Pahrump, NV
Jason Coleman was looking forward to the Best In The Desert series final race of the season; the Pahrump Nugget 250. He spent time in Pahrump growing up; his Aunt runs the Valleys Edge feed store and looks after his Grandmother in town. He feels right at home in the desert that lies just outside the city. In fact, the course ran through the outskirts and finished in the parking lot of the Pahrump Nugget.
Sitting in third place in the class 10 championships, Coleman had a lot riding on this race. Because the points were so tight, anyone who suffered problems would likely drop down the order. At only 250 miles in distance, it was a sprint race. The pace would be high, but would be tempered by the rocky terrain. The team’s Radar Tires and Method Race Wheels would be put to the test.
“We got a good start and were picking our way through traffic and the rocks,” said Coleman, “It was very cold, around 35 degrees, it was tough to stay warm. Early in the race we saw the points leader was out so it would be a battle for the championship between us and Hajas. We were stuck in the dust from the trucks ahead of us so I didn’t get into clean air until after pit 2. I took some chances in a rocky section and suffered a puncture but we were close to a pit so we drove on the Method Race Wheel and let the crew change it. We only stopped once for more VP Racing Fuel ; the crew gave us a quick splash and go.”
The team had hoped to pick up the pace in the middle of the course where there are fewer rocks. The roads get faster, but most are a single track with no room to pass on either side. They were hindered in dust caused by the trucks that started ahead of them. Catching them and making a pass are two different things. With their big V8 engines, the trucks can stretch their legs on the straight sections but slow down when the course gets technical. The class 10 Jimco of Coleman racing is different. Light and nimble, it’s much quicker in technical terrain. The problem lies in making the pass. When the trucks slow, it’s because the terrain calls for a sharp turn, washout, or big rocks. Not the place to jump out of line and make a pass. Instead of making up time, Coleman got stuck playing follow the leader.
“We had to be patient and hope something would change ahead of us, but it didn’t,” said Coleman, “We pulled into pit 6 and saw that our oil pressure was dropping. The crew topped off the oil but the pressure was still low. We had no other choice but to push on and hope for the best. When we stopped to top it off; we got overtaken for 3rd place. We knew the last 40 miles would be some of the toughest so we had to concentrate and stay out of trouble.”
Jason Coleman ran the final miles of the 2016 season cleanly with no issues. His 4th place finish secured a second place finish in the season long points championship, only 4 points out of the lead. “We were aiming for the title but are proud of what we accomplished this season,” said Coleman, “We finished one spot higher than last year and there were times during the season, like our fire at Vegas to Reno, where it looked grim but we persevered. We are very excited about next season; we have had a great time racing in class 10 but are moving up to bigger and better things in 2017.” Stay tuned to find out about the teams plans for 2017!
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About Jason Coleman / Coleman Motorsports
Coleman Motorsports is a family run race team that is committed to winning races and championships. Whenever they show up to race they mean business but that doesn’t mean they aren’t having fun doing it. Driver Jason Coleman has many race wins as well as the 2010 & 2012 SNORE, class ½-1600 championship to his credit. They attack every race with professionalism and energy in order to represent their team and their many sponsors in the best light possible. Their goal is to not just compete but to excel at everything they do.