NIGHT ONE OF FAISON MEMORIAL WINS TO GRUBE, DANNER, ALLEN AND GODOWN
Bridgeport, NJ – The Bridgeport Motorsports Park hosted the Ron Faison Memorial 305 Spring Nationals with two days of racing planned for the weekend. Saturday’s show featured the Delaware Auto Exchange Mid Atlantic Sprint Series (MASS), the Rapid Tire/Capitol Renegade USAC East Coast Wingless Sprints, the Precision Hydraulic & Oil 602 Sportsman and the Bridgeport Motorsports Park Street Stocks. Saturday’s events were sponsored by PDS – Precision Design Services.
Ron Faison was a beloved husband, father and grandfather who supported the endeavors of his daughter and son-in-law, Brittany and Doug Rose, when they launched their ownership of the Bridgeport Speedway. The track employees knew Ron as a friend when he ran the concessions stands during the 2020 season. He enjoyed delivering cold beverages to the drivers after a hot night at the track or to the sponsors and guests in the booths at the top of the grandstand. Ron lost his battle with cancer last year and it was only fitting that the Bridgeport Motorsports Park honor his memory with a racing event in his name.
The opening ceremonies were conducted by his family. He would have been so proud…
And the night of racing didn’t disappoint.
CJ Faison got the night started on the right foot when he picked up the win in the Tanner Brothers Dairy heat race number two. However, an overheated Velveeta No. 2 left Faison on the sidelines for the night’s main event. Tim Iulg and 2021 MASS Champion, Kevin Nagy were also heat winners.
Dave Grube raced into the lead of the MASS feature event and never looked back in the JWK sponsored event.
Kristina Pratt and Grube led the field of 305 sprinters to the wave of the green flag and Grube raced to the outside of turn two to take the lead as the pair headed down the backstretch on the first lap. Nagy quickly raced into second from his second row start.
The red waved with just two laps on the books when Rich Janney went for a wild ride between turns three and four. Janney was able to walk to the ambulance on his own and was taken to the Safety Chalet for further examination.
The restart put Nagy and Grube side but Grube was able to maintain his hold on the lead. Grube extended his lead to several car lengths over the defending champion.
Bob DeVault returned to action and held down third until Dave Brown raced by for the position on lap eight. The top three remained unchanged throughout the twenty-five lap feature event.
Tim Iulg raced in the top five but slowed with just five laps remaining. Buddy Schweibinz raced inside the top five but the final caution was the young drivers undoing as he fought a tight race car and then had a tire seal over under caution. Bob DeVault trailed behind Grube, Nagy and Brown to finish fourth with Chase Moran taking fifth in the final laps. Schweibinz came home in sixth followed by Larry McVay, Jeff Paulson, Rick Stief and Bryant Davis.
The race kept Grube away from his four year old nephew’s fourth birthday celebration but the shoutout in Victory Lane on the FloRacing broadcast made up for a lot.
Allentown, PA driver, Briggs Danner started out the 2022 USAC East Coast Wingless season the same way he started and ended last season with a win in the twenty-five lap feature event. Last year’s opening night win came with car owner, Bill Gallagher joining the driver and crew in Victory Lane. This year, the No. 5G team is racing for car owner, Mike Heffner who purchased the race team and kept it intact for the new season.
Danner drew the ninth place starting spot for the feature while 2021 USAC EC Champion, Alex Bright started in third alongside of three time USAC EC Champion, Steve Drevicki.
Bright quickly raced by Tommy Kunsman to take the lead on lap one with Drevicki moving into second one lap later. Danner raced by Kunsman and Joey Amantea to take third on a fifth lap restart. Danner battled with Drevicki for second, securing the runner-up spot on lap ten.
Lapped traffic loomed ahead of the leaders as Danner closed in on race leader, Bright. Bright led through the crossed flags but then battled with Danner for several laps until the 2021 Rookie, took the lead on lap eighteen. One lap later, Bright lost the handle on the Rodota Trucking No. 20 while racing for second with Drevicki.
Danner held off Drevicki’s challenges to take the win in the Rodota Trucking and Excavating sponsored race. Drevicki had a strong outing to finish second followed by Kenny Miller III, Ed Aiken and Mike Thompson. Thompson had an impressive outing in his first wingless race since being injured last season. Joey Amantea finished sixth after contending in the top five for most of the race. Chris Allen, Jr., Jonathan Swanson, Aiden Borden and Brian Spencer completed the top ten at the finish.
“Getting that first win is a big deal for us as a team,” Danner stated. “We have to keep the ball rolling from last year.” Danner’s is looking forward to a busy 2022 season.
The Pioneer Pole Building heat races were won by Drevicki, Bright and Kunsman.
The Precision Hydraulic & Oil 602 Sportsman put on a twenty-five lap feature event that had the fans on the edge of their seats as Ellery battled first with James Hill and then Ryan Godown, Jr. to determine the winner.
