BELLEVILLE, Kan. — Fast-qualifier Jerry Coons, Jr. scored a convincing victory on the opening night of the 30th annual Mopar Belleville Midget Nationals Friday at the Belleville High Banks.
Coons, the 2005 champion, drove the Wilke-Pak Motorpsorts Spike-Mopar No. 11 to victory in the 25-lap feature sanctioned by the USAC National/Western Midget Car Series.
Johnny Rodriguez jumped into the lead at the start over Scott Hatton and Coons. Four cautions in the first eight laps kept the field tightly bunched. However, in the short runs between cautions, Rodriguez pulled away from the field. Coons took second from Hatton on the seventh lap.
Coons closed to Rodriguez’s rear bumper on the 11th lap, and two laps later the pair were even crossing the start/finish line. Coons out-powered Rodriguez down the backstretch to take the lead.
Within two laps Coons had increased his advantage to 1.7 seconds before fourth-place running Don Droud, Jr. slowed on the track. Brad Loyet, running seventh, struck Droud’s car and flipped.
Coons pulled away from the field on the restart but was slowed again when third-place Darren Hagen stopped with three laps remaining.
The final three laps saw Coons run some of his fastest race laps, finishing 1.24 seconds ahead of Rodriguez. Also earning automatic starting positions for Saturday’s feature were Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Hatton, Levi Jones and Brad Sweet.   
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Jerry Coons, Jr., Wilke-Pak 11, 17.659; 2. Johnny Rodriguez, Mitchell 87, 17.763; 3. Gary Taylor, Tel-Star 999, 17.776; 4. Michael Pickens, Lein 2, 17.791; 5. Don Droud, Jr., Klatt 4, 17.816; 6. Davey Ray, Nine Racing 91, 17.851; 7. Brad Sweet, Kunz 97, 17.884; 8. Darren Hagen, RFMS 32, 17.893; 9. Daron Clayton, Pedregon 75, 17.910; 10. Damion Gardner, Kunz 67, 17.936; 11. Danny Stratton, Burkhart 21a, 17.952; 12. Dave Darland, Nine Racing 9, 17.955; 13. Bradley Galedrige, Galedrige 29, 17.959; 14. Donnie Ray Crawford, Tel-Star 299, 17.974; 15. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 17.995; 16. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 17.999; 17. Cody Brewer, Brewer 96, 18.048; 18. Brad Loyet, Loyet 05L, 18.051; 19. C.J. Sarna, Sarna 20x, 18.052; 20. Robby Flock, Sala 19x, 18.054; 21. A.J. Fike, RFMS 69, 18.071; 22. Brad Kuhn, Quin 43, 18.078; 23. Nathan High, Burkhart 21az, 18.079; 24. Scott Hatton, Huston 15, 18.079; 25. Bud Kaeding, Pedregon 71x, 18.084; 26. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 79, 18.087; 27. Matt Smith, Smith 13, 18.093; 28. Russ Harper, Harper 09, 18.111; 29. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 18.202; 30. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 18.206; 31. Mike Hess, Hess 51x, 18.235; 32. Todd Plemons, Mentgen 17p, 18.261; 33. Jonathan Beason, Beason 36, 18.333; 34. Bryce Townsend, Townsend 3nz, 18.354; 35. Matt Johnson, Johnson 85, 18.407; 36. Scott Buckley, Buckley 25nz, 18.441; 37. Lance Beale, Loyet 05nz, 18.447; 38. Scott Pierovich, Pierovich 35, 18.471; 39. Terry Goodwin, Mentgen 7, 18.529; 40. Matt Sherrell, Tel-Star 22j, 18.547; 41. Joe Liguori, Owen 28, 18.695; 42. Rick England, Coleman 12c, 18.803; 43. Alfred Galedrige, Jr., Galedrige 26, 18.863; 44. Brad Mosen, Kunz 71, no time.
First Heat (8 laps): Windom, Droud, Kaeding, B. Galedrige, Coons, Fike, Clayton, Brewer, Beason.
Second Heat (8 laps): Jones, Kuhn, Loyet, Swindell, Ray, Gardner, Townsend, Crawford, Rodriguez.
Third Heat (8 laps): Hess, High, Bacon, Stratton, Sweet, Taylor, Smith, Sarna, Johnson.
Fourth Heat (8 laps): Hatton, Stenhouse, Flock, Hagen, Plemons, Pickens, Buckley, Darland, Harper.
Dash (6 laps): Jones, Hatton, Coons, Rodriguez, Hess, Windom.
Semi (12 laps): Pickens, Sweet, Taylor, Ray, Clayton, Gardner, Brewer, Crawford, Mosen, Sarna, Fike, Plemons, Harper, Pierovich, Buckley, Beason, England, Beale, Johnson, Sherrell, Smith, Townsend, A. Galedrige, Liguori, Goodwin, Darland.
Feature (25 laps): Coons, Rodriguez, Stenhouse, Hatton, Jones, Sweet, Pickens, Ray, Kuhn, Darland, Droud, Clayton, Gardner, High, Windom, Beason, Bacon, Hagen, Loyet, Stratton, Hess, Kaeding, Galedrige, Flock, Sarna, Swindell, Taylor.