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SWEDESBORO, NJ – It’s been a long winter…and racers are ready to go racing! The 83 cars filled the pits of the Bridgeport Motorsports Park on Saturday as Doug Rose opened the track for an all division practice day that reflected the action planned for the 2026 season.
With a schedule that includes Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, Sprint Cars and Four Cylinders on a regular basis, the Bridgeport Motorsports Park rolls out an exciting schedule for racing fans of every persuasion.
The Sportsman Division led the way in Saturday’s car count ( with thirty-six cars taking laps. 2025 Track Champion, Joe Toth, Jesse Hirthler who finished second in points last year, as well as feature winners Matt Ellery, Brian Rogers, Ronnie Solomon, Travis Hill, Wayne Weaver, Charley Cossaboone and Ryan Anderson all took advantage of Saturday’s practice along with 2024 Track Champion, Ethan Bill. 2025 Modified Champion, Dillon Steuer was joined by Cale Ross, Brian Papiez, Dominick Buffalino, Anthony Tramontana, Danny Bouc and Mike Franz and others.
There will be some new additions to the four fendered ranks this season along with 2025 Champions, Mike Hughes (Street Stocks) and Lee Allen (Four Cylinders).
There were some new faces among the Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints along with series regulars, David and Jonathan Swanson, Shea Wills and Stan Ploski. Series President, Ed Aiken was on hand to assist some of the newcomers to the USAC EC ranks. Joe Kata makes the move to the wingless ranks this season. MASS was well represented with drivers like Tim Iulg, Bob DeVault, Andrew Turpin, Justin Nowlen, Keith Anderson and Ryan Schultz. Former MASS Champion, Buddy Schweibinz had his No. 35 410 sprinter on the track as he begins a full schedule of 410 races this season.
The points season begins on Saturday April 11th for all divisions. The Danny’s Pizza Pizazz Modifieds will be featured on two to three Saturday nights a month while the Demers Heating & Cooling Sportsman ranks will see weekly action on the High Banks along with the Four Cylinders. The Straight Up Construction Street Stocks and Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints will be part of many Saturday night events.
The DA’s Auto Body & Repair Rookies get their ten week season underway when the season points start on April 11th.
And Sprint Cars – whatever your preference, you can see them at Bridgeport. The DCB’s Plumbing & Heating Mid Atlantic Sprint Series has a dozen Saturday night races including the popular Joe Kay Memorial two-day event in mid-June. The MASS Sprints will make a return visit to the Bridgeport quarter mile track in July. And in September, Bridgeport will again host the 305 Nationals, a two-day event on September 4th and 5th. In addition to the Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints, the USAC East Coast Wingless Sprints will make five appearances at Bridgeport this season. The USAC National Sprint Cars (Eastern Storm) appear at Bridgeport on Wednesday, June 17th. On Tuesday, July 28th the Interstate Batteries High Limit Series returns to Bridgeport for their third appearance, bringing the likes of Rico Abreu, Tanner Thorson, Daison Pursley and Corey Day to the Garden State. The PA Posse 410 Sprints make two appearances this season – on Sunday, April 26th for the PA Posse 410 Sprint Series and again at season’s end for the Dirty Jersey Finale. The United Racing Club also has a date on the Bridgeport schedule.
And if this isn’t enough, Bridgeport fans will also see appearances by the Mod Lites, Excel Modified, Delaware Trucks and Vintage Cars throughout the season.
The season gets started with a two day event this Saturday and Sunday with the Doug Hoffman Memorial and Short Track Super Series Weekend.
Saturday’s events for the Doug Hoffman Memorial prelude will include the 100 lap Sportsman National race postponed due to weather last season. This race pays $10,000 to the third place finisher which guarantees and exciting race to the checkered. The Modifieds will qualify and compete in a twenty-five lap feature event paying $3,000 to win while the Sportsman come back with qualifying and a twenty lap feature paying $1,000 to the winner. The top three in both the Modified and Sportsman features will earn transfer spots into Sunday’s main events. The Victory Fuel Wingless Sprints will also make their first appearance of the new season on Saturday.
Sunday will feature the Doug Hoffman Memorial – sixty laps for the Modifieds paying $6060 to the winner in addition to the STSS Sportsman and Four Cylinders.
There have been eleven Hoffman Memorial races – two races were lost, one to weather and one to Covid. Eight different drivers have claimed victory in this prestigious event with only Ryan Watt, Ryan Godown and Stewart Friesen able to repeat by winning two races each. Godown and Friesen will both be competing for their third win while the Watt team will be represented by second generation driver, Logan Watt. Bobby Varin was the winner of the first Hoffman Memorial in 2013. Other race winners include Dominick Buffalino, Billy Pauch, Sr., Mike Maresca and Matt Stangle. Friesen was the winner of last year’s event and will be warmly welcomed when he makes his return to the High Banks.
Pit gates open at 1pm both days with cars on the track at 3pm. Grandstand gates open at 2pm.
