Jamie Mills Becomes Fourth Different Winner In Bridgeport Big Block Modifieds

Bridgeport, NJ – 1995 Modified Champion Jamie Mills won the twenty-five lap big block modified feature at Bridgeport Speedway Saturday night, becoming the fourth different winner in 2001 season competition. Blue Anchor, NJ’s Mark Forte became the first sportsman repeat winner of the new season on the big 5/8th-mile oval, taking the twenty lap Bridgeport Sportsman feature. In other action on New Jersey’s fastest dirt track, Jeff Foote won the Bridgeport Sprint race, while Rich Reider grabbed his second win of the season in Late Model Competition. The complete four-division show was completed before 10PM.

The Big Block Modified main event, which is always the second feature on the night’s schedule of events, started with polesitter Kevin Hirthler, in the C & C small block #117, taking control of the race right from the start. Milford, DE’s Mills was a man on a mission, though, and was working his way towards Hirthler from his sixth starting spot. Mills was running in second place by lap four, and a lap five caution that was brought out by a spinning Ben Hatt in turn three trimmed the lead that Hirthler had built up. For the next three laps Hirthler and Mills battled, with Hirthler taking the high groove and Mills running the bottom of the track. Several times Mills was able to pull alongside Hirthler, but Hirthler had enough power to hold off Mills’ challenges for the lead. With Starter Jim Phillips Jr. waving the crossed flags for the halfway signal, Hirthler still had a one car length lead over Mills, but just one half lap later, Mills made his move for the lead, charging past Hirthler on the backstretch. Mills, driving the Blue Hen Racing #30, then began pulling away from the field, and with five laps to go, had built up a half straightaway lead over runner up Doug Hoffman, who had passed Hirthler four laps earlier. Hoffman, in his own #60 OVER, had one last chance at Mills, when the caution flag came out for modified rookie Stephan Durand, who spun in turn two after taking the white flag. Mills was able to hold off Hoffman in the one lap shootout, and went on to win at Bridgeport for the first time since August, 1996. Hoffman finished second, while Vineland, NJ’s Paul Weaver took third place from Hirthler on the last lap. The Zellers #31, driven by Steve Bottcher filled the top five. Speaking of his torrid battle with Hirthler, Mills said, "It was a iffy-iffy night to pick tires tonight, and when his (Hirthler) tires starting to lose just a little bit, mine started to really hook up and I was able to work my way past him." Then when questioned about the last lap caution Mills answered’ "Doug would have had to fight me real hard to get by me in one lap, but he’s a good clean racer and you can run with him and know he’s gonna race you clean." The victory was Mills’ eighth career win at Bridgeport.

The Bridgeport sportsman feature looked to be 2000 season champion Mark Forte’s race right from the start, as he rocketed from his eleventh starting spot to take fifth place before the end of the first lap. One lap later, the all-time Bridgeport Sportsman feature winner was in third and tracking down the leaders. Last week’s winner, Bob Sarkisian, in his #47, wasn’t about to let Forte get away so easy though, and pulled past Forte to take over third place after a lap three restart . Sarkisian, who started outside Forte in twelfth spot, held off Forte’s advances for the next two laps, until Forte jumped to the outside of turn three and passed Sarkisian and Frank McDonnell to take over second place. One lap later, Forte worked his way past leader Joe Czacharowski at the start-finish line and was on his way to his second win of the year. Czacharowski and McDonnell held on to second and third spots, while Trenton, NJ’s Don Barone, in the D & R Boats #267 finished fourth. GR Smith, in the Statewide Highway #2GR, came all the way from twenty-fourth starting place to complete the top five. Brandon Visser, Barone, and John Dixon won sportsman qualifying heats. Bob Cook and Kevin Collins won the consolation races.

Jeff Mueller started on the pole of the Bridgeport Sprint feature and appeared to be on the way to his first career win in New Jersey’s newest racing division. With competition in the class so close, the winged racers were competing for every spot on the track, and lap thirteen proved to be the unlucky lap as a pileup on the backstretch took out seven of the Jasper-engined racers. Jeff Foote worked his way past Mueller on the restart, and went the rest of the way for the victory. Second generation driver Dave Brown finished in second place, with Brett Romano, Robert Jones and Jim Walters filling the top five. Twenty-two sprinters competed in the show, with heat wins going to Wade Hendrickson and Mueller.

In the fifteen-lap Late Model feature, Bud Hayes continued his streak of leading every race, taking the early lead from his third starting spot. Hayes led for the first two laps, until Wayne Pfeil took over on lap three. Pfeil’s lead was short-lived though, as Rich Reider, in the Seven Bridges Development #1, was working his way to the front from the sixth starting spot. Reider took the lead on lap four, and went on to win his second main event in a row at Bridgeport. Pfeil and Hayes held on to second and third, while two-time champion Ron Coverly and Paul Marra Jr. completed the top five.

