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WADE “THE FLYING FARMER” HENDRICKSON CRUISES TO SECOND WIN OF 2007
KEVIN COLLINS PICKS UP WIN & ATLANTIC COAST 358 SPORTSMAN GUARANTEED STARTING SPOT
Bridgeport, NJ… Saturday night at South Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway, Wade Hendrickson won the 25-lap Big Block Modified feature event, piloting the J & M Roofing and Building #85 to his second win of the season. In the 358 Sportsman division, Laurel, DE’s Kevin Collins secured a guaranteed starting spot in the October Atlantic Coast Weekend 358 Sportsman feature, winning the extra distance 25 lap main event. The GM Sunoco Sportsman race was won by Travis Hill, who took his family owned NAP Electrical Contractors #99 to victory lane for the third time this season. Bill Miller drove his #9 Outlaw Stock to perfection, winning the 15-lap Outlaw Stock feature for his first win of the season.
Bob Sarkisian, piloting the Superior Scaffolding #47, jumped from his third starting spot to take the early lead in the 25 lap Big Block Modified feature, but by the second lap Wade Hendrickson was right on the Woolwich, NJ driver’s rear bumper pressuring his for the lead. Hendrickson wrestled the lead away from Sarkisian for lap three and a yellow for three separate incidents on the track tightened up the field. On the restart, Richie Pratt Jr. charged into second place, while Billy Pauch was rim-riding his way around the big 5/8th mile oval, using the outside groove to rocket way from his from 18th starting spot into the top five by the fifth lap. At the halfway mark, Hendrickson had a comfortable lead over Pratt and Pauch, who were battling each other all around the track. Lap after lap Pauch would try to pull a slide job on Pratt, diving under the South Jersey Racing Products #901 in the turns, while Pratt would power his way off the corner to regain his position. While these two were in the process of swapping positions numerous times, Mike Iles and point leader Rick Laubach were charging to the front, recovering from early race pit stops to pull into fifth and sixth place with just five laps to go. One lap later, Iles would fade from the front with mechanical problems, putting Laubach into the top five after a great run in his damaged East Coast Hoist #20. Coming down the front straight with Starter Ken Golden waving the double checkered flags, Hendrickson coasted past the flagstand with motor problems to get his 34th career Bridgeport Big Block Modified victory, with Pratt, Pauch, Steve Bottcher, and Laubach completing the top five. Pauch, Pete Visconti, and Hendrickson won the eight lap qualifying events for the 23 big block in competition for the night.
With a guaranteed starting spot in the 358 Sportsman portion of the Atlantic Coast Weekend in October on the line, the early part of the extra distance 25 lap 358 Sportsman was plagued with “yellow fever” but once everything settled down, the racing was excellent. Sean Gunther , who started the event in fifth, had his F & S Tire #307 out in front on lap five after passing early race leader John Kelly and a spirited battle with Dan Cogdill. A yellow flag for Carmen Leggio, who spun his #17C in turn four, brought the field back together, and with Gunther holding on to the lead, Kevin Collins and Jimmy Horton IV were racing around the speedway side by side battling for the runner up position. As Collins and Horton, who started the race in fourteenth and fifteenth, were upon Gunther and coming down the front straight to complete lap nine, Collins blasted past Gunther for the lead. At the halfway mark, Collins was still leading, but a determined John Pursell was making his move, putting the Benton Elevator #15 right on Collins rear bumper. With ten to go, Collins had pulled away from the field, but now Pursell, the 2006 358 Sportsman Champion, had his hands full with Gunther, who had pulled alongside the defending champ with five laps left in the event. Pursell and Gunther were still going back and forth in a heated battle for the runner up spot, and on the last lap Gunther dove under Pursell in turn three and made the move stick by inching ahead at the finish line. Collins, the 2007 358 Sportsman point leader, had his second win for the season, while Gunther, Pursell, Horton, and Jesse Hill filled out the top five. Cogdill, Gunther, and Ron Roberts all picked up the five bonus points for winning their qualifying races.
