Horton Charges to Third Win of Season; Ratoskey Gets First Career Sportsman Win Reider and Mueller Repeat Street Stock and Sprint Wins

Bridgeport, NJ - For the third time this season, Neshanic Station, NJ’s Jimmy Horton won the twenty-five lap Big Block Modified feature at South Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway. The win gave Bridgeport Speedway’s all time leading modified feature winner ninety-five career victories on the 5/8th mile clay oval. In other action at the track, Conshohocken, PA’s Rob Ratoskey got his first career win at Bridgeport Speedway, winning the twenty-lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature race. Rich Reider won the street stock fifteen lap main event, giving the Mays Landing, NJ resident six wins for the season and increasing his point lead in the division. Jeff Mueller, of Somerset, NJ, grabbed his fourth victory of the season, winning the twenty lap Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main. The final event of the night was the fity-lap Enduro Stock race, which was won by Abingdon, MD’s Dave Wilhelm.

Bob Lineman Sr. jumped out to the early lead in the Big Block Modified main event from his outside pole position start, and held down first place for the first six laps. While the Doylestown, PA native was leading, the action behind him was intense as Jimmy Horton, 1995 Modified Champ Jamie Mills, Kevin Hirthler, and Paul Weaver were hooked up in a four way battle for third place. Mills took over third by lap four, and on a lap five restart after a yellow for Scott Kania, Mills dove under Lineman and runner-up Dave Adams in turn one to take the lead entering the backstretch. Mills lead was short-lived though, as on the next lap, Horton who started sixth, pulled by the Milford, DE driver to take over the front spot. While Horton, who was driving the Hewlett Olsen #901, and Mills were pulling away from the field, there was still plenty of action for the fans, as 1999 Champ Doug Hoffman and Steve Bottcher, driving the Zellers #31, battled each other for third place. Hoffman and Bottcher went at each other the rest of the way, running side by side for much of the time. At the finish, Horton had a five car length lead over runner-up Mills, while Hoffman edged out Bottcher for third. Bucky Kell, driving the Statewide #2GR, completed the top five. It was the second week in a row that Hammonton, NJ’s Kell had finished in the top five. In victory lane, Horton was interviewed by Track Announcer Jeff “Terminator” Ahlum, and spoke of his move by Mills to take the lead, ”You’re never too old to learn and he was showing me where the race track was. We got lucky and were able to get him on a restart.” Horton, Lineman, and Mills won the eight lap qualifying heat races, while Mike Franz took the consolation event.

Rob Ratoskey became the ninth different winner in Bridgeport Sportsman competition, winning the twenty lap feature race. Ratosky, driving his #110, took over the lead from Steve Lozorak on lap four, and after a short delay for a passing shower that hit the speedway after a lap five accident, went the rest of the way for his first win. The turn three accident, which involved as many as eight racers, saw Brandon Visser flip in his brand new #103. Visser was unhurt in the damaged racer and walked away after being checked out in the ambulance. The light rain shower started while the accident scene was being cleaned up, and after the track was clear, the racers hit the speedway to dry up any extra moisture on the clay surface. Last week’s winner, Rich Stinson, driving the Del Val Pools of Turnersville #91, was in second behind Ratoskey after the race was restarted, and had his hands full holding off 2000 Champ Mark Forte, who’s #40 was flying and chewing up Stinson’s advantage. Forte, who started the race in nineteenth, charged to the outside of Stinson entering turn three, and took over second place coming out of turn four. Forte then set his sights on Ratoskey, but Ratoskey ran the race of his career and Forte never was able to get closer than three car lengths to the leader. Sam Wescott, who started the race in twenty-second spot after qualifying through the consolation race, came all the way up to finish third, with G.R. Smith and Frank McDonnell filling out the top five. Paul Collins, Andy Burkhart, and Ron Roberts won the qualifying heats, with Forte and Walt Clark taking the consolation races.

The Comcast team once again led the early portions of the twenty lap Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main, as first Mares Stellfox, and then Mike Piersig held on to first place. While the Grandinetti team was controlling the front, Jeff Mueller, in the Precise Landscaping #3J, was busy working his way up from his thirteenth starting position. Mueller was using both the high and low grooves of the raceway charging up through the pack, and was in the top five by lap four. Two laps later the #3J was in third behind 2000 Champ Steve Fleetwood, and was in second on the next circuit. Mueller took the lead from Piersig on lap nine, and went the distance for his fourth win of the season. Piersig and Fleetwood held on to second and third, while Joe Butts Jr. had his best finish of the year, coming home in fourth. Point leader Jeff Foote completed the top five.

Phil Retter and Wayne Pfeil are both having fine seasons in the Street Stock division, with both drivers enjoying multi-wins in the class. The only problem for these two is that Mays Landing, NJ’s Rich Reider is having the kind of season racers dream of. Reider, who won three races in a row before a DNF last week, took the lead after both Retter and Pfeil had control of the top spot. Reider started in eleventh and was fourth by lap six. Pfeil passed Retter for the lead on lap seven after Retter began to suffer mechanical problems. Reider charged into the runner up spot on the same lap, and on lap ten made his move by Pfeil for the lead. Reider ran away from the field in the next five laps to get his sixth win of the season, along with adding to his division point lead. Pfeil stayed in second, with Bill Force, one-time winner Bud Hayes, and Dave Bentley completing the top five.

