Elliott, Hendrickson, Howard, Hatt

Consi – Durand, Laubach, Glisson, B.Chester, Hayes, Dekutoski

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

DAVE ADAMS, Jimmy Horton, Doug Hoffman, Duane Howard, Brian Truppi, Ricky Elliott, Jimmy Chester, Paul Weaver, Kevin Hirthler, Ben Hatt, Dave Stonebraker, Jared Schultz, Mike Franz, Stephan Durand, Don Barone, Rick Laubach, Billy Joe Chester, Joe Dekutoski, Steve Bottcher, Wade Hendrickson, Butch Glisson, Mike Iles, Bud Hayes, Carmine Infante

LAP LEADERS: INFANTE-4, ILES-6, ADAMS-15

SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – Lindale, Klingmeyer, Ottinger, Lilick, Sadler, Masiado

Heat 2 – Horton, Forte, Harris, Wilkins, Sarkisian, Wescott

Heat 3 – Pursell, Lozorak, Burkhart, Pratt, Lineman, Mills

Consi – Collins, Cogdill, Britt, Briggs, McDonnell, Miller, Kormann, Roberts

Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

RICHIE PRATT, Billy Harris, John Pursell, Steve Lindale, Bill Klingmeyer, Sam Wescott, Andy Burkhart, Ron Roberts, Jay Horton, Bob Lineman Jr, Judd Mills. Dan Cogdill, Bob Sarkisian, Beau Wilkins, Court Ottinger, Blaine Sadler, Tom Miller, Eric Kormann, Bob Lilick, Bill Briggs, Mark Forte, Jim Britt, Joe Masiado, Steve Lozorak, Frank McDonnell, Kevin Collins

LAP LEADERS: OTTINGER-1, PURSELL-4, PRATT-15

BRIDGEPORT SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Durbin, Schmidt, Beasley, Lotosky, Nagy, Smith

Heat 2 – Donaghy, Curtis, Anderson, C.Brown, D.Brown, Stellfox

Bridgeport Sprint A-Main – 20 Laps

SHANE SMITH, Kevin Nagy, Warren Durbin, Mike Donaghy, Matt Beasley, Keith Anderson, Mares Stellfox, Steve Fleetwood, Gary Mondschein, Dave Brown, Chip Brown, Steve Schmidt, Jack Curtis, Bob Adams, Harry McConnell, Keith Wetzel, Jeff Mueller, George Coffin, Mike Piersig, Steve Strubble DNS – Greg Lotosky

LAP LEADERS: SCHMIDT-14, SMITH-6

600cc MICRO SPRINTS – 20 Laps

BRIAN ROSEMAN, Rick Stief, Scott Smith, Tim Iulg, Gary Hunter, Gary Sampson, Chuck Sherby, Jim Hughes, Steve Mercogliana, Jeff Davis