Jul
27

Tri State Racesaver Series News

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Tri-State Racesaver Series

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“TNT” TIM TANNER GETS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON AT BRIDGEPORT

BRIDGEPORT, NJ... Tim Tanner Jr., of Doylestown PA, won his first victory of the season Saturday night at Bridgeport Speedway, finally breaking the bad-luck streak that has been haunting him this past year. Tanner, who started on the outside pole, grabbed the lead on lap three, and fled quickly from the rest of the field, showing all that he was the man to beat that night. Mike Haggenbottom and Adam Carberry who were putting on a show battling for the runner up spot, finished second and third, while Eddie Wagner and Tommy Carberry rounded out the top five.

“I didn’t really see anybody after Rick Stief, but I was just running as hard as I could, hoping that we could come out on top this time. I just lost my Grandfather last week, and it’s been a real tough time for me,” said an emotional Tanner during his victory lane celebration. “I spent forty years with him, and everyone knows that I started racing here at Bridgeport with him when I was just 18 years old, and the car was just flawless because he was riding in the cockpit with me tonight”.

Rick Stief and Tim Tanner Jr. set the pace for the 20 lap event, and Stief took the initial lead entering the first turn on the bottom, with Tanner entering right alongside him on the top.

“I tried to get around Rick on the outside, but there was just nothing up there, so I said to myself ‘We’re not going to try that again!’ After that I just tried my hardest to get my car to run on bottom, and when the car finally stuck, we were just amazing, it took off like a rocket ship,” stated Tanner about his early exchange for the lead on lap three.

Once the Tanner Bros. Dairy Store number 18 gained control over the top spot, he took off running, increasing his lead by over a straight away over second place running Adam Carberry, who inherited the position from Stief on lap seven. For 9 laps, Tim Tanner ran a smooth, consistent line around the inside perimeter of the race track, keeping a large distance between him and the rest of the field.

“I have never really had the opportunity to lead here at Bridgeport with a Sprint Car, but when the car is out in clean air it just feels so amazing. On Tuesday night, when we ran against the 360’s, we learned some things and we changed the set-up and it seemed to help us out here a lot for tonight,” explained Tanner.

Tim caught up to lapped traffic by the half way point, but even the slower traffic was no threat to Tim, who maneuvered nicely through the field, still maintaining that nice low line around the track. On lap twelve, just passed the half way mark, Zack Burd brought out the first caution after spinning in turn 2.

With the field now bunched back together, Tanner’s massive lead was potentially up for grabs, with hard charging Adam Carberry and Eddie Wagner, a two time victor this season at the 5/8th mile oval, sitting closely behind. Once again however, Tanner took off as the green flag waved, leaving Carberry and Wagner in the dust.

Mike Haggenbottom, who was running in sixth at the time of the caution, advanced two positions on the restart, after dive bombing into turn one, running right through the middle of the race track as all the others went single file into the turn on the bottom.

“We were trying to run the top like we were on Tuesday with the URC car, but that wasn’t working here tonight, so we lost some positions here in the beginning,” explained Haggenbottom. “Finally the yellows started working toward our advantage, and there was something up high going into one and we were able to scoot around everybody up there, and then slip back into line coming off of two”.

Another caution was displayed on lap fourteen for Dave Brown who rolled to a stop on turn four. On the restart, it was like déjà vu, with Tanner taking off and Haggenbottom advancing two more positions, stealing second from Carberry, just as he did to laps before. Carberry did not go without a fight nonetheless, racing Haggenbottom down the back stretch and into turn three with Carberry on the bottom and Haggenbottom running through the middle. The number 24 found some unexpected bite upon exiting turn four that allowed him to pull off the pass, to which he said was “uncharacteristic especially with how dry the track surface was”.

Even with one more caution in the way of Tanner reaching victory lane, it could not stop him from continuing the impeccable performance he was pursuing all throughout the night. When the checkered flags waved, Tim Tanner would take the win over a sixth place starting Mike Haggenbottom who had nothing to pull out of his hat for the winner in the final laps of the event.

“I’d like to thank all of my sponsors, everyone who has stuck by me during the hard times this year,” Tanner said. “All of my sponsors, Tanner Brother’s Dairy Stores, Scarlet Oaks Wholesale Nursery, Champion Tire, Bethman Auto Center, Martelli’s Metal Fabrication, PWD Lubricants, Richboro Beer & Soda, & Adriana’s Italian Restaurant. Everyone chips in at the beginning of the season to help us out and all of my guys that come to the track every week and help me out especially Paul Gold who does all of my engine tuning and adjustments to make this number 18 go fast. I can’t thank everyone enough for all they do”.

Saturday night was the fourth Bethman Auto Center/Champion Tire/Bruce’s Speed Shop/Thayer Performance Poker Series event race. With Tim Tanner winning the race, he was dealt an “Ace” card to go with his three 9’s he earned in previous events before. Mike Haggenbottom received a “King”, and Adam Carberry added a “Queen” card to his hand. The next and last Poker Series event for the TSRS 305 Series will be on Saturday, August 29th. In addition to the winner with the best hand being crowned the Poker Series Champion, Thayer Performance will reward the “lucky” driver with the worst hand, meaning the cards that amount the least valuable, a full set of brand new Hoosier Racing Tires.

The heat race events were won by Keith Anderson and Joe Lord. Bob DeVault, who finished sixth advanced thirteen positions after starting back in nineteenth, won the Bruce’s Auto Body/Thayer Performance Hard Charger award. Along with the $25 cash bonus provided weekly by Bruce’s Auto Body, DeVault earned the TiLube $100 gift certificate courtesy of Thayer Performance.

Feature (20 Laps): Tim Tanner Jr., Michael Haggenbottom, Adam Carberry, Eddie Wagner, Tommy Carberry, Bob DeVault, Ryan Stillwaggon, Joe Lord Jr., Keith Anderson, Zack Burd, Jason Rochelle, Harris Kohen, Joe Kay, Bryant Davis, Pat U’Selis, Rick Stief, Karl Fryer, Dave Brown, Gabe Fox DNS: Samantha Leiberman

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