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DOUG HOFFMAN CHARGES TO 91ST CAREER BRIDGEPORT BIG BLOCK MODIFIED VICTORY
Bridgeport, NJ… Allentown, PA’s Doug Hoffman scored his fourth win of the season Saturday night, winning the RMP Night 25 lap Big Block Modified Feature on the big 5/8th mile Bridgeport Speedway. Hoffman rocketed from his eleventh starting position, flying on the outside to power his way into the top five on the first lap. After a spirited duel with Billy Pauch, Hoffman pedaled the Overhead Doors #0 to his 91st career Big Block Modified triumph at the South Jersey oval. Third generation driver Jesse Hill picked up his third win of the season in the 358 Sportsman feature. The Barnsboro, NJ driver had to hold off hard charging Kevin Collins to get the win in the 20 lap event. Joseph Watson, in the REMAX #39, won the GM Sunoco Sportsman main event, while Ken Watson continued his domination of the Outlaw Stock division, grabbing his 8th win of the year.
Blue Anchor, NJ’s Mark Forte led the field of Big Block Modifieds to start the RMP Night main event, pushing his self-owned Stone Grille #40 to the early lead. After starting eleventh, Doug Hoffman was using the outside groove to his advantage, charging his way into the top five on just the first lap and pulling into the runner-up spot on lap three. Going into turn one on lap six, Hoffman powered his way along side of Forte, and the two completed the lap running side by side. Coming down the front straight the two crossed the start finish line door to door, with Hoffman finally taking the lead in turn one. The first caution of the event was called for point leader Rick Laubach, who stopped on the entrance to the backstretch with transmission problems, ending his night. On the restart, Billy Pauch pushed his K & A Excavating #1 into second place and began to set his sights on Hoffman. At the halfway mark, Pauch was rim-riding his mount all the way up by the guardrail, while Hoffman had moved down to the bottom groove, which had begun to take rubber. Rocketing down the backstretch, Pauch took the lead with ten to go, and pulled away to a five-car length lead over Hoffman. Hoffman never gave up, and was back on Pauch’s rear bumper within two laps, while the Medford Mad Dog, Mike Iles, was now in the mix, flying around in third place. Coming down the front straight completing lap nineteen, Hoffman regained the lead at the stripe, while Pauch now had his hands full with Iles, who was pressuring him all the way around the big 5/8th mile speedway. With Starter Ken Golden waving the white flag, Iles made his final move on Pauch, wrestling the runner up spot away from the 2007 five-time feature winner on the backstretch. At the finish, it was Hoffman, Iles and Pauch, with Chad James and Forte completing the top five. Steve Bottcher, Wade Hendrickson, and Laubach picked up the wins in the eight lap qualifying events.
The RMP Night 358 Sportsman feature saw Jesse Hill charge from his outside pole position starting spot, leading every lap in the Infante Sod Farm #99H. While Hill might have led every lap, it was far from an easy win, as Laurel, DE’s Kevin Collins was applying pressure in his Bo’s Construction #126 for almost the entire event. At the halfway mark, Hill was slicing his way through lapped traffic, with Collins never more than a few car lengths behind. A lap fourteen yellow for GM Sportsman graduate Chuck Hopkins, who spun his #71 in turn two, tightened up the field and gave Collins another shot at the lead. On the restart, Hill was strong enough to hold off Collins, and went on to grab his third win of the 2007 season. Collins came home the runner up, with Bob Lineman Jr., Eric Kormann, and a fast closing Jimmy Horton IV filling out the top five. Qualifying heat race winners were Hopkins, Hill, and Collins, with Sean Gunther taking the consolation race.
