Jimmy Horton Makes It Three in a Row Winning His 98th Bridgeport Modified Feature

Bridgeport, NJ – Seven-time Bridgeport Speedway modified champion Jimmy Horton continued his dominance over the rest of the big block modified field, winning the twenty-five lap main event on Saturday night at the South Jersey 5/8th mile clay speedway. For the third week in a row, the Neshanic Station, NJ driver had the Miles Concrete #901 in victory lane, giving him four wins in the last five weeks on New Jersey’s fastest dirt track. The traveling United Racing Club sprint cars made their last appearance of the 2001 season at the speedway, with veteran Midge Miller winning the twenty-five lap A-Main, giving Miller his first career win with the club. In Bridgeport Sportsman action, New Castle, DE’s Steve Lindale won his first career feature event, taking the twenty-lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature.

Hammonton, NJ’s Bucky Kell, driving the Statewide #2GR, sprung from his third place starting spot to take the early lead in the Big Block Modified main event, holding on to the top spot for the first five laps. While Kell was taking the lead on the first lap, all eyes had to be on Jimmy Horton who was blasting through the pack to get to the front. Horton, who started twelfth, was in the runner-up position on just the second lap and one lap later was running side by side with Kell, contending for the lead. A caution period for Willie Osmun on lap five bunched up the field, and on the restart, 1995 champion Jamie Mills charged past both Kell and Horton in turn one to take the lead coming out of turn two. Mills, who makes the weekly tow to Bridgeport from Milford, DE, could only hold off Horton for one lap, and after passing Mills for the lead, Horton easily pulled away from the field. While Horton was cruising his way around the big 5/8th mile, the action behind him was hot as Mills, Ricky Elliott, and Jimmy Chester battled each other for second place. Chester, in the Speed Palace #44, fought his way up from last starting spot and was actually in third place before lap ten. With ten to go, Elliott’s Overhead Door #0 really started to hook up to the track, and on lap eighteen he worked his way past Chester for third place. With two to go, the Seaford, DE driver was all over fellow Delaware resident Mills, trying to pry away the runner-up spot. At the finish, Horton had a comfortable lead for the win, while Mills had just enough to hold off the charging Elliott for second place. Chester drifted off the pace a little to finish fourth, holding off a fast closing Steve Bottcher, who completed the top five. Horton’s $2500 win was the third in a row for the seven-time champion, giving him four wins in the last five modified races run as well as being his ninety-eighth career win at Bridgeport Speedway. Doug Hoffman, Tom Pompei, and Elliott won the eight lap qualifying heat races for the big block modifieds.

The Bridgeport Sportsman feature was the last race of the night, and for the fans that stayed, it was well worth the wait. The twenty-six car starting field was paced to the start by pole sitter Jeff Parker in the Buff Farms #42, who went on to hold the lead for the first four circuits of the twenty lap race. Eleventh starting Bob Sarkisian was fighting his way through the pack and passed Parker for the lead on lap five. Sarkisian was controlling the top spot while Steve Lindale was working his up from his tenth starting spot and on lap nine the New Castle, De driver had the NuCar Performance #54 in the runner-up spot. Sarkisian collected the Scotto Pizza Halfway Bonus, leading lap ten, but Lindale kept the pressure on and kept right up with the #47. After receiving the five to go sign from Starter Mike Knappenberger, Lindale made a diving move under Sarkisian in turn one and held on to take over the lead exiting turn two. Lindale then really hooked up to the slick surface, and went the rest of the way for his career first win in the Bridgeport Sportsman division. Don Barone, in the D & R Boats #267, battled all the way up from his twenty-fourth starting spot to take second place away from Sarkisian with two to go, but couldn’t run down the flying Lindale. Sarkisian held on for a third place finish, while last week’s winner, Sam Wescott, came home in fourth and Wilmington, DE’s Joe Czachorowski filled out the top five. 2000 Bridgeport Sportsman Champ Mark Forte, Sarkisian, and Wescott won the eight lap qualifying heats, while Dan Cogdill and Bill Klingmeyer took the consolation races.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2001

MODIFIEDS

HEAT 1 – Hoffman, Kell, Durand, Stonebraker, Franz, Osmun

HEAT 2 – Pompei, Hendrickson, Horton, Adams, Bottcher, Kania

HEAT 3 – Elliott, Mills, Kerr, Hughes, Howard, Voss

CONSI – Schweibinz, Puzzella, Davis, Glisson, Meitzler, Chester

MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

Jimmy Horton, Jamie Mills, Ricky Elliott, Jimmy Chester, Steve Bottcher, Wade Hendrickson, Scott Kania, Bucky Kell, Stephan Durand, Dave Adams, Mike Hughes, Barry Voss, Joe Puzzella, Dave Stonebraker, Butch Glisson, Mike Franz, Jim Meitzler, Ryan Kerr, Tom Pompei, Bud Schweibinz, Dave Howard, Doug Hoffman, Willie Osmun DNS – Scott Davis

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1 – Forte, DiNatale, B.Horton, Smith, Pursell, DiMascio

HEAT 2 – Sarkisian, Parker, Pratt, Beavers, Roberts, Price

HEAT 3 – Wescott, Stinson, Czachorowski, Lindale, Fox, Harris

CONSI 1 – Cogdill, Masiado, Miller, Poole

CONSI 2 – Klingmeyer, K.Collins, Barone, Lineman

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Steve Lindale, Don Barone, Bob Sarkisian, Sam Wescott, Joe Czachorowski, Mark Forte, G.R. Smith, Bob Lineman Jr., Billy Harris, Rich Stinson, John Pursell, Tom Miller, Jeff Parker, Mario DiNatale, Bill Horton, Rick Beavers, Joe Masiado, Kevin Collins, Dennis Price, Skip Poole, Bill Klingmeyer, Dan Cogdill, Ron Roberts, Tom Fox, B.J. DiMascio DQ- Richie Pratt

UNITED RACING CLUB SPRINT FEATURE – 25 LAPS

Midge Miller, Brian Seidel, Scott Pursell, Chris Coyle, Mike Haggenbottom, Sean Michael, Bill Brian, Jeremy Trout, Tim Hogue, Danny Massey