FRANEK, KATA, MILLER & JENNINGS OPEN SPRINTOBER FEST WEEKEND WITH WINS

Bridgeport, NJ – It’s a sprint car fan’s dream! Where else could you go and see four divisions of sprint cars in a single racing program? Pretty sure the answer is nowhere!

Friday night Sprintober Fest action sponsored by Specialty Rigging opened the three day weekend program with the winged 410s of the PA Posse and more, the wingless 360s of the USAC East Coast Wingless, the winged 360s of the United Racing Club and the wingless sprints of the North East Wingless Sprints powered by 602 Crate Engines. There were timed hot laps for the 410s and both wingless and winged 360s, twenty lap Non-Winners races for each of those divisions as well as qualifying heats and feature for the NEWS competitors.

Gio Scelzi , Anthony Macri and Cory Eliason set the pace in the three sessions of timed hot laps for the 410s, with each earning a starting position for Saturday’a Dash.

Davie Franek took the lead on the second lap and dominated the twenty lap Non-winners race for the 410 Sprints. Franek cleared pole sitter Jordan Lynch and then drove away from the field to pick up the win over Tyler Ross. Ross, who raced by Jordan Lynch to take over second on lap thirteen, spent the final seven laps, closing the gap on the leader. It was Franek for the win over Ross, Lynch, Ryan Smith and Austin Bishop.

USAC EC 2022 Champion, Briggs Danner proved that he can race with a wing as he set fast time among the URC competitors on Friday night in the first set of timed hot laps. Jordan Thomas set the fast time in the second group of cars. Both drivers earned a redraw position in one of Saturday’s qualifiers.

Joe Kata picked up the win in the URC Non-Winners race after taking the lead from Mike Thompson at the halfway mark. A former Junior Slingshot National Champion, Kata was thrilled to put his team in Weaknecht Archery Victory Lane at the end of twenty laps, crediting the hard work of his crew for the accomplishment.

Thompson crossed the finish line in second followed by Buddy Schweibinz, the Mid Atlantic Sprint Series 2022 Champion who was making his first start in a winged 360 event. DJ Christie finished fourth with Tyler Ross rounding out the top five.

With two drivers accounting for seventeen of the twenty events this season, there were plenty of drivers in the USAC East Coast Wingless Sprints who were looking forward to getting to Victory Lane. Austin Graby led the field through lap one before Bobby Butler raced by to take the lead. Kenny Miller III raced into second on lap thirteen and set his sights on the leader.

Miller raced to the outside of Butler as they completed lap twelve and then took over the lead on the next circuit.

Miller led the way to the checkered over Butler, Kyle Spence, Austin Graby and Christian Bruno.

The NEWS Sprints raced in a complete show of heats and feature with Eric Jennings racing to the win in the twenty lap feature event.

Mike Dagostino used the outside to propel himself into the lead on the initial start. Brenden Hires raced his way into the lead on lap four as Eric Jennings took over second. With five laps to go, the leaders raced into lapped traffic and Jenning was able to race by Hires as they picked their way through traffic.

Jennings took the win over Hires, Dagostino, Rich Mellor and Brian Spencer. Jennings, who felt that he gave a win away earlier this year in NEWS previous Bridgeport appearance, gained some justification with this victory.

410 SPRINT NON-WINNERS FEATURE (20 LAPS)

  1. Davie Franek, 2. Tyler Ross, 3. Jordan Lynch, 4. Ryan Smith, 5. Austin Bishop, 6. Danny Peebles, 7. Alex Bright, DNS – Tim Buckwalter, Steve Kisamore

URC 360 SPRINT NON-WINNERS FEATURE (20 LAPS)

  1. Joe Kata, 2. Mike Thompson, 3. Buddy Schweibinz, 4. DJ Christie, 5. Tyler Ross, 6. Preston Lattomus, 7. Reese Nowotarski, 8. Brandon McGough, 9. Steve Downs, 10. Robbie Stillwaggon, 11. Cameron Merriman, 12. TJ Greve, DNS – Ryan Stillwaggon, Steve Kisamore, Larry McVay, Mark VanVorst, Alex Bright

USAC EAST COAST WINGLESS SPRINT NON-WINNERS FEATURE (20 LAPS)

  1. Kenny Miller III, 2. Bobby Butler, 3. Kyle Spence, 4. Austin Graby, 5. Christian Bruno, 6. Mike Thompson, 7. Aiden Borden, 8. Jonathan Swanson, 9. Rich Carnathan, 10. David Swanson, 11. Nick Diagastino, 12. Charles Welowski, 13. Duane Nixon, 14. Jason Cherry, 15. Al Cheney, 16. Eric Jennings, DNS – Gary Bozowski

NORTHEAST WINGLESS SPRINT FEATURE

  1. Eric Jennings, 2. Brenden Hires, 3. Mike Dagostino, 4. Rich Mellor, 5. Brian Spencer, 6. Mike Thompson, 7. Al Cheney, 8. Charles Weslowski, 9. Stan Ploski, 10. Dan Mallen, 11. Heidi Hedin, 12 Walter Fletcher, 13. Eric Miller, 14. Joe Byer, 15. Ken Nealis, 16. Larry Drake, DNS – Shea Wills, Zach Brown