Coleman Evans was born into his family’s construction business, Evans Const. & Asphalt Paving, but he never knew he would use the back end of his modified as a blade to level the top of the turn at Ohio Valley Speedway in Washington, West Virginia.
As Evans tried to qualify for the modified feature at the 3/8-mile clay oval, a miscalculation nearly cost him the chance to make it into the show.
“I got in too hot and the tail end of my car slid out from under me,” said Evans, 17, of Mineral Wells, West Virginia. “It was the first race there this year, and the track, which is usually top dominant, was slicker than normal.”
Though the rear of his modified went into the dirt bank first, the car spun, and then the front end impacted the bank.
“There was no damage to the rear of the car,” Evans said, “but extensive damage to the front end.”
Evans and his crew chief, Kevin Rooks, scrambled to replace the car’s A-arms, center link, tie rod, and spindle before the heat race.
“We had no time to check the toe,” said Evans. “We changed the parts and barely got out there in time.”
The reigning UMP modified East Region champion did just fine. After starting last in his heat, he qualified and went on to finish third in the feature.
This year the teenage racer enters Parkersburg South High School as a senior. His teachers and fellow students have gone to the track to watch him race. Coleman Evans frequents a trio of tracks in the “Mountain State” — Ohio Valley Speedway, I-77 Speedway in Ripley, and Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne.
“After high school, I’m planning to work in the family business,” Evans said. “I already have a lot of experience moving dirt.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
