SWEDESBORO, NJ (June 19, 2018)-
Only his second time in the car and Coleman Gulick gets his second wingless win of the season, and his first with the USAC East Coast wingless sprint car series. Do not be fooled, though. Gulick has an extensive resume in USAC National series 410 competition, along with seat time in the Silver Crown series and various other sprint cars.
Twenty-three wingless sprint cars filled the pits of the Design for Vision 3/8th mile track at the Bridgeport Speedway, alongside twenty 358 modifieds and fifteen Super Late Models.
There were four different engine packages utilized in the sprint car division. There were 360’s, 358’s, 602 crates, and a handful of 305’s. USAC-EC ran three heat races, each qualifying five cars and sending the top three to the redraw. A semi was run to qualify the final five cars.
Heat race wins went to Bill Unglert who seemed to come to life on the 3/8th mile dirt oval. Unglert has made great strides with his 33B since transitioning to wingless racing this year. Chandler Leiby and Steven Drevicki also picked up heat wins in dominating fashion. After an intense battle for the lead, Eddie Strada won the B-main consolation race.
In the 25 lap, $1,500 to win feature event, pole sitter Joey Biasi was quickly put to the test by the heavy hitting Bill Unglert. After a close battle for the first four laps between the 33B and the B1 it would be Coleman Gulick, third place starter who saw the chance at the lead and took it.
Once Gulick was out front he moved to the top of the race track and made his line as smooth as possible while he allowed the mayhem to playout behind him. For the entire race the top five could be thrown under a blanket, with the second and third place position being traded constantly. Front runner Chandler Leiby found trouble on lap 12 after tangling with Trevor Kobylarz. Leiby took a slow flip in turn 4 and landed back upright. In the end, it was Steven Drevicki in the second place spot, with Ryan Godown following close behind.
Godown, who won the modified feature earlier in the night started 17th and was the Frank’s Fine Swine and Beef Hard Charger after making his way to the top three. Eddie Strada also started in the back and charged his way to a top 5 position.
USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: July 17, 2018 – Swedesboro, New Jersey – Bridgeport Speedway – “Three for All”
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bill Unglert (#33b Unglert), 2. Coleman Gulick (#14c Gulick), 3. Trevor Kobylarz (#14 Kobylarz), 4. Steve Surniak (#1st Surniak), 5. Josh Swanson (#17j Swanson), 6. Heidi Hedin (#3h Hedin), 7. Bobby Sandt Jr. (#131 Sandt), 8. Larry Drake (#8 Drake). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Chandler Leiby (#119 Leiby), 2. Kyle Lick (#8L Lick), 3. Trey Hivner (#7 TH Racing), 4. Ryan Quackenbush (#5Q RQR Racing), 5. Brian Riccio (#09 Riccio), 6. Dean Conk Jr. (#115 Conk), 7. Zach Burd (#5z Burd), 8. Craig Pelligrini (#27c Pelligrini). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Steven Drevicki (#19 Drevicki), 2. Mark Bitner (#15 Bitner), 3. Joey Biasi (#B1 Biasi), 4. Chris Allen Jr. (#71 Allen), 5. Eric Jennings (#32 Neiger/Hamilton), 6. Ryan Godown (#4F Freyer), 7. Eddie Strada (#5G Gallagher). NT
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Strada, 2. Godown, 3. Sandt, 4. Hedin, 5. Burd, 6. Pelligrini, Conk, 8. Drake. NT
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Coleman Gulick, 2. Steven Drevicki, 3. Ryan Godown, 4. Joey Biasi, 5. Eddie Strada, 6. Trevor Kobylarz, 7. Bill Unglert, 8. Chris Allen Jr., 9. Eric Jennings, 10. Mark Bitner, 11. John Swanson, 12. Brian Riccio, 13. Zach Burd, 14. Bobby Sandt Jr., 15. Heidi Hedin, 16. Craig Pelligrini, 17. Trey Hivner, 18. Ryan Quackenbush, 19. Chandler Leiby, 20. Steve Surniak, 21. Kyle Lick. NT
**Leiby flipped on lap 10 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Biasi, Laps 5-25 Gulick.
FRANK’S FINE SWINE & BEEF HARD CHARGER: Ryan Godown (17th-3rd(
NEW USAC EAST COAST SPRINT POINTS: 1-Drevicki-365, 2-Biasi-328, 3-Strada-323, 4-Leiby-307, 5-Godown-280, 6-Bitner-246, 7-Quackenbush-238, 8-Kobylarz-207, 9-Jennings-177, 10-Unglert-172.
NEXT USAC EAST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE: “Mini Speedweek Night 2” Friday, July 20 – Pottsville, PA – Big Diamond Speedway presented by Slifko Service Center
*Steve Koletar photo