OSEWGO, N.Y. – Josh Coonradt finessed an extremely slick Oswego half-mile to claim the Wilkins RV 50 for Pro Stocks Sunday at Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week.
A dozen yellows, mostly for multi-car spins that appeared to be choreographed and did little damage, kept scrambling the field behind him, but Coonradt kept steady and held off all challengers.
Polesitter Tony Markou got away from front row companion Coonradt on the initial green, but Coonradt challenged him a couple of times before Markou looped it all by himself on lap 10, giving Coonradt a lead he’d hang onto like a big dog with a bone.
Luke Horning worked on Coonradt through the teens as perennial contender Rob Yetman chewed his way forward from seventh. By the time the lap counter hit 20, Yetman was third. Horning then joined the spinfest on a lap 40 restart, leaving nine cars in a heap in turn one and promoting Yetman to second. But that was as far as he’d get, as he could get alongside Coonradt but never quite put him away.
Lap 43 brought the worst crash, with Rick Duzlak and Jay Fitzgerald hitting the frontstretch wall and each other a ton to draw a red, but the spinouts continued right to the end.
Sid Harmer Jr. and Jason Casey had joined the battle for the lead when Horning spun and with all the shuffling from spins, Markou eventually made his way back to the lead pack as well. Harmer got Yetman for second on a lap 44 restart, with Casey edging by as well.
Two more restarts, including a green-white-checkered restart that added a lap to the advertised distance, brought two more shuffles but Coonradt, though he slid high a few times, always prevailed at the start/finish line.
At the checkers, it was Coonradt, Harmer, Markou, Casey, Scott Towslee, Yetman, Jay Corbin, Steve LaRochelle, Burton Ward and Chris Crane.
“I’m speechless,” said Coonradt, no stranger to victory lane from numerous wins at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Fonda Speedway. “I’m just glad to be here. We kept having cautions and it seemed like the lap counter would never get off 44 but we finally got to 50.”