Gino Postarivo and Tom Gibson led the field to the post in the GM Sunoco Sportsman feature event, but Barnsboro, NJ’s Travis Hill blasted past the two from his third starting spot to grab the lead on the first lap. A few early race cautions kept Hill from pulling away from the field, but as the race wore on, the Watson Brothers made their presence known as they pulled through the field and set their sights on the front. At the halfway point, Hill was cruising around the speedway, but point leader Jordan Watson fought his way into second from tenth starting spot, while brother Joe, hot off last week’s victory, had to jump into the Brown #9 and start dead last when mechanical problems sidelined the REMAX #39 after the heat races. Joseph Watson was in the top five by lap eight, but brother Jordan had enough power in his #30 to hold on to second place until the finish. At the end of the fifteen lap event, Hill had his third win of the season, with Jordan and Joe Watson right behind, with Bob Bartleson and Jon Haegele coming home in the top five. Hill and Blue Anchor, NJ’s Ryan Forte were the winners of the qualifying events.
In the Outlaw Stock feature, Bill Miller flew out from his outside pole starting spot to lead the entire event. Point leader Ken Watson, who started eleventh, worked his way into second place with just two laps to go, but couldn’t close in on the leader and had to settle for the runner up spot. At the end of the fifteen-lap race Miller parked his Forest Grove Motors#9 in victory lane for his first win of the season, with Watson, Rick Haegele, Joe Trumbetti, and Karl Wagner completing the top five.
Bridgeport Speedway Results - Saturday August 25, 2007
Big Block Modifieds
Heat 1 – Billy Pauch, Jimmy Chester, Dog Hoffman, Chad James, Mike Franz, Bryant Brown
Heat 2 – Pete Visconti, Mark Forte Sr., Richie Pratt Jr., Rick Laubach, Steve Durand, Brett Hoffman
Heat 3 – Wade Hendickson, Steve Bottcher, Bob Sarkisian, Chic Cassabone, Mike Iles, Doug
Pannepacker
BIG BLOCK MODIFIED FEATURE – 25 LAPS
WADE HENDRICKSON, Richie Pratt Jr., Billy Pauch, Steve Bottcher, Rick Laubach, Pete Visconti, Doug Hoffman, Mark Forte Sr., Jimmy Chester, Bryant Brown, Mike Iles, Doug Pannepacker, Chad James, Mike Franz, Dave Stonebraker, Bob Sarkisian, Brett Hoffman, Mark Schweibinz, Scott Irwin, Steven Durand, Archie Myers, Chic Cassabone, Ed Firth
358 Sportsman
Heat 1 – Dan Cogdill, John Pursell, Randy Yaple, Jesse Hill, Nick Nicotra, Dave Decker
Heat 2 – Sean Gunther, Eric Kormann, Kevin Collins, John Kelly, Bob Lineman Jr., Jarrad Miller
Heat 3 – Ron Roberts, Tom Miller, Chuck Hopkins, Bob Rambone, Jimmy Horton IV, John Scarpati Jr.
ATLANTIC COAST QUALIFIER - 358 SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 25 LAPS
KEVIN COLLINS, Sean Gunther, John Pursell, Jimmy Horton IV, Jesse Hill, Ron Roberts, Eric Kormann, Chuck Hopkins, Bob Lineman Jr., John Kelly, Tom Miller, Jarrad Miller, Randy Yaple, Dan Cogdill, Bob Rambone, Nick Nicotra, Dave Decker, John Scarpati Jr., Carmen Leggio DNS: Scott Davis Jr.
GM Sportsman
Heat 1 – Travis Hill, Jordan Watson, Jon Haegele, Gino Postarivo, Forrest Peters, John Micek
Heat 2 – Ryan Forte, David Bell, Tom Gibson, Matt Harrell, Mike Barone, Bob Bartleson
GM SPORTSMAN FEATURE – 15 LAPS
TRAVIS HILL, Jordan Watson, Joe Watson, Bob Bartleson, Jon Haegele, Forrest Peters, Brett Ballard, Matt Harrell, Ryan Forte, David Bell, John Micek, Jason Rivers, Tom Gibson, Pat Hires, Gino Postarivo
DNS: Mike Barone
Outlaw Stocks
FEATURE – 15 LAPS
BILL MILLER, Ken Watson, Rick Haegele, Joe Trumbetti, Karl Wagner, Jim McLaughlin, Joe Ecret, Jim Honeker, Ron Dirkes, Terry Griffin, Ken Watson Jr., Jeff Dirkes
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