Jimmy Chester and Mark Forte End Win Droughts On Comcast Night At Bridgeport

Bridgeport, NJ – A pair of veteran drivers ended their personal winless streaks here on Comcast Night at the Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night, as Jimmy Chester and Mark Forte were victorious in their respective racing divisions. Newfield, NJ’s Chester, driving the Speed Palace #44, won the twenty-five lap Big Block Modified feature, giving him his first win since October of 1999. In Bridgeport Sportsman action, 2000 season champ Mark Forte visited victory lane for the first time since April 28, 2001, which is a long winless stretch for Bridgeport’s leading all-time sportsman feature winner. Other action at the track saw second generation driver Matt Beasley win the twenty lap Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main, giving the young Bridgeport, PA resident his first ever win in New Jersey’s newest racing division, while Wayne Pfeil won the street stock feature, for his fifth win of the season.

The modified feature began with rookie Bud Schweibinz and Dave Stonebraker starting on the front row, but a turn one tangle with third starting Bucky Kell ended Stonebraker’s night sending him to the pits with front-end damage. On the restart, Kell took the lead, but would only hold the top spot for two laps, when Jimmy Chester charged up from his sixth starting spot to blast by for the lead. Coming down the front straightaway, Chester took the inside line on Kell, to make the pass for the lead, with the Overhead Door #0 driven by Ricky Elliott right behind. Seaford, DE’s Elliott passed Kell for second one lap later and tried to catch up to the flying Chester. Chester maintained his lead over Elliott, while Kell had his hands full with the #901 of Jimmy Horton, who was using every inch of the race track to try and pry third place away from Kell. With ten to go, Horton, who stared eleventh, finally got past Kell and tried to pull up on the leaders. A yellow flag on lap nineteen for a turn four crash involving the Thornton’s Gulf #5 of Stephen Durand and Scott Davis, cut the lead that Chester had built up, but on the restart Chester again easily pulled away from the field and went the rest of the distance for the $2500 win. Elliott held off Horton for he runner up spot, while Kell and Wade Hendrickson completed the top five. Elliott, Hendrickson, and Jamie Mills won the qualifying heats, with MeMe DeSantis taking the consolation race.

In the Bridgeport Sportsman feature, Rick Beavers and Frank McDonnell each led a lap before point leader G.R. Smith took over the lead after McDonnell lost a wheel coming out of turn four. Smith had the Statewide #2GR out front, while Blue Anchor, NJ’s Mark Forte was using both the high and low grooves to work his way through traffic to catch Smith. By lap five, Forte was right on Smith’s rear bumper, and the two actually hooked bumpers for a split second on the back straight, almost taking both cars out of the lead. Forte backed off a little, and then on lap nine pulled his #40 past Smith to take the lead. Forte led the race at halfway, to win the Scotto’s Pizza Halfway $100 Bonus, and never let up to build a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field. While Forte had his lead, Smith had his hands full holding on to second place with Sam Wescott breathing down his neck. These two young, sometimes overly aggressive drivers then put on a show of wheel-to-wheel action for the last five laps of the race that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Smith was able to hold off every move Wescott tried, to finish second behind winner Forte. Wescott, who finished third just inches behind Smith, Brandon Visser, and Steve Lindale filled out the top five. Qualifying heats were won by Visser, Smith, and Lindale, with Andy Burkhart taking the consolation.

On Comcast Night , the Comcast Team Sprint cars of Mares Stellfox and Mike Piersig started first and third in the Bridgeport Winged Sprint twenty-lap A-Main, with Stellfox vaulting out to a quick lead in her #23 Jasper Racing Engine racer. The “Lady Outlaw” pulled away from the pack and was flying around the track, seemingly on her way to her third win of the season. A lap fourteen red flag for Jeff Mueller, whose Precise Landscaping #3J erupted into flames coming out of turn four, closed up the field. Mueller escaped the scary fire unhurt, and when racing resumed, Stellfox again ran out to a comfortable lead. Stellfox’ luck ran out on lap seventeen, when the motor soured on the Stockburger #23, ending the night for her. Matt Beasley, who was in the runner-up spot right from the start, took over the lead, and never looked back to get his first career win in his #12. Piersig finished the race in second place while point leader Jeff Foote came home third. Three-time feature winner Bob Adams and Warren Durbin completed the top five.

