NASCAR Cup Series
Christopher Bell Notches 11th Career NASCAR Cup Series Pole
May 4, 2024
A strong field of 20 cars unloaded at Anderson Speedway on Saturday for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 100 with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance. The second race of the 2024 season featured a full rack of regular hopefuls for a JEGS Tour win, and a return of one of the more dominating drivers on the Tour in recent memory.
The night started when Delaware, Ohio driver Cody Coughlin blistered a new track record in single-car qualifying. Coughlin turned in a time of 11.992 seconds in the second half of qualifying, knocking down the mark set by Travis Braden in 2020 of 12.140.
After the redraw, West Michigan 100 winner, Blake Rowe and Evan Varney led the field to the green flag. Rowe jumped out to the early lead as Varney struggled in his No.16. A stack up in turn one put drivers on their toes, however, everyone was able to continue keep[ing the track green. Things changed on lap 13 when Keegan Sabilo spun in turn four getting extensive damage bringing his night to an end.
Just six laps later, Rowe’s time at the front came to an end as Coughlin completed the pass that he started before the caution flew. Coughlin’s rein at the front of the field was interrupted many times across the run of the 100 lap contest.
A spin on lap 40 gave Rowe an opportunity to try and overtake Coughlin again, however, the field was quickly stopped after a crash on the front stretch during the restart. Rookie Chase Pinsonneault appeared to have an issue leaving Charlie Keeven nowhere to go. Keeven ultimately turned the No.14 into Dylan Stovall and both drivers made heavy contact with the outside wall, resulting in them going airborne into turn one. Both drivers were okay, but their races were over.
Two more cautions flew toward the end of the race, including a slow down with just five laps to go. A tire issue for Eddie VanMeter forced the No.23 to come to a stop and re-rack the field. Coughlin and Rowe were both trying to get the upper hand on the restart, with two warnings handed out to the front row for restart violations. In the end, the pair got it right and raced toward the checkered. Despite their best effort, no one had anything for Coughlin who led the final 80 laps en route to the win. Rowe settled for second, Brett Robinson third, Keeven fourth, and Barrett Polhemus fifth.
“The car was great,” Coughlin said in victory lane. “I haven’t raced a late model in two or three years, whatever its been, but obviously a fairytale return to it. I lost a little bit of grip on the last restart and I was a little worried about it, but it worked out,” Coughlin recapped.
The next event for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance is Saturday, May 25th at Owosso Speedway for the $10,000 to win, $1,000 to start Big O Classic 100. For more information, log onto CRA-Racing.com. Find CRA: Champion Racing Association on Facebook and follow @CRARacing on Twitter.
-Story by: Zach Hiser, Champion Racing Association
-Photo credit: Dream Bigger Media
