Team Mopar® Driver Coons Closes in on Title with Runner-up at Oval Nationals
Team Mopar® driver Jerry Coons Jr. took a big leap toward securing the 2008 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Sprint Car Series championship on Saturday night, Nov. 1, when he placed second in the 13th annual "Budweiser Oval Nationals" at Southern California's Perris Auto Speedway. Coons finished no worse than fourth in his three nights at Perris and holds an 89-point lead in the standings heading into the final event.
Coons and his Hoffman Auto Racing No. 69 nearly won Saturday night's prestigious 40-lap finale, a "combination" event for the USAC national tour and the California-based USAC/CRA series. Had the event covered the traditional 30-lap USAC distance, Coons would have walked off with the trophy. As it was, he led laps 27-37, but underdog Jesse Hockett snuck past Coons on lap 38 to grab the top prize. Coons settled for runner-up honors, with Brad Sweet fourth in his Mopar-powered Kasey Kahne Racing Sprinter. Sweet's KKR teammate, Brady Bacon, finished 14th, ahead of the Mopar-powered Sprinter of Damion Gardner.
In Thursday's "Oval Nationals" opening night, Gardner and his Leffler Racing machine were the top Mopar performers, placing third. Coons finished fourth, with Sweet in eighth. Bacon led the first five laps of the feature but flipped in a two-car tangle on lap eight, and was classified 26th. On Friday, Gardner finished second after leading until the 23rd of the 25-lap main event. Coons showed great strength with a third-place finish. It was a tough night for the KKR team, with Bacon missing the qualifying cut and Sweet an early dropout.
Should Coons win the Sprint Car title, it would be his first. The popular Arizona driver is a two-time champion of USAC's Mopar Midget National Championship. Coons will attempt to clinch the title at this weekend's "Western World Championships," set for Nov. 7-8 at the Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. For more info on the USAC Racing Series, visit http://www.usacracing.com.
