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Swindell Wins Again at Brigeport Speedway By Richard Day BRIDGEPORT, NJ (October 5) – Sammy Swindell won his fifth “A” Feature at Bridgeport Speedway Sunday, leading all 25 laps as the O’Reilly World of Outlaws Series returned to the semi-banked, 5/8-mile oval for the first time in eight years. The $10,000 victory was the second of the season for the three-time series champion, who recorded the first clean sweep in O’Reilly World of Outlaws Series history at Bridgeport Speedway on August 7, 1995. Swindell set a record for the facility by winning Sunday’s caution-free main event in 8:25.53.
“We’ve run pretty good here,” Swindell said. “I think I’m still undefeated here. This is just a big old track, and you just have to keep your momentum up and keep the car straight, and that’s what we were able to do. I just have to thank Ray Brooks and my guys and Les and Linda Stewart for helping us out here tonight.
“We’ve struggled some this year, and we had some personnel problems that we had to overcome and some things that weren’t done the way they should have been, but now we’re going back in the right direction. If we get a few breaks, we can win the rest of the races this year. We’re still handicapped by some equipment that we inherited from the people who were here before. Sometimes it all comes down to what number you draw. Tonight we could’ve had a better qualifying lap if we had gone out earlier, but it all worked out and put us right where we needed to be.”
Swindell, the ninth-fastest qualifier in the 39-car field, received the privilege of starting the Second Dash Race on the pole when third-quick Jason Meyers failed to qualify for the five-lap race through the Third Heat Race. Swindell and O’Reilly World of Outlaws Series points leader Steve Kinser, who have combined to win 20 of the series’ 25 championships, won the Dash Races for the right to start the main event on the front row. Kinser, who won at Bridgeport Speedway on June 1, 1983, drove his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the lead as the green flag fell in the 62nd “A” Feature of the series’ 25th Anniversary Season, only to have Swindell pass him the low groove between the first and second corners.
Fast qualifier Greg Hodnett withstood Danny Lasoski’s challenges during the first three laps before passing Donny Schatz for third place deep in turn three late in lap five. Swindell had the #1 Ore-Cal/Beef Packers J&J half a straightaway ahead of Kinser when he entered lapped traffic two laps later. Hodnett, who paced the qualifying session with a 133.841-M.P.H. lap, battled Kinser for 1½ laps before passing him for the runner-up spot in the low groove in turn four late in lap 18. Swindell was 12 car-lengths ahead of Hodnett when Daryn Pittman took the low line through the third and fourth corners to pass “The Dude” for fifth place two laps later.
Fred Rahmer stopped in turn three with a flat tire as Swindell took the checkered flag 15 car-lengths ahead of Hodnett. Kinser opened a season-high 100-point lead in the point standings over Lasoski with his third-place finish. Schatz finished in fourth place, ahead of Pittman, Lasoski, Tim Shaffer, Second Heat Race winner Lance Dewease, Billy Pauch and Paul McMahan. Meyers won the “B” Feature, then drove the #7 VMAC Maxim past six cars to finish in 11th place in the main event.
The O’Reilly World of Outlaws Series will sanction the Cheaper Than Dirt Shootout at Texas Motor Speedway and Saturday.
2003 O’Reilly World of Outlaws Series Bridgeport Speedway, Bridgeport, NJ Sunday, October 5, Feature Program #62
Qualifying: 1. Greg Hodnett, Apple 12, 16.811; 2. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 16.846; 3. Jason Meyers, Karavan Motorsports 7, 16.852; 4. Tim Shaffer, Roth 83, 16.853; 5. Daryn Pittman, Sher-Don Motorsports 21, 16.910; 6. Danny Lasoski, Stewart 20, 16.992; 7. Paul McMahan, Helm 11H, 17.035; 8. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 17.077; 9. Sammy Swindell, Roth 1, 17.125; 10. Lance Dewease, Hamilton 77, 17.128; 11. Joey Saldana, Saldana 17, 17.166; 12. Fred Rahmer, Harz 88H, 17.219; 13. Johnny Herrera, Frey 2K, 17.250; 14. Kraig Kinser, Kinser 11K, 17.257; 15. Billy Pauch, Performance Restoration 7P, 17.307; 16. Jason Sides, Sides Motorsports 7S, 17.333; 17. Rick Lafferty, Lafferty 0, 17.415; 18. Wade Hendrickson, Hendrickson Z1, 17.432; 19. Jonathan Allard, Wright 35W, 17.474; 20. Sean Michael, Jackson 8, 17.483; 21. Len Thomson, Crawford CIII, 17.532; 22. Brian Carlson, Carlson 18, 17.540; 23. Brian Seidel, Bostic 6, 17.755; 24. Brian Paulus, P and P Motorsports 28, 17.832; 25. Trevor Lewis, Palladino 99, 17.850; 26. Chris Coyle, Kennedy-Turpin 56, 17.983; 27. Pete Green, Green 4X, 18.010; 28. Adrian Shaffer, Postupack 25, 18.027; 29. Bob Bennett, Acme Trailers 3, 18.193; 30. Brian Buckwalter, Buckwalter 75, 18.501; 31. Mike Haganbottom, Gallagher 5G, 18.558; 32. Doug Emery, Emery 33, 18.837; 33. Greg Lotosky, Lotosky Motorsports 45, 18.887; 34. Randy West, Eckrich 14, 19.217; 35. Gary Thayer, Thayer 47, 19.242; 36. Jim Wyers, Wyers 84X, 19.560; 37. Dave Brown, Gangemi 84, 19.590; 38. Brett Romano, Romano 80R, 19.655; 39. Keith Anderson, Anderon 17C, 19.937.
