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Coons Tops Firemans National Field

By Bryan Gapinski Sun Prairie, Wis., Sep. 1---Jerry Coons Jr., scored his third series feature victory in seven days capturing the 26th annual Firemans' Nationals presented by Pepsi, Badger Midget Series event Saturday Night at Angell Park Speedway. Coons became the sixth different driver to win the event, for car owner Wilke-PAK Motorsports, which now has nine victories in the event.

During the initial start, Michael Pickens car caught fire, causing a complete restart. Once underway Kevin Swindell jumped into the lead, as the top four cars began to pull away from the field. Brad Sweet passed Swindell for the lead exiting Turn 4 on lap 7 to take the lead. The next lap former event winner Davey Ray moved into second place.The leaders used both the high and lower grooves on different corners of the track.

Sweet held off the challenges of Ray who attempted several passes for the lead, with Sweet being scored the official race leader each lap. On lap 19 Sweet drifted high and brushed the Turn 2 wall, falling to third place behind Ray and Brady Bacon. However before the lap could be completed, Nick Lundgreen flipped causing a restart, and the running order reversed to the last completed lap. Fifth place running Darren Hagen hit the wall bringing out the caution two laps later.

Coons restarted in fourth place, behind Sweet, Bacon and Ray. Series champion Brad Kuhn and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact battling for fifth position, bringing out the caution on lap 29. Stenhouse retired from the event, while Kuhn restarted from last position.

Coons moved into second place on lap 34 and began cutting into Sweet's lead. Sweet's engine expired on lap 36, bring out the caution and giving Coons the lead. On the restart third place Bacon suffered front-end suspension failure causing him to flip, Kuhn was forced to retire from the event after being involved in the accident.

On the restart Coons and Ray pulled away from the field, with Coons increasing his lead each lap over Ray. Coons driving the Wilke-PAK Motorsports owned Speedway Motors/K & N Filters Spike/Mopar finished 4.36 second ahead of Ray. Brandon Waelti finished third, an additional three-plus seconds behind Ray, after starting in 19th position. Swindell, and Levi Jones completed the top five.

Veteran Badger driver Doug Schenck, who announced his retirement from driving at the start of the evening, finished in seventh position. Earlier in the night Coons captured the 5th annual Dave Schulenberg Memorial Dash, giving him an overall payoff of $10,600 for the evenings events. The field received the checkered flag on lap 49, one short of the scheduled distance, as a tribute to five-time event winner Kevin Doty.

FULL RESULTS

Qualifying : Darren Hagen, Jerry Coons, Brad Kuhn, Ricky Stenhouse, Michael Pickens, Brad Mosen, Brady Bacon, Davey Ray, Brad Sweet, Kevin Swindell, Dave Darland, Levi Jones, Jon Stanbrough, Ryan Durst, Doug Schenk, Chris Windom, Chuck Gurney, Jr, Chad DeSelle, Donnie Ray Crawford, Harley Slotten, A.J. Fike, Matt Sherrell, Brandon Waelti, Jason Dull, Rob Keelan, Mike Hess, Dan Mecum, Tim Noble, Gary Taylor, Nick Lundgreen, Brandon Wagner, Kurt Mayhew, Buddy Luebke, Joe Wipperfurth, Brian Ramstack, Scott Hatton, Robbie Ray, Aaron Fiscus, Joel Wyntteback, Dene McAllan, Ken Dull , Jay Mounce, Leroy Waelti, Bubba Altig, Michael Gruenberg, David Budres

Fast Time: Hagen, 14.974 seconds.

DASH

43NZ-Brad Kuhn--------11-Jerry Coons
33-Davey Ray------------32-Darren Hagen
2x-Michael Pickens---13-Brad Mosen

Finish : 1. Jerry Coons 2. Brad Kuhn 3. Davey Ray 4. Darren Hagen 5. Brad Mosen 6. Michael Pickens

Qualifiing Race

43-Buddy Luebke-----------4w-Joe Wipperfurth
02-Brian Ramstack--------3r-Robbie Ray
21s-Bob Shreffler-----------38-Joe Wyttenback
56-Ken Dull-------------------12j-Jay Mounce
7w-Leroy Waelti-------------03-Michael Gruenberg
31-Dave Budres--------------9n-Aaron Fiscus

Finish : 1. Joe Wipperfurth 2. Brian Ramstack 3. Buddy Luebke 4. Robbie Ray 5. Aaron Fiscus 6. Bob Shreffler 7. Joel Wyttenback 8. Ken Dull 9. Leroy Waelti 10. Michael Gruenberg

