ELLIOTT WINS INDEPENDENCE 30-POCKETS $3000 FOR SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON

Bridgeport, NJ – Seaford, DE’s Ricky Elliott won the Independence 30 Big Block Modified feature at Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night, taking home $3000 for the holiday extra distance event. Elliott, in the Overhead Doors #0, took the lead on lap five and went the rest of the way for his second win of the 2001 season. Point leader Richie Pratt won the twenty lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature for his second win of the year, while Jeff Mueller took home his third victory of the season, winning the twenty lap Bridgeport Winged Sprint A-Main. In the fifteen-lap Street Stock feature, Mays Landing, NJ’s Rich Reider was victorious for the third time this season in a race that went non-stop.

Jared Schultz and Brian Truppi led the twenty-four car field to the post for the start of the big block Modified main event, with Truppi guiding the Truppi-King Motorsports #02 out front for the early lead. A lap five caution for Kevin Hirthler and Rich Polenz, who came together coming out of turn two, tightened up the field and eliminated the lead that Truppi had built up. Ricky “the Rocket” Elliott, who started the race in ninth place, had blasted up to the runner up spot a lap earlier, and on the restart got a good run on Truppi and took the lead, after executing an outside groove pass in turn two. Elliott proceeded to hold down the top spot for the next twenty laps pretty much without a challenge, until the five to go sign was displayed by Starter Jimmy Phillips, when Jimmy Chester, in the Speed Palace #44, began to reel in the leader. A caution period with one lap remaining set up a shoot out to the finish, but Elliott had Chester covered to collect the $3000 winner’s share of the purse for his second win of the year. Jimmy Horton and Bucky Kell finished the race in third and fourth, after battling each other door to door for five laps, with 2000 champ Wade Hendrickson coming home fifth. Duane Howard, Kell, and Truppi won the qualifying heats, while Jamie Mills won the consolation race.

2000 Bridgeport Sportsman champion Mark Forte started the twenty lap Bridgeport Sportsman main event in fourth place, and took the lead from polesitter Steve Lozorak in turn two of the third lap, after the two had run dead even across the start finish line completing lap two. Forte began to build himself a comfortable lead, while behind him the action was hot and heavy. With five to go, Forte had a five car length lead over second place, which was being contested by no less than four cars, as Sam Wescott, GR Smith, Richie Pratt, and Don Barone were running under a blanket battling for the same spot. Smith fought his way through the maze of cars to claim second place and set his sights on the leader. With Starter Dennis Weir waving the white flag signaling one to go, Forte and Smith were only a few feet apart. Smith charged into turn one and came right up on Forte, with contact being made as the racers exited turn two. This contact caused Forte to spin, bringing out the yellow for the caution period. While Forte had to go to the rear for bringing out the yellow, Smith was also sent to the rear as a penalty for rough riding. This turn of events handed the lead over to 2001 point leader Richie Pratt, in his #77, who led the last lap for his second win of the season. Barone, in the D & R Boats #267, finished second, with John Townsend, Steve Lindale, and Joe Czachorowski filling out the top five. Wescott, Barone, and Lozorak won the qualifying heats, with Billy Harris and Bill Klingmeyer taking the consolation races.

The Bridgeport Winged Sprint twenty lap A-Main had a scary moment, as a lap two accident in turn four saw five sprinters involved in the incident, with Skip Poole, in his #72, flipping out over the wall and catching fire on impact after the fuel tank ruptured. Poole was all right with some minor burns on his legs, while Wayne Mauro, who was also involved in his #101, needed some attention by the EMTs after complaining about sore ribs. He also was checked out and was okay, although his sprinter also had a fuel leak that had to be cleaned off the track. After restarting the race, Chip Brown, in the Chip’s Auto #22, again led the field and went on to try to pick up his first win of the season. Brown held the top spot, while Jeff Mueller, in the Precise Landscaping #3J, tried every groove of the raceway to catch Brown. Lap fifteen was Brown’s downfall, as he bobbled slightly in turn four, which caused Mueller to run into the back of the spinning #22. Mueller got by and went on to pull away from the field on the way to his third win of the season. Jeff Foote, who started the night in second place in the point standings, left as the point leader after finishing in runner up spot. Bob “The Lone Ranger” Adams came home in third place, with New Egypt, NJ’s Warren Durbin, in the Lucas Electric #69, finishing fourth. One time feature winner Mike Donaghy, in the Aztec Signs #US1, completed the top five. Brown and Donaghy won the eight lap qualifying heats.

