DUANE HOWARD GETS FIRST 2001 BRIDGEPORT WIN IN 358 MOD ACTION

Bridgeport, NJ – Oley, PA’s Duane Howard grabbed his first victory the season at Bridgeport Speedway, winning the special twenty-five lap feature event for the 358 Small Block Modifieds. It was the first appearance of the season for the powerful small block modifieds, which were part of a big five division program of racing at New Jersey’s fastest race track. The open competition sportsman twenty lap main event was won by Neshanic Station, NJ’s Rich Stinson, who picked up his fourth win of the season at the track, while 2000 season street stock champion Mike Burns got the win in the fifteen lap street stock feature, giving the former champion his first win of the year. 2001 Champion Jeff Foote won the twenty-lap A-Main for the Bridgeport Winged Sprinters. Curtis Nichols won the last regular enduro of the season, leading up to the big Mr. Enduro Championship coming up on Sunday afternoon, October 28th.

Carmine Infante held the early lead, but the fourth starting Duane Howard was a man on a mission, using the outside groove to pass on his way to the lead. On the third lap, Howard charged to the outside of Infante entering turn three, and by the time the two racers exited turn four, Howard had the lead. Howard had the Big Spring Car Wash #126 out front and flying, but Ray Swinehart, who took over the runner up spot on the seventh lap, never let Howard get too far away. On a nineteenth lap restart, Swinehart actually got past Howard in turns one and two, but Howard regained the lead in three and four with a low groove charge. Howard went the rest of the way for his first win of the season with Swinehart holding on to second place. Infante crossed the finish line in third, but was later disqualified when his #14 failed the post race tech inspection, giving the third spot to Ricky Elliott. Kevin Hartnett and track regular Tom Pompei completed the top five. Elliott and Swinehart won the two qualifying heats for the 358 modified racers.

The sportsman feature, which was run under open competition rules, which allows the DIRT legal sportsman motors to run with the regular Bridgeport legal sportsman racers, saw track regular Frank McDonnell sprint out to the early lead from his pole position start. McDonnell held on to the lead past halfway, until Havre de Grace, MD’s Brandon Visser worked past McDonnell for first place. Visser stayed out front for the next three laps, until Rich Stinson, who started the race in tenth place, charged by for the lead coming out of turn two. Visser began to have handling problems, and while Stinson pulled away, Visser had his hands full holding off Dan Cogdill for second place. With two to go, Cogdill got past Visser, and at the finish, was closing in on Stinson, who picked up his fourth win of the season. McDonnell held on for fourth place behind Cogdil and Visser, with Jeff Parker filling out the top five. Visser and Brian Pearson won the eight lap qualifying heats, while Jim Rossell took the consolation race.

By luck of the draw, 2001 Bridgeport Winged Sprint Champion Jeff Foote started the twenty lap A-Main on the pole, and at the sign of Starter Jim Phillips green flag to start the race Foote charged out into the lead and never looked back. With Foote in control of the lead, all eyes were on the #3J of Jeff Mueller, who was working his way up from his last row starting spot. Mueller was in the top five by the ninth lap and then set his sights on trying to get to the front. On lap fourteen, Mueller slid past Duane Lawler and Joe Butts, Jr. to get the runner up spot, but Butts came right back and took second place on the next circuit from Mueller. Butts tried to get at Foote, but Foote held off the driver of the B & F #29 to get his second win of the season. Butts came home second and Mueller third, with Lawler and Keith Anderson completing the top five.

Ron Barnsted made his first appearance of the season at Bridgeport in the street stock division, and started the fifteen lap feature on the pole. 2000 season champ Mike Burns started the race in fourth and took just one lap to get past Barnsted to take over the lead. Burns, who missed most of the season after destroying his racer early in the season, won with his new car that had just three races on it, giving the new mount two seconds and a first in the three runs. Burns had to hold off the hard charging Wayne Pfeil for twelve laps, but his new #11 responded to every demand from the driver to go for the win and the first trip to victory lane in 2001. Pfeil finished second in front of Paul Marra Jr., with Barnsted and Frank Dorry filling out the top five.

The fifty lap Enduro Stock feature was won by Curtis Nichols, with point leader Dave Wilhelm finishing in the runner up spot. Steve Haegele, Roy Heater, and Matt Kall completed the top five of the thirty-three car field.

NOTES: Promoter Bill Lincoln has decided to postpone the upcoming Fall Classic 50 for the big block modifieds that was scheduled for Saturday, October 13th. The race will be run as part of the season opener in March of 2002.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS - SATURDAY OCTOBER 6, 2001

358 MODIFIEDS

HEAT 1 – Elliott, Howard, Dickie, Pompei, Weiss, Singley, Dekutoski, Fucilli

HEAT 2 – Swinehart, Reimert, Infante, Tom Hager, K. Hartnett, Fletch, Hayes, Wisdo

358 MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

Duane Howard, Ray Swinehart, Ricky Elliott, Kevin Hartnett, Tom Pompei, Kyle Weiss, Shawn Reimert, Rich Wisdo, Scott Dickie, Brian Fucilli, Kenny Roth, Chuck Fletch, Bob Lilick, Jack Hartnett, Todd Singley, Steve Wilson, Joe Dekutoski, Tom Hager, Jason Duppel, Bob Hayes

DQ- Carmen Infante DNS- Tim Millman, Chip Slocum, Dave Daniels

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1 – Visser, Roberts, Czachorowski, Briggs, Sarkisian, Ploski, Lozorak, Sadler

HEAT 2 - Pearson, Cogdill, McDonnell, Forte, Stinson, Solderich, Parker, Fox

CONSI – Rossell, Tinnes, Lippincott, Christ, Pierce, Acolia, Young, Britt

SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Rich Stinson, Dan Cogdill, Brandon Visser, Frank McDonnell, Jeff Parker, Mark Forte, Bill Briggs, Ron Roberts, Tom Fox, Christopher Christ, Blaine Sadler Jr, Brian Pearson, Larry Lippincott, Joe Czachorowski, Jim Britt, Jeff Acolia, Jim Rossell, Rob Rierce, Stan Ploski III, Steve Young, Joie Tinnes, Tom Solderich, Steve Lozorak, Bob Sarkisian

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINT A- MAIN – 20 LAPS

Jeff Foote, Joe Butts Jr, Jeff Mueller, Duane Lawler, Keith Anderson, Greg Lotosky, Matt Beasley, Mitch Bodine, George Coffin, Tim Moore, Bob Adams, John Wagner

STREET STOCK FEATURE – 15 LAPS

Mike Burns, Wayne Pfeil, Paul Marra Jr, Ron Barnsted, Frank Dorry, Paul Cameron, John Bilofsky, Jim Hewitt, Joe Pellegrino, Eric Blakey, Gary Voss

ENDURO STOCK FEATURE – 50 LAPS

Curtis Nichols, Dave Wilhelm, Steve Haegele, Roy Heater, Matt Kall, Brent DeJohn, Zark Markovich, Tom Wolf, Rich Erdbrink, George Marrero