TULSA, Okla. — Jerry Coons Jr. has enjoyed a racing career that many would envy. He has won each of USAC’s national titles and has etched a score of major event wins on his résumé.
To this day he has the skill and desire to get to the front and has no inclination of walking away from the sport. Coons is back at the Chili Bowl Nationals where he is happy to have another a shot at putting a Golden Driller on his mantle, but that’s also a secondary consideration.
Coons’ approach to racing can be described as rational and analytical. It has served him well. He has drawn upon these same traits to shepherd the budding career of his talented son Cale. In this process, Jerry has drawn from the lessons he learned from his dad and the best crew chiefs he has worked with over the years. He would be a great teacher for any youngster committed to getting the most from their ability.
Yet, when it comes to Cale, he is most importantly a father. Thus, when Cale hit the track for his first Chili Bowl practice session, Jerry dispassionately assessed his son’s performance. On the other hand, this was a moment to simply be savored.
Cale Coons had followed a traditional path from quarter midgets, junior sprints and micros. Success came at every turn. As Jerry talks about his son’s racing aspirations he says, “If you ask him what he wants to do for some reason he always says he wants to race a midget. It has always been about midgets.”
Here is where it gets difficult. Coons acknowledges his son has received some help from others at each step. Obviously, every move up the ladder gets progressively expensive. It was also vitally important to be certain his son was ready to move forward.
“We never pushed hard,” Jerry Coons said. “Not at all.” Yet, the time came when it was obvious to all that Cale had the ability and maturity to move on.
What parent does not want to help their child realize a dream? That’s what Jerry set out to do and when it looked like all was in place things came crashing down.
“I had put together a package to get Cale in a D2 midget,” he said. “He practiced and did really well. Then that deal fell apart after one race. You could see the disappointment in his face. So as a parent it is like, here I got my kid’s hopes up and now this.”
Racing is a funny business. Sometimes deals are struck in a boardroom, sometimes the puzzle pieces come together at dusty bullrings miles from any corporate headquarters. This time a conversation with an old friend proved timely.
“We talked to Joe (Dooling) at a race track last spring, and he said, “You know, I was talking to someone the other day and he asked me when I was going to get back into midget racing. I told him the day Cale Coons is ready to get into a midget is the day I’m getting back into it.”
This was both news to Jerry, and music to his years.
In 2023, Cale Coons got his feet wet in USAC’s Midwest Thunder series. He showed that he belonged. Now as Jerry watched from the grandstands, his son was making his first appearance at one of America’s premier short-track races. That alone is a significant moment but there was much more to this story.
“To see Cale go around here in the No. 63 car, a car that I have driven, a car that Bryan (Clauson) has driven, and a car that has won this race and for this to be his first time in a full midget was definitely emotional for myself and for Joe.”
When the late Bryan Clauson began making his mark, Jerry Coons Jr. was a well-established star many years his senior. He knew right away that Clauson was special.
“Who didn’t respect him,” Jerry said. “But it was not only that, but he also treated Cale really well. We have video I think from Brownstown Speedway and Cale and Bryan are in the stands messing with each other. Now Cale was really small, but Bryan would tell him that he was going to drive his car someday. I had a lot of respect for Bryan on and off the race track.”
Emotions aside, there is also a job to be done.
Jerry Coons has started the Saturday night finale at the Chili Bowl a staggering 18 times. He understands the nuances of this race. Having someone with this experience in your corner is a bonus.
“The big thing I told Cale was that I have seen more people take themselves out of contention in a heat race or qualifier than put themselves in the race,” Coons explained. “What I mean is if you’re running third don’t do something stupid to get to second. You see that all the time. I told him when the green flag drops it’s just another race and other people will over drive because people think you have to over drive here. People are just too intense so just keep calm and try to run your race. Sometimes it is best to just let people make mistakes and you can be there to capitalize on it.”
Deep down Jerry knows it may be difficult for Cale to approach this as just another event. Nonetheless, it is the message he is sticking to.
“It is easy thing to say,” he acknowledged. “But I told him the important thing is just enjoy it. There are a lot of eyes on him being in the 63 car. That’s a lot of pressure on any 15-year-old kid.”
Cale Coons will run his preliminary night program on Friday at Tulsa Expo Raceway, while his dad’s week got off to a rocky start.
After an engine failure in his No. 85 on Monday, Jerry Coons has borrowed a backup car from team owner Dave Estep and will participate in Wednesday’s qualifying night program.