Coon Doubles in Opener; Takes Both Outlaw and LMSC Features
Bob Coon of Hesperia, California opened the 1998 United Shorttrack Alliance
season at Bristol Motor Speedway. A strong field of cars in both divisions
took to the high banks for the Second Annual Spring Sizzler, presented by
Flag-2-Flag Media Group.
Canadian Mike Pasierbski blistered the N1 Outlaw Late Model field by taking
the pole with a speed of 134.585 miles an hour, and Coon taking the outside of
the front row. However, Pasierbski got black-flagged for jumping the green,
and he and Coon led the field into turn one. The race went 29 laps before the
first caution flew for John Goff's spin in turn two. Coon had a challenge from
Kevin Morgan when the green flew once again, and Chris Rhynold and rookie
Eddie Popwell moved through the field. When the leaders got into lapped
traffic, Popwell got around Rhynold and set his sights on Jenkins' number 21.
Morgan,
meanwhile, started to mount a challenge to the lead, but was forced to watch
Coon pull away. The second yellow came out for Eric Jones' miscue in turn
four, bunching up the filed once again.
With eleven laps to go, the green waved and Coon and Morgan put some distance
on the field. Popwell put pressure on Jenkins to try and force a mistake out
of the veteran driver, but Jenkins would not give anything to Popwell's number
13X. On lap 41, Richard Hale, third-quick Chas Bornemann, and Barrett Schenk
got tangled up while the latter two were lapping Hale. This set up a dash to
the finish, with Coon and Morgan out in front, and four lapped cars between
Morgan and Jenkins. Roger Gillis came from fif***th on the grid to run in the
top ten near the end. Coon and Morgan ran to the checkers, with Jenkins
holding off Popwell, Rhynold, Gillis, Bobby Upward, George Beinhart, and Jimmy
McKinley. Matt Krickbaum rounded out the top ten.
In the N2 Late Model Stock Cars, Coon started on the pole, with new nWo
teammate Chuck Embry right next to him. Coon took off on the green and never
looked back. Jimmy McKinley fought his way up from the ninth starting spot,
but had to race hard with Emery Dryden's #55 and the #56 Oregon Trail racing
Pontiac of Tim Kellebrew. McKinley beat and banged on Dryden as the two
battled side-by-side for several laps as Coon pulled away. Embry was forced
into the ouside groove by the duo of McKinley and Dryden, and made for a
three-wide pass in turn one. Robert Mitchell raced up through the field with
McKinley,
as Mike Spinelli, who started third, began to fade. Scott Moore was quick in
qualifying, but fell off the pace early in the event. Coon walked away with
the win, but McKinley got around Dryden in turn three on the last lap and beat
Dryden back to the line for the runner-up spot. Embry would watch from behind
and finish fourth, while Mitchell, Rich Sranzl, Kellebrew, Rudi Kusters,
Spinelli, and Kyle Finney rounded out the top ten.
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My ICQ# is 4056779...
Jimmy McKinley
#12 TJS Engineering Chevrolet
SC Motorsports - [link lost in import]
USA Series Director
http://www.kjsl.com/~jmckin12/usa/index.htm
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