Doug Hoffman Wins 1st 2002 Bridgeport Modified Main Event; Coverdale Grabs URC Opener

URC Added To Next Saturday’s Show With Modifieds, Sportsman and Bridgeport Sprints

Bridgeport, NJ – 2001 Modified Champion Doug Hoffman won the twenty-five lap big block modified feature Saturday night, getting his first win of the season at New Jersey’s fastest dirt track. Hoffman started the feature event in eleventh place, and took the lead on the tenth lap after leader Brian Truppi tangled with a lapped car and had to retire from the event. Bridgeport sportsman action saw Bob Sarkisian, last season’s leading sportsman feature winner, pick up his first win of the new season. The United Racing Club sprinters had their season opener at the big 5/8th mile, and Greg Coverdale went home the winner. The traveling United Racing Club sprinters are scheduled to return again this Saturday night, signing with Promoter Bill Lincoln to run another full point show at the South Jersey oval. The URC sprints will run again with the big block modifieds and sportsman, along with the Jasper Racing Engines Bridgeport Sprints, with the four-division program starting at 5 o’clock.

Branchburg, NJ’s Brian Truppi, driving his TK Motors #02, flew out from his pole position start to grab a commanding lead in the Big Block Modified main event, with Dave Adams’ Hooters #37 in the runner up spot. The first lap of the race was marred by the flip of veteran driver Bob Lineman Sr., whose #USA-1 wound up in the fence in front of the pit grandstand. Lineman was shaken, but unhurt in the accident. Truppi was setting a blistering pace around the big 5/8th mile oval as he pulled away from the field, turning lap speeds close to 110 mph! After building up over a nine second lead, lap ten was Truppi’s downfall, when he tangled with a lapped car on the backstretch, giving the 1997 Sportsman champion a disappointing ending to his race. This unfortunate turn of events handed the lead over to three-time modified champion Doug Hoffman, who had taken the runner up spot away from Adams on lap seven. Hoffman, driving his self owned Lincoln Auto Body #60over, started the race in eleventh place, and was pressuring Adams for second place by lap three. After finally working his way by Adams, Hoffman set his sights on Truppi, but was having trouble gaining any ground on the lead until the lap ten incident. One lap later, Jimmy Horton flipped the Miles Concrete #901 in turn two, after losing his right rear wheel, which appeared to be damaged after hitting a rut in turn three one half lap earlier. Last week’s winner, Wade Hendrickson, driving the Rio Brothers #R10, was running in third place and started to really put the pressure on Adams for second place, and after battling for lap after lap, Hendrickson finally worked past with less than five laps to go. At the finish, Hoffman had his 70th career Bridgeport modified win, with Hendrickson and Adams still battling right to the line. Oley, PA’s Duane Howard, driving the Hyneman #126, had his second top five finish in a row, with Rick Laubach recovering from last week’s accident to finish fifth. After the race Hoffman said, “One lap in hot laps, I pulled right off the track and said this car is unbelievable. It felt good in the heat and I just couldn’t believe how good it was in the beginning of that feature! This track is awfully, awfully fast and I’m not usually that good when the track is this fast. I usually like it to slick up but this Troyer car is just unbelievable. It’s going to be a fun year with this car. We’re having so much fun right now that I can’t wait for the next race! “ When asked about the new clay surface applied to the track over the winter, Allentown, PA’s Hoffman said, “Its awfully fast. I hope when the sun comes out it slows up a little bit. It’s just a wicked fast race track and I’d like to see it slow up a little. I like to go fast, but I only need to go faster than the other guys! Winning here at my home track means a lot to me and I just can’t wait for the next race!” Adams, Howard, and Jimmy Chester won the eight lap qualifying heats, while Laubach took the consolation race.

The twenty-six car sportsman field was led to the post by the front row of Tom Miller and Andy Burkhart, who battled for the lead for the first few circuits of the track. After leading the first three laps, Gilbertsville, PA’s Miller saw second generation driver Burkhart go past on the long back straight on the fourth lap. Right after taking the lead, Burkhart saw his lead eliminated by a caution flag for Flemington, NJ’s Jay Horton. On the restart, Bob Sarkisian, who started in tenth and was up in third place by lap four, rocketed past Burkhart and Miller to take over the lead. One lap later, Richie Pratt pushed the Klair #34 in to the runner up spot, and began to chase down Sarkisian. At the halfway mark, Pratt and Sarkisian were running side by side, with neither driver giving up an inch to the other. Woolwich, NJ’s Sarkisian, driving his Superior Scaffolding #47, finally was able to put a little daylight between himself and Pratt, and the front stayed this way until Pratt had to retire from the race with motor problems with just two laps to go. This put Billy Harris, winner of the last two sportsman features, in second place, but Sarkisian had enough power to cover himself and went on to his first win of the season. At the line behind Harris, Burkhart held off Sam Wescott for third place, while Dan Cogdill completed the top five. “I knew Richie Pratt was there, and Billy Harris has been unbelievable fast, but our car handled great. It was glued to the track and I didn’t have to get out of it at all. I saw the bottom of the track was getting a little rutty, so I moved to the top where it stayed very smooth,” commented the sportsman point leader after the victory. Burkhart, Harris, and Pratt won their qualifying heats, with Kevin Collins and Bob Lineman Jr. taking the consolation races.

