Watt Electrifies Bridgeport Modifieds‏

Upcoming events

Friday, August 8 - No racing

Saturday, August 9 - Camera & Autograph Night, Big Block Modifiieds, Crate/Sportsman, Outlaw Stocks and Hilborn TSRS Sprint Cars on the 5/8 mile track - racing at 6:30pm

Sunday August 10 - Poker Series #2 - 600cc Wingless & 270 cc Micro Sprints, 4 Cylinders & Slingshots  - on the 1/4 mile, racing at 6:00

 

 

 

WATT ELECTRIFIES BRIDGEPORT MODIFIEDS

Kris Lilick and Tom Wills, Jr. Win First of 2014

 

 

     2013 Bridgeport Champion, Ryan Watt raced from his fifteenth place starting spot to win his fourth Spirit Dodge Big Block Modified Feature of the season at the Bridgeport Speedway.  Kris Lilick earned his first win of the season in the 811 Dig Safely Crate/Sportsman Division.  After leading the Stewart Stainless Outlaw Stock Feature just one week earlier only to be sidelined by overheating problems, Tom Wills Jr. came back this week to capture his first win of the season in the fifteen lap Outlaw Stock Main event.

 

     Watt enthusiastically thanked Keith Hoffman and the Bridgeport track crew for their hard work that resulted in an excellent racing surface on Saturday night.  Watt stated.  "We came through traffic from fifteenth for this win, "so you know there were multiple grooves tonight!" 

 

     Watt topped off a busy night with the win as the Bridgeport Speedway celebrated Quarter Midget Night at the races.  Members of the ATCO South Jersey Quarter Midget Association, Blackbird Quarter Midget Racing Club and Phonixville's Montgomery County Quarter Midget Racing Club had their cars on display before the races and then ran several exhibition races on the Bridgeport quarter mile as part of the night's racing events.  Watt, the father of a quarter midget racer, was busy between the two pit areas.   Watt took advantage of his time in Victory Lane to thank the Speedway and the fans for having the quarter midget racers as part of the night's show. 

 

     Stan Frankenfield Jr. led the field of Big Blocks on the initial start but the caution was waved early when Don Cogdill III and Jack Swain tangled in turn two.  On the complete restart, Modified rookie, Kyle Hieber took the lead on the start followed by Bob Sarkisian and Scott Ambruster as Frankenfield headed to the pits.  Richie Pratt Jr. took over third on lap two and ran second as Hieber led the way to complete lap number five. 

 

     Hieber was able to hold off Pratt on a lap seven restart as Eric Kormann moved up to third.  Pratt took a look to the Hieber's inside in turns two and three on lap nine but Hieber prevailed.  With ten laps scored, Hieber led Pratt, Ambruster, Korman and now Watt cracked the top five. 

 

     Ambruster used the same line that carried him to Victory Lane earlier this season and took over the lead at the half way mark.  Korman had the lead by the time the field circled for another lap.  Kormann started to pull away as Watt raced into second on lap fifteen.  Watt took the inside line and was the race leader as the field crossed the stripe one lap later.

 

     Watt distanced himself from the 2012 Bridgeport Champion, Rick Laubach began to move through the top five.   Laubach moved past Ambruster on the backstretch on lap seventeen to take over third. 

 

     Laubach closed in on Kormann and pressed for second as Wade Hendrickson raced with Pratt for the fifth spot.  Laubach and Kormann raced side by side on lap twenty-three but Laubach raced ahead of Kormann to take second on lap twenty-four.  Hendrickson edged by Pratt on the final lap to take fifth.

 

     Watt led the way to the waving checkered followed by Laubach, Kormann, Ambruster and Hendrickson.

 

     Kris Lilick got what he hoped for.  The second driver Bridgeport competitor related durng a pre-race Meet & Greet that he was looking for a better finish.  He got that wish when he picked up his first Crate/Sportsman win of his career.

 

     David Crossman took the lead at the green flag and led for the first five laps.  Lilick took the lead on lap six.  Lapped traffic played a role in the closing laps of the feature as Steve Searock took the lead briefly on lap nineteen but Lilick had recovered the top spot by the time the field crossed the line to score the lap.  Lilick took the win and was one of three 2013 Rookie to place in the top five.  Humphreys, the 2013 Rookie Champion, finished second followed by Searock, Travis Hill and Jesse James Bonaduce, the runner-up to Humphreys in last year's Rookie chase, finished fifth.  Bonaduce turned the fastest lap of the race, turning 22.058 on the eighth lap of the feature. 

 

     Tom Wills, Jr. looked like a feature winner just one week ago but an overheating engine had Wills pull off the track with just a few laps left to race.

 

     This week, Wills, Jr. held on to win a three way battle to the checkered as TJ Henry went to the outside of Wills, Jr. with just one lap to go to take the lead.  Wills, Jr. battled back and regained the top spot as Jimmy Avery moved in to take second ahead of Henry at the checkered.  Ed Tinsman followed in fourth with Jack Beaumont rounding out the top five at the finish. 

 

 

Spirit Dodge Big Block Modified Feature (25 laps): 1. Ryan Watt, 2. Rick Laubach, 3. Eric Kormann, 4. Scott Ambruster, 5. Wade Hendrickson, 6. Richie Pratt, 7. Bob Sarkisian, 8. Kyle Hieber, 9. Jimmy Horton, 10. Dave Witte, 11. Ron Roberts, 12. Matt Harrell, 13. Mike White, 14. Bucky Kell, 15. Rocco Infante, 16. Tom Maccherone, 17. Brett Ballard, 18. PJ Oliver, 19. Tommy Beamer, 20. Corey Andersen, 21. Jack Swain, 22. Stan Frankenfield Jr., 23. Don Cogdill, III.  DNS: Jesse Hill.  DNQ: Sam Martz, John Miloczar

 

811 Dig Safely Crate/Sportsman Feature (20 laps): 1. Kris Lilick, 2. Ian Humphreys, 3. Steve Searock, 4. Travis Hill, 5. Jesse Bonaduce, 6. CJ Jones, 7. David Crossman, 8. Matthew Peck, 9. Gary Hieber Jr., 10. Justin Lilick, 11. Billy Briggs, 12. Ricky DiEva, 13. Steve Desmelyl, 14. Jeff Duprez, 15. Scott Hulmes, 16. Brett Kelly, 17. Rich Deck, 18. Sean Gunther.  DNS: Jason Duppel, Jeff Sargent.

 

Stewart Stainless Supply Outlaw Stock Feature (15 laps): 1. Tom Wills, Jr., 2. Jimmy Avery, 3. TJ Henry, 4. Ed Tinsman, 5. Jack Beaumont, 6. Tom Wills, Sr., 7. Pete Ellis, 8. Jimmy Hughes, 9. Art Avery, 10. Steve Michel, 11. David Kramer, 12. Tom Princiotta, 13. Joe Meron, 14. Terry Griffin, 15. Jeramy Doerr, DNS: Russell Wurst