Doug Hoffman Picks Up Second Win in Four Days, Sarkisian & Pfeil Victorious

Bridgeport, NJ – 1999 Modified Point Champion Doug Hoffman is on a tear at Bridgeport Speedway, winning the twenty-five lap main event on Saturday night. It was the second win this week for the Allentown, PA resident, who also won the mid-week special on Wednesday night. The two victories were worth $5500 to Hoffman for the week’s work at the track. In other action at the track, Bob Sarkisian won the twenty lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature, while Wayne Pfeil won the fifteen lap street stock race for the second week in a row. The Bridgeport Sprint feature race had to postponed due to track conditions, which made it tough for the lightweight winged sprinters to get any traction on the slick surface. The remainder of the A-Main will be run this Saturday night, along with the regularly scheduled four-division show.

Perkiomenville, PA’s Kevin Hirthler jumped out to an early lead from his pole position starting spot, and stayed out front for the first eleven laps of the feature race for the big block modifieds. While Hirthler was busy holding off Vineland, NJ’s Paul Weaver, in the Buff Farms #24, Doug Hoffman was patiently making his way to the front from his eleventh starting spot. Hoffman didn’t crack into the top five until lap nine, but it only took the chauffer of the new J & J Troyer #27 another three laps to charge into lead. Hoffman went the rest of the way for his third win of the season, while Duane Howard, in the Big Spring Car Wash #126 had his best finish in weeks, coming home in second place. Steve Bottcher finished third, with Ricky Elliott and 2000 champ Wade Hendrickson completing the top five.

The Bridgeport Sportsman twenty lap feature started with pole sitter Dan Cogdill taking the lead, holding on to the top spot for eighteen laps. An incident on lap eighteen proved to be Cogdill’s downfall, as he was penalized for rough riding for an incident with Havre de Grace, MD’s Brandon Visser, as Visser attempted to pass Cogdill on the outside groove in turn two. While Visser’s #103 had to be towed off the track with a broken front end, Cogdill was signaled to take his #26 to the rear of the field for the penalty. Cogdill then had to be black flagged for not obeying the track officials, and was sent to the pits. All this unnecessary action gave the lead to Bob Sarkisian, in the #47, who had battled from tenth starting spot to the third position when the on track altercation occurred. Sarkisian went the last two laps with Paulsboro, NJ’s Billy Harris, in the #3, right on his tail. Sarkisian and Harris finished one-two, with Steve Lindale coming home in third place, Rob Ratoskey and Tom Fox filled the top five. Visser, Cogdill, and first year driver Bob Lineman, Jr., won qualifying heats, while 2000 champion Mark Forte took the consolation race.

For the second week in a row, Wayne Pfeil won the fifteen lap Street Stock feature race in his #72. While two-time champion Ron Coverly and Rich Reider led the first half of the event, Pfeil was fighting his way through the pack from his ninth starting spot, along with Phil Retter, who started twelfth in the #44. For the last half of the race, Retter and Pfeil swapped the lead back and forth, before Pfeil took the lead for good on lucky lap thirteen. With one to go, Retter mad a last gasp move for the lead, but a hard run into turn one had the #44 tapping the outside wall, giving Pfeil breathing room on the last lap. Pfeil had his second career Bridgeport victory with Retter holding on to the runner up spot. Bud Hayes finished the race in third, with Coverly and Dave Wiliams coming home in fourth and fifth.

The fifty lap Enduro feature was won by Dave Wilhelm, in his #18. Wilhelm started the race in nineteenth place and was followed across the finish line by Steve Haegele. Mike Rudolph finished in third spot, with Bob Hopely and Draper Ellis completing the top five. Thirty-seven Enduro racers took part in the event.

Bridgeport Speedway Results – Sat. June 9, 2001

Modifieds

Heat 1 – Bottcher, Stonebraker, Lineman, Howard, Horton, Chester

Heat 2 – Hoffman, Hirthler, Kell, Laubach, Kerr, Fortna

Heat 3 – Laureno, Truppi, Weaver, Elliott, Hendrickson, Franz

Consi – Mills, Durand, Kania, Adams, Schultz, Davis

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

Doug Hoffman, Duane Howard, Steve Bottcher, Ricky Elliott, Wade Hendrickson, Jimmy Horton, Jimmy Chester, Jamie Mills, Rick Laubach, Bucky Kell, Scott Kania, Roger Laureno, Dave Adams, Ryan Kerr, Stephan Durand, Randy Fortna, Jared Schultz, Scott Davis, Bob Lineman Sr, Kevin Hirthler, Paul Weaver, Mike Franz, Brian Truppi, Dave Stonebraker

Bridgeport Sportsman

Heat 1 – Visser, Purcell, Smith, Sarkisian, Wescott, Fucilli

Heat 2 – Cogdill, Pratt, Suhr, Czachorowski, K.Collins, Dekutoski

Heat 3 – Lineman, Briggs, Harris, Lozorak, Ratoskey, Dixon

Consi – Forte, Stinson, Roberts, Cook, P.Collins, Lindale, Fox, Wyant

Bridgeport Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

Bob Sarkisian, Billy Harris, Steve Lindale, Rob Ratoskey, Tom Fox, Bill Briggs, Joe Dekutoski, Joe Czachorowski, Ron Roberts, John Purcell, Richie Pratt, Bob Lineman Jr, Rich Stinson, Robert Wyant, Sam Wescott, GR Smith, Brandon Visser, Brian Fucilli, Steve Lozorak, John Dixon, Paul Collins, Al Suhr, Kevin Collins, Bob Cook, Mark Forte

Street Stock Feature – 15 Laps

Wayne Pfeil, Phil Retter, Bud Hayes, Ron Coverly, Dave Williams, Daddy Pfeil, Ken Moren, Ron Dirkes, Rich Reider, Matt Rodgers, Greg Schmidt, Jack Mullin, Bill Force

Enduro Stock Feature – 50 Laps

Dave Wilhelm, Steve Haegele, Mike Rudolph, Bob Hopely, Draper Ellis, Tristan Leonard, Robert Benz, Hugh McCluskey, Charlie Stoltzfus, Curtis Nichols