The high speed flying United Racing Club sprints held their season opener, with Milford, DE’s Greg Coverdale, driving the South Jersey based Asphalt Industries #97, came away with the win in the twenty-five lap A-Main. Curt Michael chased Coverdale for most of the race, but couldn’t get the Palladino #99 into the lead, as Coverdale went for his 47th career URC win. Trevor Lewis finished in third in the heart stopping main event, which saw the top three drivers slicing through lapped traffic on the new Bridgeport clay. Forty-five of the winged sprinters were signed into the pits for the show.

NOTES: With the URC show always generating a lot of fan interest and high speed excitement, Bridgeport owner/promoter Bill Lincoln and URC President John Zimmerman negotiated to add another show to the schedule, which will see the crowd pleasing sprints added to next week’s show. This will make it a four division show, with the big block modified, sportsman, and Bridgeport Sprints all in competition along with the URC sprints. This show will see action at 5pm, with pit gates opening at 2:30 and front gates opening one hour later at 3:30pm…Two of the Bridgeport sprint regulars competed with the URC sprints, as 2001 point champ Jeff Foote and Jeff Mueller both signed into the pits. Foote had his new URC car in action, while Mueller ran his regular Bridgeport car….120 cars jammed the spacious pits of the 5/8th mile oval….Next week Bob Sarkisian and Rick Laubach will have their racers on display behind the grandstand before the races start. Come out early to meet these two personable race drivers and see their racers up close….Information available at 856-467-4408 or www.bridgeportspeedway.com

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2002

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Adams, Horton, Mills, Infante, Lineman Sr, Hughes

Heat 2 – Howard, Schultz, Weaver, Radd, Hieber, Rust

Heat 3 – Chester, Hoffman, Truppi, Hendrickson, Illes, Hatt

Consi – Laubach, Stonebraker, Dixon, De.Rust, Schweibinz, Bottcher

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

Doug Hoffman, Wade Hendrickson, Dave Adams, Duane Howard, Rick Laubach, Carmine Infante, Steve Bottcher, Mike Hughes, John Dixon, Jared Schultz, Ben Hatt, Jamie Mills, Don Radd, Jimmy Chester, Jimmy Horton, Dave Stonebraker, Bob Lineman Sr, Duane Rust, Brian Truppi, Deron Rust, Paul Weaver, Bud Schweibinz, Danny Hieber, Mike Illes

Lap Leaders: Brian Truppi-10, Doug Hoffman-15

SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – Burkhart, Pursell, Sadler, Britt, Pierce

Heat 2 – Harris, Wescott, Sarkisian, Cogdill, Lileck, Roberts

Heat 3 – Pratt, Miller, Cook, McDonnell, Briggs, Horton

Consi 1 – K. Collins, Mills, Masiado, Bartos

Consi 2 – Lineman Jr, Klingmeyer, Kormann, Lozorak

Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

Bob Sarkisian, Billy Harris, Andy Burkhart, Sam Wescott, Dan Cogdill, Kevin Collins, Bill Briggs, Frank McDonnell, Judd Mills, Ron Roberts, Steve Lozorak, Bill Klingmeyer, Joe Masiado, Rob Pierce, Blaine Sadler Jr, Bob Cook, Eric Kormann, Steve Bartos, Ri9chie Pratt, Jay Horton, Bob Lilick, Tom Miller, John Pursell, Bob Lineman Jr, Paul Collins, Steve Lindale

DNS- Jim Britt

Lap Leaders – Tom Miller-3, Andy Burkhart-1, Bob Sarkisian-16

UNITED RACING CLUB SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Coyle, Green, T. Hogue, Anderson, Barger

Heat 2 – Pursell, Coverdale, Michael, Lewis, F. Hogue

Heat 3 – Adams, Busby, Haggenbottom, Ennis, Emery

Heat 4 – Welsh, Clarke, Miller, Ely, Massey

C Main – Foote, Gable, Bates, Hagenbuch

B Main – McGough, Wyers, Brian, Suprick

URC A Main – 25 Laps

Greg Coverdale, Curt Michael, Trevor Lewis