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For some, racing is a family sport and that couldn’t have been more evident than in Bridgeport’s Saturday night action that saw third generation driver, Luke Bunting race to his first win in the Ice Less 602 Sportsman Double Down Showdown. Frank Franz, the father of Mike, was one of the first competitors at Bridgeport when the gates first opened more than fifty years ago. He won championships as a car owner but on Saturday night, his son, Mike Franz raced to his second win in the Danny’s Pizza Pizzazz Modifieds. Racing is all about family for the Hughes family as Mike Junior raced to his ninth win of the season in the Insta Signs Plus Street Stock feature. For the Swanson family, brothers, Jonathan and David, have both been winners this season in the Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints but on Saturday night it was Jonathan who drove to his third win of the season. And how about the Gareys – father and son. You can never be sure if it’s Senior or Junior in the car until they climb out in Victory Lane. On Saturday night, it was Joe Garey, Sr. in the car usually driven by Joe, Jr. that raced Eric Degler to the checkered for the win.
Matt Peck led the way in the Double Down Showdown. He had the No. 51 out in front for thirty-six of the forty laps and then mechanical issues had him headed off of the track. Luke Bunting found himself in the lead with just more laps to go and drivers Andrew Hopkins, Jesse Hirthler, Bob Lineman and point leader, Joe Toth on his tail.
“I was a nervous wreck”, the young driver said after racing to his first win in his third season of racing. And what a race to win – a forty lap feature event that paid double the purse all the way through the field. Hirthler wrestled second from Hopkins in the final laps. Hopkins had his best Bridgeport showing in third followed by Bob Lineman in a throw-back USA 1 paint scheme and Joe Toth rounding out the top five. Matt Martino finished sixth followed by Jordan Henn in Dave Adams No. 37, Dave Damiano, Jimmy Leiby and Craig Pelligrini.
Victory Lane saw HJ Bunting and Eugene and Jamie Mills join Luke in the celebration before the start of the Modified feature.
Sam Martz, Sr. was looking for his turn in the Insta Signs Plus Victory Lane after Sammy, Jr. collected his first of the season a few weeks earlier. Martz led for eleven laps. It was a restart on lap twelve that Franz gave the outside a shot. “I had no idea that there was an outside,” Franz exclaimed. “I just put it out there and it stuck!”
Franz took the lead and led through two more restarts – including one with just one lap to go. Franz was up to the challenge and drove to the win over Martz, Sr., Neal Williams who took third back from Billy Osmun III who finished fourth. Ryan Krachun had the No. 51 wound up and finished fifth after battling back and forth with both Kevin Hirthler and Osmun for many laps. Hirthler finished sixth followed by Stan Frankenfield, Brian Papiez, Mike Lisowski and Coleby Frye.
It was a popular win for Franz who well represents the local area as well as the independent driver among his peers.
Mike Hughes ran away with his ninth win of the season in the Insta Signs Street Stock feature while TJ Henry made it interesting in the final laps as he put a little pressure on the leader. Henry was key in Hughes early days in the division so it was an interesting match. Darren Cox picked up the final podium finish over Nick Sandone III and Kevin Heckman.
Jonathan Swanson raced to his third win of the season in the Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints, equally the record of Thomas Radivoy. Swanson led the entire distance with pressure coming from runner-up, JR Fulper, followed by Wayne Scott with his best finish to date. Dan Leaper finished fourth with Radivoy in fifth.
Joe Garey, Sr. used Junior’s car and out ran Eric Degler to the checkered flag in the Insta Signs Plus Four Cylinder feature. Jon Parker finished third followed by Rob Weil. Colin Gale and Roger Kummerer, the team mates in the No. 74 cars, tangled in turn three on the final lap while racing for position.
“DOUBLE DOWN SHOWDOWN” PRESENTED BY JOHN BLEWETT INC.
ICE LESS LLC 602 SPORTSMAN A-MAIN (40 LAPS)
1. Luke Bunting, 2. Jesse Hirthler, 3. Andrew Hopkins, 4. Bob Lineman Jr., 5. Joe Toth, 6. Matt Martino, 7. Jordan Henn, 8. Dave Damiano, 9. Jimmy Leiby, 10. Craig Pelligrini, 11. Brandon Watkins, 12. Brian Rogers, 13. Jim Wyers, 14. Matt Peck, 15. Michael Beckett, 16. Dan Cogdill, 17. Aaron Weaver, 18. Billy Chester, 19. Ronnie Solomon, III, 20. Brad Roberts, 21. Howard Heupful, 22. Charley Cossaboone, 23. Jax Yohn, 24. Travis Hill, 25. Matt Ellery, 26. PJ Bozowski, 27. Stephen Kemery, DNQ – David Dill, Pete Serra, John Cameron, Anthony Sisco, David Jenkins, Bryan Rhoads, Jesse Hill, Thomas Prychka, Ethan Young, Wayne Weaver, Tim Borror, Robert Tete, Brett Ballard
DANNY’S PIZZA PIZZAZZ MODIFIED A-MAIN (30 LAPS)
1. Mike Franz, 2. Sam Martz, Sr., 3. Neal Williams, 4. Billy Osmun, III, 5. Ryan Krachun, 6. Kevin Hirthler, 7. Stan Frankenfield, Jr., 8. Brian Papiez, 9. Mike Lisowski, 10. Coleby Frye, 11. Blaine Bracelin, 12. Dillon Steuer, 13. Sammy Martz, Jr., 14. HJ Bunting, 15. Cale Ross
VICTORY FUEL WINGLESS SPRINT A-MAIN (20 LAPS)
1. Jonathan Swanson, 2. J. R. Fulper, 3. Wayne Scott, 4. Dan Leaper, 5. Thomas Radivoy, 6. Brian Spencer, 7. Nathan Smith, Jr., 8. Shea Wills, 9. Walt Fletcher, 10. Aleksander McIlroy, 11. Dirk Rimrott, 12. Greg Shepsis, DNS – Stan Ploski
INSTA SIGNS PLUS STREET STOCK A-MAIN (15 LAPS)
1. Mike Hughes, Jr., 2. T.J. Henry, 3. Darren Cox, 4. Nick Sandone, III, 5. Kevin Heckman, 6. Joe Edwards
INSTA SIGNS PLUS FOUR CYLINDER A-MAIN (15 LAPS)
1. Joe Garey, Sr., 2. Eric Degler, 3. Jon Parker, 4. Rob Weil, 5. Colin Gale, 6. Roger Kummerer, 7. Lee Allen
Thank you to everyone that makes the Kingdom of Speed Possible…..
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