WATT, GASKILL AND WILLS, JR. CAPTURE WINS ON CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT AT BRIDGEPORT

Ryan Watt, Roger Gaskill and Tom Wills, Jr. put the finishing touches on the 2018 season with feature wins on Championship Night sponsored by Joy Auto Parts at the Bridgeport Speedway on Saturday night.
For the third consecutive season, Watt and his Ron Roberts Racing Team have captured the Spirit Auto Center Big Block Modified Championship on Bridgeport’s 5/8th mile speedway, putting the icing on the cake with their fifth win of the season in Saturday night’s twenty-five lap feature event. Eric Kormann earned his third title in the Stewart Stainless 602 Crate Sportsman. dedicating his efforts to the memory of his late father-in-law, Dave Stanton. Jeramy Doerr put together a season of consistency to capture his first Penn Co Tech Outlaw Stock Championship with four feature wins during the championship chase.
Watt was the big winner but Hammonton, NJ’s Bucky Kell was certainly the man of the hour. Not many drivers can lay claim to passing Ryan Watt and his No. 14w at Bridgeport this season but Kell is one of them. Kell put his No. 58 out in front at the wave of the green and then drove away from the field to lead through the race’s half way mark.
Mike Franz drew the race’s first caution on lap twelve, erasing Kell’s lead and closing in the ranks for the restart. Kell lined up in front of Richie Pratt, Jr., Ron Roberts, Tommy Beamer and Neal Williams with Watt and Billy Pauch running just outside the top five. At that point, Pauch had turned the race’s fastest lap.
During the caution, Roberts headed to the pits with a flat tire, relinquishing his third place run. A seven car pile-up came following the restart as Williams got out of shape and several cars were collected in the melee. Tom Maccherone, Wade Hendrickson in the Hendrickson Farms No. Z1 and Jim Britt were towed to the pits while Williams, Sam Martz, Stan Frankenfield and Roberts were able to continue.
Watt raced by Pratt on the next green flag lap and then had second by the end of lap thirteen. One lap later, Watt had the lead but Kell was not out of it yet. When Pauch slowed, drawing a caution for lap fifteen, Kell lined up to the outside of Watt and regained the lead on the restart. Kell was the race leader on lap fifteen before Watt edged ahead as the two drivers crossed the line one lap later.
Watt raced to the checkered followed by Kell, Beamer, Pratt and Williams. Martz, Frankenfield, Franz, Roberts and Dave Shirk rounded out the top ten.
Roger Gaskill ran the race of his career as he picked up his first career win in the 602 Crate Sportsman feature. Gaskill had plenty of pressure from Sammy Martz, Jr. The two drivers crossed the line side by side on lap sixteen but Gaskill regained the lead on the next circuit when lapped traffic came into play.
At the end of twenty laps, Gaskill took the win over Bobby Bracall, Kormann, Wayne Weaver and Matt Peck. Tommy Errico, Jr., last week’s feature winner, Tom Moore, Jr., David Crossman, Frank Dorry and Dave Damiano completed the top ten.
Tom Wills, Jr. drove to his third win of the season in Penn Co Tech Outlaw Stock competition in what was a four car race for the lead through most of the fifteen laps as Doerr, Brian Ludwig and Mike Creamer raced side by side and nose to tail behind the leader for many laps.
Wills took the win over Doerr, Creamer, Darren Cox and Gary Klimeczak. Cox had a great run after starting at the rear of the field and driving up to a fourth place finish.

SPIRIT AUTO CENTER BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS (25 laps) – 1. Ryan Watt, 2. Bucky Kell, 3. Tommy Beamer, 4. Richie Pratt, Jr., 5. Neal Williams, 6. Sam Martz, 7. Stan Frankenfield, 8. Mike Franz, 9. Ron Roberts, 10. Dave Shirk, 11. J.R. Burritt, 12. Roger Manning, 13. Billy Pauch, Sr., 14. Jim Britt, 15. Tom Maccherone, 16. Wade Hendrickson, 17. Tommy Errico, Jr., 18. Brett Ballard, 19. Jack Swain, 20. Bob Sarkisian



STEWART STAINLESS SUPPLY 602 CRATE SPORTSMAN (20 laps) – 1. Roger Gaskill, 2. Bobby Bracall, 3. Eric Kormann, 4. Wayne Weaver, 5. Matt Peck, 6. Tommy Errico, Jr., 7. Tom Moore, Jr., 8. David Crossman, 9. Frank Dorry, 10. Dave Damiano, 11. Jim Gallagher, Jr., 12. David Hartman, 13. Matt Luzi, 14. Parker Guldin, 15. Howard Huepful, 16. John Gilroy, 17. Sammy Martz, Jr., 18. Tom Holding, 19. Andrew Joslin, 20. David Jenkins, DNS – Rich Wegner, Sr., Tom Sherby



PENNCO TECH OUTLAW STOCKS (15 laps) – 1. Tom Wills, Jr., 2. Jeramy Doerr, 3. Michael Creamer, 4. Darren Cox, 5. Gary Klimeczak, 6. Billy Wroble, 7. Brian Ludwig, 8. Jeff Dirkes, 9. Gary Elliott, 10. Steven Land, 11. Paul Donahue, 12. Terry Sammons, 13. Lee Allen.







Upcoming events

Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16 – Monster Truck Throwdown

Tuesday, September 11 – Rumble on the River – 811 Dig Safe Power Series – Big Block Modifieds & 602 Crate Sportsman, racing at 7:15

Friday & Saturday, September 28 & 29 – King of the Big Block Weekend – Friday (3/8th mile track) 358 Small Block Modifieds & Outlaw Stocks with Open Time Trials on 5/8 for Saturday events – racing at 7:30pm, Saturday – 811 Dig Safe Poker Series #4 – Big Block Modifieds & 602 Crate Sportsman, racing at 6:30pm

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