VOL. 53 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 P69
The bold move left Coolbeth
vulnerable to the drafting power
of Smith's potent Kawasaki, but
he was able to pull it off despite
running wide on the exit of turn
four. "I kind of spun it up coming
off of four. I was just talking to
his team and I guess he did the
same thing," said Coolbeth. "I
got a really good grip in the apex
and I wasn't going to let off be-
cause I would lose all my drive. I
was getting good grip and it was
driving me up. I just let it roll out
and I spun it up a little. I thought
I was a sitting duck for him."
"I did look back and I saw
Kenny was getting closer," Smith
said. "I picked it up at five to go
and I think that was the differ-
ence between people being able
to get in the mix or not. I knew
Kenny was going to pull a Hail
Mary on the outside and I didn't
want three or four other guys
coming up there too. I was glad
that it was just decided between
me and him. He passed me
around the outside in turn three.
It was the identical move that he
did on me in 2014. During the
whole race I was thinking that
he was going to try to go around
me on the outside on the last
lap, and don't let him do it. I did
anyway."
Just out of the draft of the lead
duo Cory Texter had his Cory
Texter Racing/Cycle World/
McElroy Packaging Kawasaki in
front of a five-rider freight train.
That tight-knit pack consisted
of Brandon Robinson (Kennedy
Racing/Armbruster Racing),
into one. He would have just
blown my doors off going down
the back straight," said Cool-
beth. "I tested it on a few laps
and didn't show him all the way.
He knew I was there because I
saw him looking back."
those things. I got beat by one of
the best."
Smith led 24 and three-quarter
laps, but the bold outside pass
entering turn three on the last
lap denied him the win. "I knew
I didn't want to pass him going
