MIKEY SMITH CASHES IN $4,000 VICTORY IN BRIDGEPORT’S MASS SPRINT CAR NATIONALS

By Pete Wortman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE………

(Sept 5, 2026):  Mikey Smith of Scranton, PA invaded the Bridgeport Speedway for the 50 lap Sprint Car Nationals on Saturday night and for the second time this season left with the $4000 prize.  Smith, the winner of the Joey Kay Memorial in June, won his second career DCB Plumbing & Heating Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series feature event presented by Capitol Renegade in as many tries. Smith ran down race long leader Eddie Wagner, and drove around him on the final lap to steal the victory.           

“We used our notes from the last race here to set the car up, and the first 25 laps the car just didn’t seem to be driving forward,”  Smith explained in victory lane, “During the break for  fuel, we put a turn in the right rear and it gave it the right angle for entering the corner, so I could drive it in hard and it worked out.”   

Eddie Wagner outdragged Cody West at the start of the 50 lapper and immediately showed himself as the car to beat as he began pulling away from the field.  Wagner had a half straightaway lead by lap 4 while 8th starter Shelby Kelly was on the move as she was already into the top five. Wagner got to lapped traffic by lap 8 but continued to increase his lead. Lap 13 saw the Smith brothers both get by Cody West dropping West to fourth, just a lap before the first caution was displayed on lap 14 for Ryan Schultz who blew a LR tire in turn #1. The restart saw Wagner pick the outside lane and rocket away from the field once again as West followed him sweeping back around the outside and into second.  Johnny Smith was running third at this point, chased by his brother Mikey and Shelby Kelly. The top five remained this way to the halfway fuel & adjustment stop. Every car was allowed to add fuel during the break along with any adjustments without changing tires. 

The second half fired off single file, and the restart saw last nights winner Rick Lafferty get by Kelly and move into the top 5. The Smith Brothers were also on the move as the moved past Cody West over the next couple laps with Johnny back to second. The action came to a quick halt on lap 29 when Jared Kreider and Tim Iulg tangled at the end of the front straightaway with Iulg taking a hard series of flips into turn one.  Both drivers were uninjured however both cars suffered extensive damage.  The restart again highlighted how dangerous Lafferty is on restarts as grabbed fourth from West.  As we entered the final 15 laps Wagner’s car began to “get tight” as he ran the middle groove. Johnny Smith found himself trying to hold off his brother as Mikey was getting faster, and these two traded 2nd position back and forth for 6 laps before Mikey grabbed the spot with 6 laps remaining. Mikey had his car hitting the cushion at the apex of the turns, which would propel him off the corner like a rocket as he quickly ran down Wagner. He got within a car length of the leader with three laps to go, and with the two to go sign, he used his momentum to catch Wagner down the backstretch, pulling a slider in turn three to grab the outside groove. Wagner led by a wheel at the white flag as he steered back under him,but with Smith in the outside groove now, he had the momentum and used it in the last two corners to win his second of the season with MASS here at Bridgeport by just 0.659 seconds.     

Wagner finished second for the second straight night, despite leading 73 of the 75 feature event laps run over the weekend. Johnny Smith came home third, followed by Preliminary winner Rick Lafferty fourth, and Dave Brown Jr. nipping Cody West at the line to capture fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Cody West, NC’s George Loux, Shelby Kelly, second generation driver Cole Dewease, and Chris Dolan. 

The three All-State Auto Glass heat races for the 29 cars were won by George Loux, Jared Kreider and Mike Shea. Mark Bitner won the JWK Electric B-Main.     

The DCB’S Plumbing and Heating Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series presented by Capitol Renegade is back in action next Friday evening Sept. 11th at Georgetown Speedway in Delaware. Pit Gates will open at 4pm, Grandstands at 5pm, Warmups are at 6:30pm and racing at 7:15pm. 

9/5/26

DCB’s Plumbing Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series presented by Capitol Renegade

Ron Faison Memorial Weekend Night #2, Sprint Car Nationals 

Event #17 - Bridgeport Speedway

All-State Auto Glass Heat 1: George Loux ($50) 2.) Chris Dolan 3.) Robbie Stillwaggon 4.) Dave Brown Jr.

All-State Auto Glass Heat 2: Jared Kreider ($50) 2.) Troy Betts 3.) DJ Tanner  4.) Cole Dewease

All-State Auto Glass Heat 3: Mike Shea ($50) 2.) Adam Carberry 3.) Cody West 4.) Johnny Smith  

JWK Electric B Main: 1.) Mark Bitner 2.) Dan Leaper 3.) Matt McAnally 4.) Bob Lillick Jr. ALT.) Kurt Rainey

A-Main Feature Results (50 Laps):

1.) MIKEY SMITH 2.) Eddie Wagner 3.) Johnny Smith 4.) Rick Lafferty 5.) Dave Brown Jr. 6.) Cody West 7.) George Loux 8.) Shelby Kelly 9.) Cole Dewease 10.) Chris Dolan 11.) Robbie Stillwaggon 12.) Troy Betts 13.) DJ Tanner 14.) Mark Bitner 15.) Bob Lilick Jr. 16.) Kurt Rainey 17.) Aiden Borden 18.) Jared Kreider 19.) Tim Iulg 20.) Mike Shea 21.) Dan Leaper 22.) Ryan Schultz 23.) Derrek Treece 24.) Adam Carberry DNS: Matt McAnally

DNQ: Dustin Young, Dirk Rimrott, Andrew Turpin, Tyler Grau.   

Contingency Awards: 

Tin Hoagie Customs Highest Pill Draw $50: Dan Leaper

Next Generation Construction Quick Time in Hot Laps $50: Robbie Stillwaggon 14.985 

Capitol Custom Trailers Quick Time in Time Trials $50: Tim Iulg 15.202

WheelsofSpeed.com Lucky 13th Place Starter $30: Troy Betts

Professional Design Services Most Laps Led $100: Eddie Wagner

JWK Electric B-Main Winner $50: Mark Bitner

Insinger Performance Tail End of Lead Lap (10 Gal. Fuel): DJ Tanner

Bitner Automotive Lightning Fast Lap in Feature $50: Eddie Wagner

Janney Electric Hard Charger Award $50: Bob Lilick Jr. +8

Kreider Manufacturing Hard Luck Award (25% off Order Coupon): Tim Iulg