The last feature of the night was the fifteen lap Street Stock main event, and it was worth waiting for. Rich Reider, in the Flooring Outlet #1, charged from his fifth starting place to lead every lap of the non-stop race. While Reider was in command of the lead, Bill Force, Phil Retter, and two-time champ Ron Coverly all held the runner up spot at some point. With the race running non-stop, Reider was slicing through the lapped traffic like a knife as the battle for second had the drivers competing with each other and the lapped traffic. Three time feature winner Phil Retter won the battle for second, but never was able to mount a serious threat on Reider, and at the finish Reider had his third win of the year, padding his point lead in the process. Retter came home second, followed by Force and Coverly, with Pat Conaway completing the top five.

NOTES: Rich Stinson Jr. was back in the Bruce Ward owned #91 Bridgeport Sportsman this week, making his second appearance of the season in the car…..Over 110 racer jammed the pits of the big 5/8th mile oval…...Coming up this week on Saturday is the return of the United Racing Club sprint cars. The high flying sprinters will appear along with the regular show of Big Block Modifieds, Bridgeport Sportsman, and Street Stocks. The show starts at six o’clock, with pit gates opening at 3:30. The main grandstand gates open one hour later at 4:30. The Bridgeport Winged Sprints will make a special Friday night appearance on the big track, while a complete show of three divisions of micro sprints will compete on the ¼ mile oval. Starting time on Friday night is seven o’clock. For more information call the track office at 856-467-4408 during business hours or log on to the Bridgeport website at www.bridgportspeedway.com.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY JULY 7, 2001

MODIFIEDS

HEAT 1 – Howard, Bottcher, Pompei, D.Adams, Hoffman, Laubach

HEAT 2 – Kell, Chester, Weaver, Schultz, Hendrickson, Kania

HEAT 3 – Truppi, Elliott, Lineman, Polenz, Horton, Smythe

CONSI – Mills, Hirthler, Stonebraker, Miller, Puzella, Iles

MODIFIED FEATURE – 30 LAPS

Ricky Elliott, Jimmy Chester, Jimmy Horton, Bucky Kell, Wade Hendrickson, Doug Hoffman, Scott Kania, Jamie Mills, Dave Stonebraker, Dave Adams, Tom Pompei, Bob Lineman Sr, Bill Miller, Jason Smythe, Joe Puzzella, Rick Laubach, Jared Schultz, Mike Iles, Steve Bottcher, Brian Truppi, Duane Howard, Rich Polenz, Kevin Hirthler

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1 – Wescott, Forte, J.Horton, Burkhart, Dekutoskey, Cook

HEAT 2 – Barone, J.Czachorowski, Visser, Townsend, Briggs, K.Collins

HEAT 3 – Lozorak, McDonnell, Pursell, Cogdill, Roberts, Smith

CONSI 1 – Harris, Parker, Stinson, S.Lindale

CONSI 2 – Klingmeyer, Pratt, Bruno, D.Czachorowski

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Richie Pratt, Don Barone, John Townsend, Steve Lindale, Joe Czachorowski, Kevin Collins, Billy Harris, Dave Czachorowski, Sam Wescott, Bob Cook, Jay Horton, John Pursell, Joe Dekutoski, Andy Burkhart, GR Smith, Jim Bruno, Mark Forte, Steve Lozorak, Ron

Roberts, Bob Sarkisian, Frank McDonnell, Dan Cogdill, Rich Stinson, Brandon Visser, Bill Klingmeyer, John Parker, Bill Briggs

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINTS

HEAT 1 – Brown, Mueller, Powell, Durbin

HEAT 2 – Donaghy, Foote, Adams, Mauro

BRIDGEPORT WINGED SPRINT FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Jeff Mueller, Jeff Foote, Bob Adams, Warren Durbin, Mike Donaghy, Brian Powell, Jon Brennfleck, Jim Walters, Chip Brown, Mares Stellfox, Mike Piersig, Joe Butts Jr, Zig Ziegler, Brett Romano, Jack Curtis, Wayne Mauro, Kevin Nagy, Skip Poole

STREET STOCK FEATURE – 15 LAPS

Rich Reider, Phil Retter, Bill Force, Ron Coverly, Ken Moren, Ron Bradley, Ron Dirkes, Daddy Pfeil, Matt Rogers, Jack Mullin, Wayne Pfeil, Joe Pellegriino, Bud Hayes, Tom Anderson DNS-Dave Williams