After placing on the podium at both the SNORE Mint 400 and the SNORE Caliente 250 earlier this year, driver Jason Coleman along with the entire Coleman Motorsports crew set out for the SNORE Midnight Special to get the coveted 1st place finish.
E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored Jason Coleman of Coleman Motorsports placed second in the SNORE Midnight Special. Image by Prospectator Offroad Photograpy, courtesy of Coleman Motorsports.
This year’s course was 4 laps of brutally rough terrain filled with tight, twisty roads and rocky sections that challenged the drivers’ skills to the max. A first for SNORE limited classes, including class 1600, was the chance to qualify for starting positions. Friday night just after sun set on the desert of Ridgecrest the green flag dropped – 1 car every 1 minute. After the dust settled Jason had placed mid pack in 11th out of a total field of 20 cars. When asked about the qualifying lap Jason said, “I felt really good about it, everything was good until we came over the rise on top of the hill and on the way down we were going faster than anticipated. Dodging large rocks, we blew a turn which probably cost us at least 10 seconds. We probably would have been in the top 5. That really didn’t bother me since the race is what really counts and there will be plenty of time to make up for the mid pack start.”
Jason tackled the first 2 laps with what he calls “conservative” driving in hopes that some of the pack would drop off due to race car failure or possible driving mistakes. Before the start of lap 3 race car #1623 came into the main pits for a fuel stop. While the pit crew quickly dumped fuel into the car, driver and co-driver chugged down some water and listened to Pit Crew Chief Jason “Bizkit” Brisco. “Bizkit” told Jason it was time to pick up the pace and car #1623 left the pits, charging ahead as a force to be reckoned with.
On the last lap, in clouds of dust, Jason reeled in the car ahead of him. While within passing distance, a rock jumped out in front of Jason’s car and forced him to pull over with a flat. Luckily Jason’s co-driver, Jeremy Munyon, is lightening fast at changing flats with a small amount of assistance from Jason. Coleman Motorsports jumped right back into the race, passing through Pit C with about 15 miles to the finish. The pit crew at pit C relayed to Jason that he was 1:20 corrected time out of 2nd place. The “win or break” mentality took over the driver’s seat and we are happy to announce that Coleman Motorsports finished in 2nd place with a 1:07 lead over 3rd place! Coleman Motorsports finished the race in 5 hours, 31 minutes and 10 seconds to complete with an average of 40 mph.
Next up: The SNORE 250 in Pahrump, NV
Coleman Motorsports is sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs, Golden Construction Development Company, Christianbelle Electric, LanComm Consulting, Bannister and Associates Insurance, McKenzies, BTR Wheels, LAT Racing Oils, Hella Lights, Piloti, Baja Junkies, Jake’s Fabworks, Scott Shop Towels and Wypall. For more information about Jason Coleman (Owner/ Driver #1623) and Coleman Motorsports, write info@ColemanMotorsports.com or visit their website at www.ColemanMotorsports.com.
