Thorson and Yankowski Are Winners in Bridgeport Doubleheader
Bridgeport, NJ – The Foley Cat Modifieds joined the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets for a mid-week double header at the Bridgeport Motorsports Park. The event, sponsored by Liberty Kenworth of South Jersey, marked the first appearance of the USAC Midgets on the high banks of Bridgeport’s 4/10 mile track and their only race in the state of New Jersey.
After multiple second place finishes, Alex Yankowski raced to the win in the thirty lap Modified feature. Tanner Thorson became the third different winner in race number three of Eastern Midget Week. Chris Windom and Daison Pursley were the winners of the two previous events.
Alex Yankowski garnered the headlines last fall when he won the first Danny Serrano 100. It was a huge victory for the then sixteen-year-old driver who defeated a stellar field of competitors. Yankowski got as much press for his impressive win as he did for his spectacular finish when the feature winner tangled with a lapped car on his cool-down lap and flipped in front of the starter’s stand. Yankowski escaped unscathed but his first win certainly gained attention in the headlines!
Thursday night’s win wasn’t nearly as spectacular but it certainly was a huge breakthrough for the young driver from Coventry Township, PA. Yankowski has just two Bridgeport finishes outside the top ten. His two second place finishes were behind five time feature winner, Ryan Godown.
Yankowski drew the pole for the start of the thirty lap Modified feature. Ryan Godown drew the outside pole, The two drivers raced to the starting line at the end of the first lap side by side but Godown moved out in front on lap two. Godown had the lead but Yankowski was not far behind, keeping the black No. 26 well within his range of sight. Racing behind the leaders in the early laps were Frank Cozze, Neal Williams and Sam Martz.
Cozze pulled off the track on lap ten as Billy Pauch, Jr. and Dominick Buffalino battled for fifth behind the leaders.
Godown led the way through halfway but two laps later and a puff of smoke, Godown was off the pace and headed to the infield. Yankowski was the new race leader on lap seventeen and never faltered. The positions behind the leader continued to be up for grabs as Williams and Martz now battled for second while Pauch, Jr. and Buffalino raced for fourth.
Pauch, Jr. had just reeled in Martz in third when the caution waved for Joseph Watson who had a flat. Watson headed to the pits for a tire change and returned to join at the end of the field for the single file, three lap shootout.
Yankowski raced to the checkered flag followed closely by Williams. Martz finished third after a battle with Buffalino in the final laps. Pauch rounded out the top five.
Emerson Axsom led the way for the first four laps of the USAC Midget feature but it was Tanner Thorson who raced into the lead following a lap five restart. The one and only caution flag came on lap five when Zach Daum lost an engine between turns three and four and experienced a big flare up when the engine left go.
Thorson rolled the outside to gain the lead on the restart but it wasn’t long before Thorson had dropped to the bottom of the track. And that’s where Thorson stayed for nearly all of the remaining laps, even while racing through traffic. “The bottom just had so much grip,” Thorson explained. “I went down there to feel around and that was the place to be,” Thorson added.
Thorson raced ahead of the field and took the checkered flag nine seconds ahead of second place, Thomas Meseraull. “These midgets will run the bottom pretty good,” Meseraull observed. “I wasn’t really set up to run down there but it worked.” Meseraull raced by Axsom to take over second just a few laps after Thorson took the lead.
Axsom raced in third until Buddy Kofoid raced to the inside on lap twenty-one and came away with the position. Axsom was then challenged by Chris Windom who raced everywhere from the bottom of the track to up against the wall as he made his way through the top five. Windom moved up to fourth in the final laps with Axsom finishing fifth – his first non-podium finish of the week.
Kevin Thomas Jr. finished sixth followed by Cannon McIntosh, Alex Bright, Chase Randall and Justin Grant.
FOLEY CAT MODIFIEDS (30 LAPS) – 1. Alex Yankowski, 2. Neal Williams, 3. Sam Martz, 4. Dominick Buffalino, 5. Billy Pauch, Jr., 6. Ryan Watt, 7. Ryan Krachun, 8. Jojo Watson, 9. Kevin Vaclivicek, 10. WB James, 11. Briggs Danner, 12. Max McLaughlin, 13. Brandon, Grasso, 14. Ryan Godown, 15. Matt Stangle, 16. Frank Cozze, 17, Brett Kelly, 18, Mike Franz
USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK NATIONAL MIDGETS (30 LAPS) – 1. Tanner Thorson, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Buddy Kofoid, 4. Chris Windom, 5. Emerson Axsom, 6. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 7. Cannon McIntosh, 8. Alex Bright, 9. Chase Randall, 10. Justin Grant, 11. Daison Pursley, 12. Hayden Williams, 13. Logan Seavey, 14. Taylor Reimer, 15. Jonathn Shafer, 16. Ethan Mitchell, 17. Hayden Reinhold, 18. Kevin Woody, Jr. 19. Travis Bucklwy, 20. Jimmy Glenn, 21. Zach Daum
Sources: Bridgeport Motorsports Park PR