BRIAN TRUPPI GRABS FIRST CAREER WIN IN BRIDGEPORT MODIFIED COMPETITION

BRIDGEPORT, NJ - Branchburg, NJ’s Brian Truppi scored his first career big block modified victory, winning the twenty-five lap modified feature at Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night. The 1997 Bridgeport Sportsman champion led every lap for the race, holding off 2000 modified champion Wade Hendrickson at the finish to seal the win. The twenty lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature was won by Hurfville, NJ’s Richie Pratt, while Bob Adams and Bud Hayes each won their first career victories in Bridgeport Sprint and Late Model competition. The complete four division show, which started thirty minutes late due to a late afternoon shower that hit the speedway right at the start of warm-ups, was still completed by 11PM.

Truppi, wheeling the TK Racing Engines #02, started the modified feature on the pole and charged to the lead right at the green to start the event. For the first third of the race, Richlandtown, PA’s Rick Laubach, in the Auger #93, tried to chase down Truppi, before Jimmy Chester worked his way past Laubach for second place. Chester tried to pry the lead away from Truppi for the next fifteen laps, but Truppi was really hooked up to the high groove of the big 5/8th mile clay oval and never let Chester past, although on several attempts Chester was able to get his #44 along side the #02. With two to go, Wade Hendrickson was able to push the Rio Brothers #R10 by Chester and tried to cut into Truppi’s lead. At the checkered flag, Truppi had his first career modified feature win by not much more than a car length over runner-up Hendrickson. Milford, DE’s Jamie Mills, in the I.G. Burton #30, mad a last lap move on Chester to take third spot, while Chester hung on to fourth and Laubach completed the top five. Qualifying heats for the modifieds were won by Duane Howard, Hendrickson, and Truppi, with Steve Bottcher winning the consolation race. In victory lane Truppi talked about holding off Hendrickson and said," Lapped traffic was a nightmare, I know how it is to try to get out of the way, I’ve been in that situation plenty of times. I’m just thankful we got through. Jimmy Chester got his nose under me a few times, but I want to thank the guys for racing clean, all the guys did a great job. This is awesome, my first big block win. This is the best thing in the world, I’d trade all my sportsman wins for this one!"

An accident in the first turn of the first lap caused a complete restart of the race, and with the accident taking out three racers from the top six, it moved Rob Ratoskey up to the inside of row two for the restart. Ratoskey blasted to the lead, with Richie Pratt Jr. right behind him in second place. These two began to pull away from the rest of the field, but Ratoskey was never able to build up much more than a two-car length lead over Pratt. A lap seventeen yellow for Paul Collins tightened up the field, and one lap later Pratt made his move on Ratoskey and pulled alongside in turns three and four. Coming out of turn four, Pratt won the drag race to the first turn, and took the lead, going the rest of the way to get his first sportsman win at the South Jersey speedway since July of 1998. Ratoskey held on to second place for his best ever finish, while Don Barone, in the D & R Boats #267 came from twenty-first starting spot to finish third. Ron Roberts and Steve Lindale completed the top five. Billy Harris, Paul Collins, and Joe Dekutoski won the qualifying heats, with Joe Czachorowski and Lindale winning the consolation races.

Chip Brown, in the Chip’s Automotive #22 sprint car, led the field to the start of the twenty lap Bridgeport Sprint race and powered his way out front and looked to be on his way to his first win of the new season. Bob Adams, in his own #14, had other plans though, and kept steadily going forward from his seventh starting spot. Lap thirteen proved to be unlucky for Jeff Foote, as Adams worked his way past to take second place away from Foote. Adams finished his charge to the front two laps later, taking the lead from Brown down the backstretch. A yellow for the #101 of Wayne Mauro gave Brown one last chance to take back his lead, but Adams’ Jasper Racing Engines sprinter was flying, and at the finish Adams had his first career sprint car win. Brown came home in second place, with Foote, Mike Donaghy, and Warren Durbin filling out the top five.

The late model race was the last feature of the night, and fans that stayed saw what could be considered the most exciting race of the night. Bill Force, in the Dallakiesa #29, took the lead from the initial start, and after a lap three yellow, the rest of the event went non-stop, with not much more than a car length ever separating the lead from Bud Hayes and Wayne Pfeil. At the finish Hayes got by Force to get his first career win, while Force finished a whisker in front of Pfeil, who took third place. Two-time champion Ron Coverly and last week’s winner, Phil Retter completed the top five.

