0
0
Reigning USAC East Coast Champion Breaks Through in Dramatic Fashion at Bridgeport Motorsports Park
SWEDESBORO, NJ – August 16, 2026 — The drought is over. After a frustrating winless start to the 2026 season, reigning USAC East Coast Sprint Cars Presented by Baer Den Farms champion Steven Drevicki reminded everyone Saturday night exactly why he wears the crown.
The Reading, Pennsylvania driver put the DeGre Racing No. 19 back where it belongs, in Victory Lane after a wild, hard-fought night on the high banks of Bridgeport Motorsports Park.
He earned every bit of it, as Drevicki started the night by capturing the second heat race, earning his way into the redraw and putting himself in position to strike when the feature went green.
Jonathan Swanson brought the field to the initial green, but Drevicki wasted little time making his move toward the front. Once the defending champion took command, the chase was on.
Behind him, the action was intense. Championship point leader Christian Bruno began charging forward from the eighth starting position, while Briggs Danner was making noise aboard the No. 39. As Drevicki encountered lapped traffic near the halfway point, Kenny Miller III began reeling in the leader.
Miller had the No. 23m wound up against the cushion, hammering the very top of the Bridgeport high banks and slicing through traffic as he closed the gap on Drevicki.
Suddenly, Drevicki had company.
Meanwhile, Swanson found himself in a fierce battle inside the top five with Joe Kata and Bruno before contact with the fence changed the course of his night.
Then things got even more dramatic. Jakob Stitzel, who had charged his way into the feature after transferring from the semi, had raced his way into the top 10 when his night came to a spectacular and fiery end.
The incident brought out the caution and set the stage for what every race fan loves:
A green-white-checkered shootout for the win. Drevicki lined up as the leader with Miller and Danner ready to pounce. Bruno and Kata were right there as well, waiting for an opportunity.
Two laps, Five hungry drivers, One trip to Victory Lane. When the green flag flew, Drevicki nailed the restart. The defending champion got the jump and never looked back.
Behind him, Danner and Miller went to battle for the runner-up position, but out front there was no catching the DeGre Racing No. 19. Steven Drevicki was back, as he raced under the checkered flag to capture his first USAC East Coast Sprint Car victory of the 2026 season, ending the early-season drought and putting the reigning champion back in Victory Lane at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.
Danner initially crossed the stripe in second but was later repositioned to the tail after failing to report to the scales, moving Kenny Miller III into second and Christian Bruno into third.
Joe Kata turned in an outstanding performance with a career-best wingless finish in fourth, while local favorite Chris Allen Jr. gave the hometown crowd something to cheer about with a strong fifth-place finish.
For much of 2026, the question had been when would the defending champion finally break through? Saturday night at Bridgeport Motorsports Park, Steven Drevicki delivered the answer. The drought is over, the champion is back, and Steven Drevicki is once again a USAC East Coast Sprint Car winner.
USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE RESULTS: August 15, 2026 – Bridgeport Motorsports Park – Swedesboro, New Jersey
E. SCHNEIDER & SONS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Joe Kata (#10 Kata) (1), 2. Ronald Helmick (#22R Helmick) (8), 3. Jonathan Swanson (#17J Swanson) (#4), 4. Matthew Swift (#03 Swift) (3), 5. Stan Ploski III (#27 Ploski) (6), 6. Rick Lafferty (#02 Lafferty) (10), 7. Olivia Thayer (#39T Thayer) (5), 8. Greg Shepsis (#75 Shepsis) (2), 9. Heidi Hedin (#3H Hedin) (7), 10. Dirk Rimrott (#4 Rimrott) (9). NT
BDB GRAPHICS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Steven Drevicki (#19 Drevicki) (1), 2. Ed Aikin (#7 Aikin) (2), 3. Kenny Miller III (#23m Miller) (3), 4. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (#83 Buckwalter) (4), 5. David Swanson (#117 Swanson) (5), 6. Jakob Stitzel (#2K Stitzel) (8), 7. Joey Crilly (#51 Kelly) (6), 8. Shane Braxton (#35 Braxton) (7), 9. Gary Huston (#44 Huston) (9). NT
MALLEY POOL WATER THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Christian Bruno (#3BC JMO) (2), 2. Briggs Danner (#39 Hogue) (8), 3. Chris Allen Jr. (#71 Allen) (3), 4. Blaine Emery (#12 Emery) (1), 5. J.R. Fulper (#67x Fulper) (5), 6. Steve Downs (#12D Downs) (4), 7. Jason Cherry (#67c Cherry) (6), 8. Andrew Hunt (#28 Hunt) (9), 9. Jared Kreider (#24 Kreider) (7). NT
CAN-AM SEMI: (10 laps, starting positions in parentheses, top 5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jakob Stitzel (2), 2. Rick Lafferty (1), 3. Olivia Thayer (4), 4. Steve Downs (3), 5. Joey Crilly (5), 6. Jared Kreider (12), 7. Shane Braxton (8), 8. Jason Cherry (6), 9. Greg Shepsis (7), 10. Gary Huston (11), 11. Heidi Hedin (10), 12. Dirk Rimrott (13). NT
AW SHUCKS ROASTED CORN FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Steven Drevicki (2), 2. Kenny Miller III (6), 3. Christian Bruno (8), 4. Joe Kata (4), 5. Chris Allen Jr. (7), 6. Ed Aikin (3), 7. Ronald Helmick (5), 8. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (11), 9. Blaine Emery (12), 10. J.R. Fulper (15), 11. Rick Lafferty (17), 12. Stan Ploski III (13), 13. Steve Downs (19), 14. Joey Crilly (20), 15. Jakob Stitzel (16), 16. Olivia Thayer (18), 17. David Swanson (14), 18. Jonathan Swanson (1), 19. Matthew Swift (10), 20. Briggs Danner (9) (Danner repositioned to the tail after missing the scales after the feature). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Steven Drevicki.
**Andrew Hunt flipped during the third heat.
USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS POINTS: 1-Christian Bruno-583, 2-Steven Drevicki-571, 3-Kenny Miller III-536, 4-Kyle Spence-468, 5-Joe Kata-418, 6-Olivia Thayer-391, 7-Ronald Helmick-376, 8-Ed Aikin-369, 9-Bruce Buckwalter Jr.-281, 10-Briggs Danner-222.
NEXT USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CARS PRESENTED BY BAER DEN FARMS RACE: August 16, 2026 – Action Track USA – Kutztown, Pennsylvania – Dick Tobias Classic
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
RAD Race Design Hot Lap Hero: Briggs Danner
Bitner Automotive Fast Time of the Night: Steven Drevicki
Hoosier Tire Poker Chip: Bruce Buckwalter Jr. (8)
C & C Landscape Hard Charger: Rick Lafferty (17th to 11th)
JPA Hard Luck Award: Jakob Stitzel
J & W Home Improvement Highest Finishing Crate or 305: Stan Ploski III
