WADE HENDRICKSON MUSCLES HIS WAY TO FIRST WIN OF 2002

Bridgeport, NJ – Lawrenceville, NJ’s Wade Hendrickson won the twenty-five lap big block modified feature here at Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night. Hendrickson, the 2000 season point champ at New Jersey’s fastest dirt track, started the race in eleventh place and on the twenty-second lap took the lead from Rick Laubach, after the two made contact in turn one while running side by side for almost a lap. The “Flying Farmer” went the rest of the way for the $2500 victory and his first win of the new season. Jimmy Horton, who was gunning for his 100th win at the South Jersey 5/8th mile clay oval, finished in the runner up spot, followed by Duane Howard in the Big Spring Car Wash #126. For the second week in a row, Paulsboro, NJ’s Billy Harris won the twenty-lap sportsman feature, driving the D’Antonio #3 to victory. In Bridgeport Sprint action, Steve Strubble was declared the winner after the first and second place finishers were disqualified for failing the post race tech inspection.

Polesitter Bob Lineman controlled the front for the first three laps of the modified feature until Branchburg, NJ’s Brian Truppi, who started the event in fifth place, charged into first place on a lap four restart. Truppi, in his family owned TK Motors #02, took the lead with Richlandtown, PA’s Rick Laubach right on his rear bumper. These two ran nose to tail for the next six laps, before Laubach slid the Auger Machine #93 under the 1997 Bridgeport Sportsman champion in turn one to take the lead on lap ten. While Laubach was trying to pull away from the field, Truppi had his hands full holding off Wade Hendrickson, who had been running in the third spot since lap ten. Truppi’s night ended on lap eighteen, when mechanical woes in turn three saw the #02 go off on the hook. Hendrickson, who has had one of the fastest cars on the track since practice day, now set his sights on Laubach, and began closing in. On lap twenty-one, Hendrickson pulled up on Laubach and then dove underneath entering turn three to run door to door. The two ran side by side through the turn, with contact between the racers being made exiting turn four. Coming down the front straight, Hendrickson stayed on the low groove and actually led lap twenty-two by a front bumper at the start finish line. Going into turn one, contact again was made, but this time it was hard enough to force Laubach out of the high groove and into the wall. After Laubach was towed back to the pits, Jimmy Horton tried to catch the “Flying Farmer” for the last three laps, but Hendrickson and the Rio Brothers #R10 were not to be denied their first win of the year. Following Hendrickson and Horton across the line were Duane Howard, two-time Bridgeport Sportsman champ Carmine Infante, and Mike Iles completing the top five. Hendrickson, Bridgeville, DE’s Craig Mullins, and Truppi won the eight lap qualifying heats, with Iles taking the consolation race.

The sportsman main event started with point leader Bob Lineman Jr. dropping out right in turn one of the first lap. After Lineman was towed back to the pits, Kevin Collins took the lead on the ensuing restart. Collins led for the first two circuits, before Wilmington, DE’s Ron Roberts grabbed the lead, shooting past Collins on the backstretch to lead the third lap. One lap later, a lengthy caution period was caused by Steve Lindale and Tom Miller, who crashed into the turn two exit ramp, pinning the two cars against the fence. Both drivers walked away uninjured, and the race resumed with Roberts again holding onto the lead. For the next few laps, yellow fever struck with various problems causing restart after restart. On each restart, Billy Harris would charge to front, only having to go back to his original starting spot, to start his march to the front over again. Finally, on a lap six restart, Harris shot to the bottom of the track, and running wide open on the new tacky clay surface, passed the top three cars to take over the lead from Roberts as the two exited turn two. Harris had the Haldeman Ford #3 glued to the track, and went the rest of the way unchallenged for his second win in a row. Roberts and Collins held on to second and third, with 2000 champ Mark Forte coming home in fourth. Dan Cogdill was declared the fifth place finisher after Bill Klingmeyer’s #17 failed the post race tech inspection. Collins, Harris, and Frank McDonnell won the qualifying heats, with Jay Horton winning the consolation event.