HEAT #1

21K-Kurt Mayhew------------6-Tim Noble
98-Jason Dull------------------57-Harley Slotten
17-Chris Windom------------20-Levi Jones
33-Davey Ray-----------------21-Ricky Stenhouse,Jr

FINISH : 1. Harley Slotten 2. Ricky Stenhouse,Jr 3. Levi Jones 4. Davey Ray 5. Chris Windom 6. Kurt Mayhew 7. Jason Dull 8. Tim Noble

HEAT #2

92-Brandon Wagner-------8-Dan Mecum
3-Brandon Waelti----------299-Donnie Ray Crawford
19-Doug Schenck----------9-Dave Darland
99-Brady Bacon-------------43nz-Brad Kuhn

FINISH : 1. Brandon Waelti 2. Dave Darland 3. Brandon Wagner 4. Doug Schenk 5. Brady Bacon 6. Donnie Crawford 7. Dan Mecum 8. Brad Kuhn

HEAT #3

41-Nick Lundgreen----------44-Mike Hess
135-Matt Sherrell-------------81-Chad DeSelle
51-Ryan Durst----------------79-Kevin Swindell
13-Brad Mosen---------------11-Jerry Coons

FINISH : 1. Jerry Coons 2. Kevin Swindell 3. Mike Hess 4.Nick Lundgreen 5. Chad DeSelle 6. Matt Sherrell 7. Brad Mosen

HEAT #4

999-Gary Taylor--------------17k-Rob Keelan
69-A.J. Fike--------------------91-Chuck Gurney,Jr
2s-Jon Stanbrough----------67-Brad Sweet
2x-Michael Pickens---------32-Darren Hagen

FINISH : 1. Darren Hagen 2. A.J. Fike 3. Michael Pickens 4. Brad Sweet 5. Jon Stanbrough, Chuck Gurney,jr, Rob Keelan

B-MAIN

43NZ-Brad Kuhn----------------13-Brad Mosen
99-Brady Bacon-----------------2s-Jon Stanbrough
51-Ryan Durst--------------------17-Chris Windom
91-Chuck Gurney,Jr-----------81-Chad Deselle
299-Donnie Crawford----------135-Matt Sherrell
98-Jason Dull---------------------17k-Rob Keelan
8-Dan Mecum---------------------6-Tim Noble
999-Gary Taylor------------------21k-Kurt Mayhew
4w-Joe Wipperfurth--------------02-Brian Ramstack
43-Buddy Luebke----------------3r-Robbie Ray
9n-Aaron Fiscus

Finish : 1. Brad Kuhn 2. Brady Bacon 3. Jon Stanbrough 4. Brad Mosen 5. Chad DeSelle 6. Gary Taylor 7. Chris Windom 8. Matt Sherrell 9. Chuck Gurney, 10. Donnie Ray Crawford 11. Rob Keelan

A-MAIN

79-Kevin Swindell------------67-Brad Sweet
33-Davey Ray-----------------99-Brady Bacon
13-Brad Mosen---------------2x-Michael Pickens
21-Ricky Stenhouse,Jr----43nz-Brad Kuhn
11-Jerry Coons---------------32-Darren Hagen
9-Dave Darland---------------20-Levi Jones
2s-Jon Stanbrough----------19-Doug Schenk
81-Chad DeSelle-------------57-Harley Slotten
69-A.J. Fike--------------------3-Brandon Waelti
44-Mike Hess-----------------999-Gary Taylor
41-Nick Lundgreen-----------92-Brandon Wagner

49-lap Feature: 1. Jerry Coons Jr.; 2. Davey Ray; 3. Brandon Waelti; 4. Kevin Swindell; 5. Levi Jones; 6. Jon Stanbrough; 7. Doug Schenck; 8. Chad DeSelle; 9. Brad Mosen; 10. Dave Darland; 11. A.J. Fike; 12. Mike Hess; 13.Brandon Wagner; 14. Gary Taylor; 15. Brady Bacon; 16. Brad Kuhn; 17.Brad Sweet; 18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; 19. Darren Hagen; 20. Nick Lundgreen; 21. Jake Slotten; 22. Michael Pickens.

Fast Time: Hagen, 14.974 seconds.

Cars Present: 49 Feature Lap Leaders: Swindell 1-7, Sweet 8-36, Coons 37-50.

* Durst flipped during third heat. Lundgreen flipped on lap 19 of feature. Bacon flipped on lap 36 of feature. All drivers uninjured.