First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Brian Paulus, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Greg Hodnett, 4. Steve Kinser, 5. Rick Lafferty, 6. Jason Sides, 7. Bob Bennett, 8. Trevor Lewis, 9. Dave Brown, 10. Greg Lotosky. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Lance Dewease, 2. Donny Schatz, 3. Wade Hendrickson, 4. Billy Pauch, 5. Paul McMahan, 6. Brian Seidel, 7. Chris Coyle, 8. Brian Buckwalter, 9. Brett Romano, 10. Randy West. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Brian Carlson, 2. Jonathan Allard, 3. Joey Saldana, 4. Kraig Kinser, 5. Danny Lasoski, 6. Jason Meyers, 7. Pete Green, 8. Mike Hagenbottom, 9. Gary Thayer, 10. Keith Anderson. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Sean Michael, 2. Daryn Pittman, 3. Johnny Herrera, 4. Len Thompson, 5. Tim Shaffer, 6. Fred Rahmer, 7. Adrian Shaffer, 8. Doug Emery, 9. Jim Wyers. (first five qualified for the “A” Feature)
First Dash Race (five laps): 1. Steve Kinser, 2. Greg Hodnett, 3. Danny Lasoski, 4. Lance Dewease, 5. Tim Shaffer, 6. Billy Pauch, 7. Johnny Herrera, 8. Wade Hendrickson. (finish determined the inside starting positions in the first eight rows in the “A” Feature lineup)
Second Dash Race (five laps): 1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Donny Schatz, 3. Daryn Pittman, 4. Paul McMahan, 5. Kraig Kinser, 6. Joey Saldana, 7. Rick Lafferty, 8. Jonathan Allard. (finish determined the inside starting positions in the first eight rows in the “A” Feature lineup)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Jason Meyers, 2. Fred Rahmer, 3. Jason Sides, 4. Adrian Shaffer, 5. Trevor Lewis ($200); 6. Chris Coyle ($180); 7. Pete Green ($150); 8. Bob Bennett ($120); 9. Mike Hagenbottom ($100); 10. Doug Emery ($90); 11. Jim Wyers ($70); 12. Gary Thayer ($60); 13. Brian Buckwalter ($60); 14. Greg Lotosky ($50). (first four qualified for the “A” Feature)
A Feature (25 laps): 1. Sammy Swindell [2] ($10,000); 2. Greg Hodnett [3] ($5,500); 3. Steve Kinser [1] ($3,200); 4. Donny Schatz [4] ($2,800); 5. Daryn Pittman [6] ($2,500); 6. Danny Lasoski [5] ($2,300); 7. Tim Shaffer [9] ($2,200); 8. Lance Dewease [7] ($2,100); 9. Billy Pauch [11] ($2,050); 10. Paul McMahan [8] ($2,000); 11. Jason Meyers [17] ($1,520); 12. Joey Saldana [12] ($1,200); 13. Wade Hendrickson [15] ($1,100); 14. Johnny Herrera [13] ($1,050); 15. Jonathan Allard [16] ($1,000); 16. Jason Sides [19] ($920); 17. Rick Lafferty [14] ($800); 18. Fred Rahmer [18] ($820); 19. Len Thompson [21] ($800); 20. Sean Michael [20] ($800); 21. Adrian Shaffer [24] ($820); 22. Brian Paulus [23] ($800); 23. Kraig Kinser [10] ($800); 24. Brian Carlson [22] ($800).