Paulsboro, NJ’s Billy Harris, who was declared the winner after Bob Cook failed his post race tech inspection, won the Friday night Special Non-Winners Sportsman race. Harris started the race in tenth place and made an exciting move to pass John Pursell for second place on the front straight coming down for the checkered flag. Dave Czachorowski, Bob Lineman Jr., and Eric Kormann completed the top five.

NOTES: A new feature on Saturday nights is the Scotto Pizza Halfway Bonus for the Bridgeport Sportsman class. This weekly bonus will pay the leader of the Sportsman feature at the halfway point a cool $100! Thanks to everyone at Scotto Pizza for their support…The Kids Scooter Giveaway were won this week by Deija Lashaiy of Paulsboro, NJ and Dakota Kershaw of Woolrich, NJ. Both happy youngsters were nine years old…The high humidity along with an overcast sky for most of the day combined to give the large crowd on hand some great racing on New Jersey’s fastest dirt track. Racers were running in packs all over the track, with the Big Block Modifieds really hooking up to the clay surface. Again this week, no feature took longer than 19 minutes, with the exception of the Bridgeport Sportsman race, which was delayed by rain on lap five…Don’t forget Banner Night on Saturday August 18th. There will be prizes for the best judged banners of fans’ favorite drivers…Coming up this Saturday, August 11th will be a regular four division program of Big Block Modifieds, Bridgeport Sportsman, Bridgeport Winged Sprints, and Street Stocks, with first race set to take the track at 6pm.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY AUGUST 4, 2001

MODIFIEDS

HEAT 1 – Horton, Iles, Hoffman, Kell, Chester, Hallowell

HEAT 2 - Lineman, Weaver, Adams, Elliott, Bottcher, Kania

HEAT 3 – Mills, Hendrickson, Hirthler, Laubach, Davis, Stonebraker

CONSI –

MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

Jimmy Horton, Jamie Mills, Doug Hoffman, Steve Bottcher, Bucky Kell, Ricky Elliott, Jimmy Chester, Wade Hendrickson, Paul Weaver, Bob Lineman, Scott Kania, Kevin Hirthler, Dave Adams, Dave Stonebraker, Tom Pompei, Scott Davis, Mike Franz, Don Hallowell, Ben Hatt, Mike Hughes, Barry Voss, Jimmy Reppert, Kevin Hartnett, Rick Laubach DNS- Mike Iles

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1 – P.Collins, Cogdill, Dekutosky, Lindale, McDonnell, Townsend

HEAT 2 – Burkhart, Ratoskey, Harris, Stinson, Barone, Visser

HEAT 3 – Roberts, Smith, Lazorak, Pratt, Briggs, Cook

CONSI 1 – Forte, Wyant, Pursell, Lineman

CONSI 2 – Clark, Wescott, Miller, Kukla

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Rob Ratoskey, Mark Forte, Sam Wescott, G.R. Smith, Frank McDonnell, Dan Cogdill, Ron Roberts, Joe Dekutoski, Robert Wyant, Steve Lindale, John Pursell, Bill Briggs, Richie Pratt, Tom Miller, Billy Harris, John Townsend, Eric Kormann, Bob Lineman Jr., Rich Stinson, Steve Lozorak, Walt Clark, Paul Collins, Bob Cook, Brandon Visser, Andy Burkhart, Don Barone

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINTS

Jeff Mueller, Mike Piersig, Steve Fleetwood, Joe Butts Jr., Jeff Foote, Warren Durbin, Jon Brennfleck, Chip Brown, George Coffin, Bob Adams, John Wagner, Jim Walters, Mares Stellfox, Mitch Bodine, Wayne Mauro

STREET STOCKS – 15 LAPS

Rich Reider, Wayne Pfeil, Bill Force, Bud Hayes, Dave Bentley, Ken Moren, Phil Retter, Ron Coverly, Daddy Pfeil, Dave Williams, Scott Hulmes, Jack Mullin, Ron Bradley, Tim Walker, Bill Force Jr.

ENDURO STOCKS – 50 LAPS

Dave Wilhelm, Frank Blauvelt, Ken Watson, Curtis Nichols, Mike Rudolph, Brian McConnell, Bob Hopely, Zark Markovich, Matt Kall, Dave Page

FRIDAY BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN SPECIAL – 20 LAPS

Billy Harris, John Pursell, Dave Czachorowski, Bob Lineman, Eric Kormann, Terry Poole, Dennis Price, Steve Lozorak, Steve Wescott, Robert Wyant, Steve Harrison, Pete Serra, Eric Poole, Kate Brown, Rob Pierce, Bill Briggs, Herb Stahl, Bob Cook