NOTES: Truppi gave the modified field notice that he was gunning for his win in the heat race, which he won easily, leading all eight laps after starting in fourth spot. Truppi mad a true clean sweep of the night’s modified racing, leading every lap he was on the track !!…..It was a good night for new winners, as Richie Pratt was the only winner of the night that had ever won a race before at Bridgeport in the class that he competed in…..Adams win had to especially rewarding as he comes to the track by himself and does everything including push his car to the sprint car staging area!!…Rich Reider had a tough night, as he crashed into one of the big tires that mark off the inside of the raceway on the first lap of the late model feature. Reider’s crew, led by owner Herb Thomas, got the car back out on the track minus some sheet metal, never missing a lap. Reider hung on to finish sixth after the scary crash….Coming up this week is a regular show for the modifieds, sportsman, and sprint cars, while the late models have the week off with the first enduro stock race of the new season scheduled for Saturday night.

Bridgeport Speedway Results – Saturday 5/12/01

Modifieds

Heat 1 – Howard, Hoffman, Horton, Laubach, Franz, Kerr

Heat 2 – Hendrickson, Mills, Kania, Adams, Laureno, Stonebraker

Heat 3 – Truppi, Lineman, Elliott, Chester, Weaver, Davis

Consi – Bottcher, Kell, Iles, Pompei, Schultz, Hallowell

Modified Feature – 25 Laps

Brian Truppi, Wade Hendrickson, Jamie Mills, Jimmy Chester, Rick Laubach, Steve Bottcher, Ricky Elliott, Doug Hoffman, Scott Kania, Bucky Kell, Ryan Kerr, Dave Stonebraker, Bob Lineman, Mike Franz, Jared Schultz, Don Hallowell, Scott Davis, Tom Pompei, Roger Laureno, Dave Adams, Mike Iles, Duane Howard, Jimmy Horton, Paul Weaver

DNQ – Richard Pierson, Barry Voss, Ben Hatt, Rusty Smith, Dave Howard, Ron Johnson, Jim Reppert, Doug Rose, Bill Miller, Kevin Hirthler, Jason Smythe, Butch Glisson, Stephan Durand

Bridgeport Sportsman

Heat 1 – Harris, Price, Dixon, Sarkisian, Pursell, Visser

Heat 2 – P.Collins, Ratoskey, Roberts, McDonnell, Forte, Clark

Heat 3 – Dekutoski, Fucilli, Pratt, Peck, Klingmeyer, K.Collins

Consi 1 – Czachorowski, Barone, Cook, Briggs

Consi 2 – Lindale, Wescott, Lozorak, Kell

Bridgeport Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps

Richie Pratt, Rob Ratoskey, Don Barone, Ron Roberts, Steve Lindale, GR Smith, Joe Czachorowski, Sam Wescott, John Dixon, Bill Klingmeyer, Bill Briggs, Billy Harris, Greg Peck, Frank McDonnell, John Pursell, Dennis Price, Walt Clark, Paul Collins, Bob Cook, Steve Lozorak, Joe Dekutoski, Brian Fucelli, Bob Sarkisian, Brandon Visser, Kevin Collins, Mark Forte

DNQ – Al Suhr, Jim Lindale, Jay Horton, BJ DiMascio, Eric Poole, Tom Miller, Len Moncaleri, Eric Kormann, Chris Riddle, Robert Wyant, Bob Lineman Jr, Dan Cogdill, Christopher Christ, Chuck Faisst, Marty Mulch, John McCardell, Steve Harrison

Bridgeport Sprint Feature - 20 Laps

Bob Adams, Chip Brown, Jeff Foote, Mike Donaghy, Warren Durbin, Jim Walters, Brian Powell, Keith Wetzel, Eric Poole, Robert Jones, Jon Brennfleck, Mares Stellfox, Jack Curtis, Joe Howe, Joe Butts, Wayne Mauro, Jeff Mueller, Mike Piersig DNS – Wade Hendrickson

Late Model Feature – 15 Laps

Bud Hayes, Bill Force, Wayne Pfeil, Ron Coverly, Phil Retter, Rich Reider, Ken Moren, Jack Mullin, Joe Pellegrino, Ron Bradley, Daddy Pfeil