Second year competitor, Matt Ellery drew the pole and immediately took the led on the start. James Hill quickly took over second with Will Protinick, Ryan Godown, Jr. and Tom Sherby battling it out in the top five.
A lap eleven restart saw Godown dive to the inside of Ellery while Hill went to the outside. Hill led for a single lap before Ellery wheeled back into the lead. Frequent cautions prevented Ellery from stretching his lead as the restarts kept the field tight.
With ten laps to go, Hill got a little too high between turns one and two and that allowed Godown to move into second. Godown tried several slide jobs in turn four but Ellery was ready and countered the move every time. After a door to door battle, Godown came to the stripe with the lead on lap twenty-three and went on to capture his first win of the season. Ellery finished second with Travis Hill taking third in the Cogdill No. 98. Hill rebounded to finish fourth with Scott Hitchens racing from the back of the field to finish fifth after replacing a drive shaft in the No. 15 following his heat race. Brandon Edgar finished sixth followed by Jim Dallett, Steve Yankowski, Bubba McPhee and Wayner Weaver.
Lee Allen has proven to be the man to beat in the Street Stock division so far this season as he raced to his second win in the Blewett Scrap Metal sponsored feature event.
For the second week in a row, Allen and Kyle Saylor battled for the win while Jeff Dirkes and John Parker drove side by side in the final laps to determine the third place finish. Allen took the win over Saylor while it was Dirkes with the advantage over Parker at the finish. Mike Creamer finished fifth in spite of a broken suspension in his No. 10.
Unfortunately, Sunday’s events were postponed – once again, due to the lack of cooperation of Mother Nature. The Ron Faison Memorial race will be completed on August 27th. The Doug Hoffman Memorial will be run on June 18. Both nights are already scheduled as Saturday Night Rumble events, paying $6,000 to the win both events for the Danny’s Pizza Pizzazz Modifieds. More details to follow.
Action returns to the High Banks this Saturday evening with the start of the 2022 Point Standings for the Modifieds, 602 Sportsman and Street Stocks.
MID-ATLANTIC SPRINT SERIES FEATURE (25 laps)
1. David Grube, 2. Kevin Nagy, 3. Dave Brown, 4. Bob DeVault, 5. Chase Moran, 6. Buddy Schweibinz, 7. Larry McVay, 8. Jeff Paulson, 9. Rick Stief, 10. Bryant Davis, 11. D.J. Tanner, 12. Kristina Pratt, 13. Rory Janney, 14. Dale Eggert, 15. Andrew Boyer, 16. John Scarborough, 17. Justin Nowlen, 18. Cory Hunsberger, 19. Tim Iulg, 20. Eddie Wagner, 21. Josh Bricker, 22. Samatha Lieberman, 23. Jon Brennfleck, 24. Rich Janney, DNS – CJ Faison, DNQ – Anthony Mahan, Shelby Kelly, Joe Kay
USAC EAST COAST WINGLESS SPRINTS FEATURE (25 laps)
1. Briggs Danner, 2. Steven Drevicki, 3. Kenny Millerr, III, 4. Ed Aiken, 5. Mike Thompson, 6. Joey Amantea, 7. Chris Allen, Jr., 8. Jonathan Swanson, 9. Aidan Borden, 10. Brian Spencer, 11. Jermain Godshall, 12. Jason Cherry, 13. Lee Nardelli, 14. Lee Kauffman, 15. Dylan Hoch, 16. Alex Bright, 17. Tommy Kunsman, 18. Bruce Buckwalter, 19. Preston Lattomus, DNS – Craig Pellegrini, David Swanson
PRECISION HYDRAULIC & OIL 602 SPORTSMAN FEATURE (25 laps):
1. Ryan Godown, Jr., 2. Matt Ellery, 3. Travis Hill, 4. James Hill, 5. Scott Hitchens, 6. Brandon Edgar, 7. Jim Dallet, 8. Stephen Yankowski, 9. Bubba McPhee, 10, Wayne Weaver, 11. Bobby Watkins, 12. Greg Humlhanz, 13. Brandon Shipley, 14. Adam White, 15. Roger Gaskill, 16. Tom Sherby, 17. Billy Chester, 18. Brian Rodgers, 19. Scott Hulmes, 20. Brandon Watkins, 21. Tom Moore, Jr., 22. Michael White, 23. Will Protinick, 24. Chris Martinez, 25. Greg Nailor, 26. Thomas Prychka, DNQ – Justin Newhard, Shawn McPhee, Erik Mattson
BRIDGEPORT MOTORSPORTS PARK STREET STOCK FEATURE (15 laps)
1. Lee Allen, 2. Kyle Saylor, 3. Jeff Dirkes, 4. John Parker, 5. Mike Creamer, 6. Nick Sandone, III, 7. Hunter Whitcomb, 8. Keith McKinley