The highlight of the fifteen lap Street Stock feature was the return of 2000 champion Mike Burns to action at the big 5/8th mile speedway. Burns, who destroyed his racer earlier in the season, debuted a beautiful new #11 that appeared to be too nice to race. Burns not only raced the new car, he had the full-bodied stocker flying , coming from his thirteenth starting spot and almost getting the win. Eventual winner Wayne Pfeil, who started eighth, was in the lead on lap four, while Burns was making his charge. With Pfeil out front, Burns passed point leader Rich Reider on the seventh lap and tried to cut into Pfeil’s lead. Pfeil had his National Properties #72 out front to stay though, and Burns storybook ending would have to wait for another night. Reider finished third, with Eric Blakey and Bill Force Sr. filling out the top five.

NOTES: Coming up this week is the big end of points night, with double points being awarded for all features. The highlight of the night’s events will be Twin 20’s for Big Block Modifieds, with the crowning of the new 2001 champions at the end of the night. With just 42 points separating the top five modified drivers, it should be one of the most exciting nights of racing ever presented at Bridgeport on a regular night! Jimmy Horton leads the point chase, with Jamie Mills just five points behind. Doug Hoffman is nineteen points back, while Ricky Elliott trails by thirty markers. Last year’s champ, Wade Hendrickson, is in fifth place 42 behind, and sixth place Steve Bottcher still has a mathematical chance at the crown. Racing starts at 6pm, with pit gates opening at 3:30 and front gates opening one hour later. 2000 champ Wade Hendrickson will have his #R10 on display behind the grandstands before the races, along with the #36 Sportsman of Frank McDonnell and #97 Bridgeport Winged Sprint of Dave Brown.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY SEPT. 22, 2001

Big Block Modifieds

Heat 1 – Elliott, Chester, Schweibinz, Adams, Kerr, Weaver

Heat 2 – Hendrickson, Hoffman, Kania, Osmun, Durand, Davis

Heat 3 – Mills, Horton, Stonebraker, Kell, Bottcher, Lineman

Consi – DeSantis, Schaffer, Franz, Hughes, Pompei, Glisson

Big Block Modified Feature – 25 Laps

Jimmy Chester, Ricky Elliott, Jimmy Horton, Bucky Kell, Wade Hendrickson, Doug Hoffman, Steve Bottcher, Jamie Mills, Dave Adams, Ryan Kerr, Paul Weaver, Rick Schaffer, MeMe DeSantis, Tom Pompei, Mike Hughes, Mike Franz, Bob Lineman, Stephan Durand, Scott Davis, Scott Kania, Bud Schweibinz, Willie Osmun, Butch Glisson, Dave Stonebraker

Bridgeport Sportsman

Heat 1 – Visser, McDonnell, Wescott, Roberts, Harris, Czachorowski

Heat 2 – Smith, Sarkisian, Pursell, Lozorak, Parker, Serra

Heat 3 – Lindale, Beavers, Forte, Stinson, Cook, Barone

Consi – Burkhart, DiNatale, Klingmeyer, K.Collins, B.Chester, Briggs, Dekutoski, B.Horton

Bridgeport Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

Mark Forte, G.R. Smith, Sam Wescott, Brandon Visser, Steve Lindale, Bill Klingmeyer, Billy Harris, Jeff Parker, Rick Beavers, Andy Burkhart, John Pursell, Bob Cook, Ron Roberts, Bill Briggs, Bill Horton, Pete Serra, Kevin Collins, Mario DiNatale, Steve Lozorak, Joe Czachorowski, Eric Poole, Don Barone, Billy Chester, Rich Stinson, Joe Dekutoski, Frank McDonnell

Bridgeport Winged Sprint Feature – 20 Laps

Matt Beasley, Mike Piersig, Jeff Foote, Bob Adams, Warren Durbin, Greg Lotoski, Keith Anderson, Mares Stellfox, Jeff Mueller, Joe Butts Jr, John Wagner, Bill Miller, Chip Brown

Street Stock Feature – 15 Laps

Wayne Pfeil, Mike Burns, Rich Reider, Eric Blakey, Bill Force, Ken Moren, Ron Dirkes, Matt Rodgers, Jack Mullen, Adam Horan, Joe Pellegrino, Ron Bradley, Bud Hayes, Scott Hulmes