The Jasper Racing Engines Bridgeport Sprint A-Main started with Mr. Excitement Jeff Mueller losing control of his #3J in turn three, sending the winged racer spinning. On the restart, Prospect Park, PA’s Mare Stellfox, a two-time winner in 2001 at Bridgeport, dove down low from her fourth place starting spot in turn one to take the lead on the long back straight. Stellfox held on to the lead until lap eight, when first year sprint driver John Wyers, in his #84, pulled even with Stellfox on the backstretch. Entering turn three, Stellfox went high and Wyers stayed to the bottom to take the lead. Wyers led the rest of the way, and seemingly had his first career sprint car win, only to have his racer fail the post race tech inspection, which caused him to be disqualified from the event. Stellfox, who held on for second place, also saw her mount fail tech inspection, which gave Steve Strubble his first win of the season, and his first since 2000, the initial year of the Bridgeport Sprint class. New Egypt, NJ’s Warren Durbin was the second place finisher, with last week’s winner, Shane Smith, taking third. Ron Karnbach and Chip Brown filled out the top five in the A-Main. Brown and Strubble were the night’s qualifying heat race winners.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS - SATURDAY APRIL 6, 2002

MODIFIEDS

Heat 1 – Hendrickson, Laubach, Adams, Radd, Hatt

Heat 2 – Mullins, Horton, Howard, Durand, Bottcher, Weaver

Heat 3 – Truppi, J.Chester, Schultz, Lineman Sr., Hirthler, Franz

Consi – Iles, Ratoskey, Stonebraker, Flammer, Jarrell, Dixon

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

Wade Hendrickson, Jimmy Horton, Duane Howard, Carmine Infante, Mike Iles, Jimmy Chester, Steve Bottcher, Bob Lineman Sr., Dave Adams, Craig Mullins, Jared Schultz, Paul Weaver, Rob Ratoskey, Stephan Durand, Dave Adams, Ben Hatt, Rick Laubach, Adam Jarrell, Brian Truppi, Barry Voss, Dave Stonebraker, Mike Franz, Don Radd, Kevin Hirthler DNS – John Dixon

SPORTSMAN

Heat 1 – K.Collins, Wescott, Klingmeyer, Miller, Pratt, Lindale

Heat 2 – Harris, Forte, Roberts, Sarkisian, Lilick, Osmun

Heat 3 – McDonnell, Burkhart, Pursell, Cogdill, Britt, Sadler

Consi – Horton, Lineman Jr, Cook, Pierce, Mills, Price, Masiado, Briggs

Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

Billy Harris, Ron Roberts, Kevin Collins, Mark Forte, Dan Cogdill, Bob Sarkisian, Willie Osmun, Andy Burkhart, Bill Briggs, Frank McDonnell, Judd Mills, Tom Miller, Dennis Price, Bob Cook, Joe Masiado, Steve Lindale, Richie Pratt, Jim Britt, Bob Lineman Jr, John Pursell, Bob Lileck, Blaine Sadler Jr, Rob Pierce, Jay Horton, Sam Wescott DQ- Bill Klingmeyer

BRIDGEPORT SPRINTS

Heat 1 – Brown, Schmidt, Mueller, Fleetwood, Foote, Anderson

Heat 2 – Strubble, Stellfox, Durbin, Wyers, Karnbach, Smith

Bridgeport Sprint Feature – 20 Laps

Steve Strubble, Warren Durbin, Shane Smith, Ron Karnbach, Chip Brown, Jeff Foote, Steve Fleetwood, Joe Butts Jr, Steve Schmidt, Jeff Mueller, Keith Anderson, John Barnett, Mike Piersig, Gary Mondschein, Matt Beasley DQ- John Wyers, Mares Stellfox, Kevin Nagy, Joe Howe DNS- Greg Lotosky