RICHARD "BUGSY" BRIGGS READY TO SEAL THE CHAMPIONSHIP AWAY IN 2001

After finishing second in the Street Stock point’s championship in 2000 to Mike Ferens in a very tight battle, Palmyra’s Richard Briggs came into 2001 as the heavy favorite by many to cop the championship in 2001, especially when Ferens announced he would not return to defend the title. Briggs a 32 year old Plumber by trade for Pal Mac Plumbing and Heating, shrugged off the pressure early in the season and decided to not only chase feature victories which is every driver’s plan, but to also develop a plan of consistency to take him to the front of the pack and towards the point’s title. All was going according to his plan until May 19 during the second feature event for the ever growing and popular Street Stocks. Briggs would start deep in the pack for the 10-lap event and begin threading his way through traffic on his way to the front when suddenly, Briggs and another competitor would make contact in turn 3 sending Briggs’ potent #3b Chevrolet Camaro into a series of flips landing on it’s wheels with the other competitor’s car resting directly on top of Bugsy’s driver compartment. The huge throng of spectators in the grandstands held it’s breath waiting to see if the drivers were both OK. To the delight of the relieved crowd, both competitors emerged unhurt.

"I knew it was coming when I got sideways so I just held on and kind of enjoyed the ride. It happened so quickly that there really was no time at all to respond or do anything except hold on," Briggs told of the accident. "I ended up with a cut on my neck from the (seat) belt and a stiff neck the next day, but otherwise I was fine. The car held up great…everything on the roll cage did its job so I know we built a great car."

In fact, the car was built so well that one week later (May 26) Briggs rolled the car onto the racing surface ready to race not only competing, but capturing the checkered flag earning his first feature win of 2001.

"I was on a mission to win the following week and I did," a determined and confident Briggs explained of the victory.

Briggs who earned the nickname "Bugsy" when he was in 6th grade and has had the name stick began his career in racing by working in the pits on the crews of both Mike Stanton (1990 Canandaigua Street Stock Champion and now an assistant starter at Canandaigua Speedway) and Todd Stanton (1991 Canandaigua Street Stock Champion and now a driver in the MBNA Cup Lite Series). In 1999, Briggs finally caught the racing bug himself when he and Gordon Stanton built a car and Bugsy climbed into the car to compete in what was then the Pure Stock division for 5 events at Canandaigua.

"I owe the Stantons (Gordon, Mike and Todd) special thanks because if it weren’t for all of them I would never have gotten involve in the sport of racing in the pits or on the track. They mean a great deal to me and I will always be indebted to them," Briggs said.

Briggs quickly came into his own in 2000 by earning 4 victories and ending up as the runner-up in the point’s chase to Ferens. With 2001 on the horizon, Briggs vowed to return and capture the point’s title as his own. Briggs entered the 2001 campaign with the same #3b Chevrolet Camaro powered by a Mead Machine engine that he piloted so successfully in 2000. Helping him on the sponsor side are Miceli’s Restaurant & Party House, John S. Blazey, Mark’s Pizzeria, Lock 29, Carriage Stop Restoration, Russell Insurance Agency, K&D Disposal, Hot Spot, New Age Photo & Print, Tony the Greek, Modern Coating & Research, Wee Town USA, Central Bait & Tackle, and McClouth Chevrolet. His dedicated and experienced pit crew includes John Westerman, Wes Hall, Richie Quigley, Joyce Bedette, Jessie Westerman, Dave Kennedy, Dave Horton, and George LaVare.

"Without the help of these great sponsors and this fantastic crew, none of this would be possible. I appreciate them more than words can express. I also want to thank everyone in the pits (far too many names to mention) because they are all here to help. Especially in this Street Stock division. That is why I love this class so much," Briggs told me.

This season Briggs has already earned 2 victories (his second coming this past Saturday June 30) and now sits third in points (424), only four points out of the top spot behind Mike Welch (428) and two behind second place Leroy Lewis (426) solidifying the fact that this will once again be the division to watch throughout the 2001 campaign. Bugsy also sits second in overall feature victories in the Street Stock ranks since the division began chasing points in 2000 with 6 behind all time feature winner James Henry (8).

"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to take the championship, but with the flip we had a few weeks ago, it took us out of our game plan somewhat although we seem to be climbing back into the picture. Our main goal every season is to have fun and believe me, we are doing that and we’ll continue to do that," Briggs explained.

When asked of his future goals, Briggs summarized "Right now I’m leaning more towards the open wheel divisions. They seem to be the way to go with DIRT Motorsports so I just may make the jump right to the Sportsman division on my way towards a Modified ride. I will admit though, I am also looking at the Pro Stock division so the future is still kind of in the air. I’d like to make a move within the next year or so, but we’ll just have to wait and see."