The Watson brothers continued their domination of the Sunoco GM Sportsman field, with Joseph taking the win in the RMP Night 15 lap feature. Starting in the tenth spot outside brother Jordan, the two worked their way to the front as early leader Bob Bartleson had the Post Plumbing #720 in the lead until halfway. While Bartleson had his hands full with the Simons Builders #61 of Jon Haegele, and after yellows on lap six and seven for point leader Brett Ballard and Travis Hill respectively, Joseph Watson was able to make finish his charge to the front, taking the lead away from Bartleson as the two entered turn three. With five to go, Jordan Watson and Haegele were side by side, and Jordan pulling past as the two ran through turns one and two. Bartleson ended his good night on a bad note, as the youngster spun out in turn four, bringing out the final caution flag of the event on lap twelve. Joseph led brother Jordan to the checkered flag for his third win of the season, with Haegele, 2007 Rookie Champ Matt Harrell and Pat Hire completing the top five. Picking up the wins in the two qualifying events were Harrell and Jordan Watson.
Twenty Outlaw Stocks took to the track for their feature, with Ken Watson taking his eighth win of the season in the full-bodied division. Watson worked his way to the front from the eleventh starting place, taking first place after early leader Bill Miller dropped out of the event for a pit stop. At the finish, Watson led Karl Wagner, Miller, who rebounded from his pit stop for a third place finish, Jim Honeker, and Jim McLaughlin. Sixth through tenth place finishers were Bob Hopely, Ron Dirkes, Joe Ecret, Chuck Faisst, and Joe Trumbetti.
RESULTS:
MODIFIEDS:
Heat 1: Steve Bottcher, Billy Pauch, Chic Cassabone, Mark Forte Sr., Jimmy Chester, Jack Zeiner
Heat 2: Wade Hendrickson, Mike Iles, Doug Hoffman, Mike Franz, Bob Sarkisian, Brett Hoffman
Heat 3:Rick Laubach, Chad James, Richie Pratt Jr., Pete Visconti, Dave Stonebraker, Sam Wescott Jr.
MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS:
D. Hoffman, Iles, Pauch, James, Forte, Pratt, Chester, Cassabone, Visconti, Bottcher, Hendrickson, Sarkisian, Zeiner, Stonebraker, Franz, B. Hoffman, Laubach, Meyers, Wescott
358 SPORTSMAN:
Heat 1: Chuck Hopkins, Randy Yaple, Eric Kormann, James Morris, Carmen Leggio DQ: Mark Forte Jr.
Heat 2: Jesse Hill, Bob Lineman Jr., Ron Roberts, Frank Dorry Jr., Rob Wyant, Dan Cogdill
Heat 3: Kevin Collins, John Kelly, Jimmy Horton IV, Jarrad Miller, Tom Miller, John Pursell
Consi: Sean Gunther, Tom Solderich, Don Erde, Mike Cogdill, Nick Nicotra, Jason Duppel
358 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 20 LAPS:
Hill, Collins, Lineman, Kormann, Horton, Yaple, Roberts, T. Miller, Pursell, Gunther, Kelly, Dorry, Hopkins, D. Cogdill, J. Miller, Wyant, Erde, Solderich, Nicotra, Leggio, Parker, Duppell, M. Cogdill, Morris
GM SPORTSMAN:
Heat 1: Matt Harrell, Joseph Watson, Jon Haegele, Mike Barone, Tom Gibson, John Micek, Ryan Forte, John Bilofsky, Jason Rivers
Heat 2: Jordan Watson, Bob Bartleson, Travis Hill, Forrest Peters, Brett Ballard, David Bell, Mark Suk, Gabe Fox
GM SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15 LAPS:
Joseph Watson, Jordan Watson, Haegele, Harrell, Hires, Peters, Micek, Forte, Ballard, Hill, Barone, Bell, Gibson, Bartleson Rivers, Bilofsky, Suk, Fox
OUTLAW STOCK FEATURE – 15 LAPS:
Ken Watson, Karl Wagner, Bill Miller, Jim Honeker, Jim McLaughlin, Bob Hopely, Ron Dirkes, Joe Ecret, Chuck Faisst, Joe Trumbetti, Pat Conaway, Frank Ashman, Tom Wills, Ken Watson Jr., Rick Haegele, Mike Rudolph, Chris Pigeon, Jeff Dirkes, Craig Kerns, Draper Ellis DNS: Bruce Kerns
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