Coons Tops Firemans National Field

By Bryan Gapinski Sun Prairie, Wis., Sep. 1, 2007---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. 

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.