GODOWN & KEMERY CLOSE OUT SEASON WITH HIGH BANKS CLASSIC WINS

Bridgeport, NJ – 2021 Bridgeport Motorsports Park Track Champion, Ryan Godown, closed out the 2021 season with a win in the fifty lap High Banks Classic for the Foley Cat Modifieds on Sunday afternoon. That made Godown’s win total nine for the season on the 4/10 mile Logan Township track.

After a disappointing outing in the Precision Hydraulics & Oil Invitational on Saturday, some burning of the midnight oil put Kemery in position to take his seventh Bridgeport victory of the season along with the $2,000 winner’s share of the purse on Sunday.

This may have been Godown’s most challenging victory to date as he took the lead but was then passed for the lead – something that hasn’t happened very often during the 2021 season. “Everybody was racing like it was the last lap on every lap,” Godown exclaimed. The track conditions offered some challenges as well, perhaps do to the cold temperatures. The drivers were searching around for different lines as the lines came and went throughout the race.

Jeff Strunk and Craig VonDohren led the field to the start of the fifty lap main event with VonDohren jumping out in front on the start. Strunk followed in second until Godown reached the top two on lap three. Ryan Watt was behind the wheel of car owner, Ron Roberts No. Z14 and he and WB James rounded out the top five with five laps scored.

Dillon Steuer raced by James on lap seventeen to break into the top five with VonDohren, Godown, Strunk, Watt just ahead.

As the field approached the halfway mark, the leaders were picking there way through lapped traffic which allowed Godown and Watt to close in on the leader. Godown challenged VonDohren for the lead on lap twenty-four but VonDohren led the way through the halfway mark over Godown, Watt, Strunk and Steuer.

It wasn’t until lap thirty that Godown was able to race ahead of VonDohren but VonDohren was back in front on the next lap. One lap later, Watt put the No. Z14 out in front to take the lead other VonDohren and Godown. Godown was able to work his way into second as Strunk closed the gap on the leaders.

Watt led the way through lap thirty-five and then held off Godown’s challenges on a lap thirty-six restart. Watt and Godown raced side by side on lap thirty-seven but Godown was out in front the next time around.

With ten to go, Godown led Watt, Strunk, VonDohren and Matt Stangle but VonDohren slipped out of the top five on a lap forty-one restart.

A multi-car incident on the homestretch brought the yellow and then the red because the track was blocked. Danny Bouc required a double hook and Cale Ross was also towed away from the incident. Most of the other cars involved were able to restart and some returned after a trip to the pit area.

Watt raced side-by-side with Godown on the restart with Godown maintaining the lead. Stangle raced into third by Strunk on the restart as Billy Pauch, Jr. joined the top five for the first time in the race.

Godown grabbed the win – a good way to start his trip to Louisiana to race this coming week. Watt had an outstanding outing in Roberts’ No. Z14 and the combined crews gave him a great car for the fifty lap duration. Stangle finished third followed by Strunk and Pauch, Jr. Dominick Buffalino finished sixth followed by Brandon Grosso, Frank Cozze, James and Neal Williams.

Steve Kemery was the first car out of the forty lap Precision Hydraulics & Oil Invitational race on
Saturday after he had an enging let go. After spending the rest of the night working on the car, Kemmery and crew returned to the track on Sunday, ready to compete with a new power plant installed under the hood of the No. 69K.

Kemery had already earned a redraw spot in Sunday’s $2,000 to win feature for the 602 Crate Sportsman when he was one of four drivers to set fastest times on Friday.

When Kemery took the checkered flag in Sunday’s feature event, it was worth all of the effort. The luck of the draw found Kemery starting up front in the feature event and leading from the start to the finish.

The leader raced through lapped traffic which allowed second place, Brian Papiez to cut into Kemery’s lead but Papiez was not able to challenge for the position.

Kemery took the win over Papiez who was behind the wheel of Dave Adams No. 90. Howie Finch finished third – his first checkered flag of the weekend and the first time that he didn’t require a wrecker to get back to the pit area. Ryan Simmons collected his second top five of the weekend to finish fourth while Justin Grosso finished fifth after a three car battle with Simmons and Travis Hill.

Hill finished sixth followed by Brandon Edgar, Craig Whitmoyer, Cole Stangle and Payton Talbot.

Jay Lowman raced to the win in the 4 Cylinder feature event. Joe Garey, Jr. finished second with Chris Carroll taking third after Jonathan Pitcher pulled to the infield in the final laps. Joe Garey, Sr. finished fourth with Chris Gall finishing fifth.

If you’re not ready for the 2021 season to end, remember that the Bridgeport Motorsports Park will feature action on both the high banks and the quarter mile next weekend along with the Garden State 100 for the USAC All Pro Speedsters.

Foley Cat Modifieds High Bank Classic (50 laps): 1. Ryan Godown, 2. Ryan Watt, 3. Matt Stangle, 4. Jeff Strunk, 5. Billy Pauch, Jr., 6. Dominick Buffalino, 7. Brandon Grosso, 8. Frank Cozze, 9. WB James, 10. Neal Williams, 11. Joseph Watson, 12. Davey Sammons, 13. Eric Kormann, 14. Rich Rutski, 15. Tommy Beamer, 16. Brett Ballard, 17. Mike Franz, 18. Craig VonDohren, 19. Cale Ross, 20. Danny Bouc, 21. Dillon Steuer, 22. Rick Laubach, 23. Kevin Hirthler, 24. Mike Maresca, 25. Wade Hendrickson, 26. Ryan Krachun, 27. Roger Manning

South Jersey Overhead Door 602 Crate Sportsman (20 laps): 1. Steve Kemery, 2. Brian Papiez, 3. Howie Finch, 4. Ryan Simmons, 5. Justin Grosso, 6. Travis Hill, 7. Brandon Edgar, 8. Craig Whitmoyer, 9. Cole Stangle, 10. Payton Talbot, 11. Bryan Brobst, 12. Billy Chester, 13. Ryan Godown, Jr., 14. Matt Ellery, 15. Daniel Morgiewicz, 16. Chad Sandt, 17. Ethan Bill, 18. Bobby Watkins, 19. Eric Kormann, 20. Dan Maher, 21. Kevin Borden, 22. Doug Snyder, 23. Ricky Wegner, 24. Johnny Bangs, 25. Ryan Krushinski, 26. Joe Brown, 27. John Micek, 28. Steve Davis, 29. Scott Hulmes, 30. Sammy Martz, Jr.

Four Cylinders: 1. Jay Lowman, 2. Joe Garey, Jr., 3. Chris Carroll, 4. Joe Garey, Sr., 5. Chris Gall, 6. Jim Tinnes, 7. Ed Ford, 8. Bobby Johnson, 9. Jonathan Pitcher