NOTES:

Mills, 1998-99 Bridgeport Sportsman Champion Stephan Durand, and Wade Hendrickson won modified heats. Quakertown, PA’s Dave Stonebraker won the consolation race…..It was a tough night for Lawrenceville, NJ’s Wade Hendrickson as mechanical problems forced the Rio Brothers #R10 out of the modified feature on lap eighteen. It was the first DNF for the #R10 since June of last year! The "Flying Farmer" had more bad luck in the Bridgeport Sprint feature, when mechanical ills plagued the Marty McCabe owned #77, ending Hendrickson night on lap sixteen…..Forte’s win in the Bridgeport sportsman race was the twenty-sixth of his career in the division. Since the class’s inception in 1995, the 2000 season point champ has at least one win in every season…..Over 115 racers were signed into the pits for the night’s action…..Coming up next week is another regular four division show presented on the big track on Saturday night, with the first race slated to take to the track at 6PM…..IPM Pest Management sponsors Friday night’s action on the ¼ mile Little Bridgeport oval, starting at 7:30,, with extra purse money for the 125, 250 and 600cc micro sprints. The modified lites are also scheduled to race that night…..For more information check out the speedway’s new website at www.bridgeportspeedway.com. or call the track office at 856-467-4407 during business hours.

BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS – SATURDAY 4-28-01

MODIFIEDS

HEAT 1 – Mills, Howard, Horton, Weaver, Davis, Adams

HEAT 2 – Durand, Laubach, Hoffman, Kell, Elliott, Lineman

HEAT 3 - Hendrickson, Bottcher, Hirthler, Kania, Truppi, Laureno

CONSI – Stonebraker, Iles, Schultz, Pompei, Hatt, Hallowell

MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS

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

DNQ – Randy Fortna, Ron Johnson, Jim Reppert, Butch Glisson, Joel Boinski, Ryan Kerr, Doug Rose, Mike Franz, Jason Smythe, Jimmy Chester

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1 – Visser, Fox, Czacharowski, Lindale, Harris, Lozorak

HEAT 2 – Barone, McDonnell, Klingmeyer, Sarkisian, Mulch, Roberts

HEAT 3 – Dixon, McCardell, Forte, Pursell, Wescott, Ratoskey

CONSI 1 – Cook, Sterling, Pratt, Horton

CONSI 2 – K.Collins, Suhr, Smith, Briggs

BRIDGEPORT SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS

Mark Forte, Joe Czacharowski, Frank McDonnell, Don Barone, GR Smith, Bob Sarkisian, Billy Harris, Bob Cook, Richie Pratt, Steve Lindale, Tom Fox, John McCardell, Ron Roberts, Billy Briggs, Kevin Collins, Sam Wescott, Jesse Sterling, Marty Mulch, Al Suhr, John Dixon, Jay Horton, Steve Lozorak,. Brandon Visser, Rob Ratoskey, Bill Klingmeyer, BJ DiMascio, John Pursell

DNQ – Bob Lineman Jr, Frank Curry, Joe Dekutoski, Steve Harrison, John Townsend, Scott Baylor, Christopher Christ, Walt Clark, Paul Collins, Dennis Price, Eric Kormann, Brian Fucilli, Chris Riddle, Bill Horton, Dan Cogdill, Len Moncaleri

BRIDGEPORT SPRINT FEATURE - 20 LAPS

Jeff Foote, Dave Brown, Brett Romano, Robert Jones, Jim Walters, Mike Piersig, Bob Adams, Jeff Mueller, Tom Whittall, George Coffin Jr, Wade Hendrickson, Mares Stellfox, Matt Beasley, Matt Lucas, Chip Brown, Mike Donaghy, Gary Mondschein, Brian Powell, Wayne Mauro, Skip Poole, Zig Ziggler, John Wagner

LATE MODEL FEATURE – 15 LAPS

Rich Reider, Wayne Pfeil, Bud Hayes, Ron Coverly, Paul Marra Jr, Dave Williams, Matt Rogers, Daddy Pfeil, John Mullin, Ken Moran, Frank Rowan, Bill Force, Ron Dirkes

Next Events: Fri. May 4, 7:30 – Little Bridgeport – IPM Pest Management Night

125, 250, 600cc Micro Sprints + Mod Lites

Sat. May 5, 6PM – Big Block Modifieds, Bridgeport Sportsman, Bridgeport Sprints, Late Models