Corey Coates Scores First Career Limited Sportsman Victory At New London-Waterford Speedbowl

Corey Coates celebrates his first career Limited Sportsman feature Saturday at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl (Photo: Mike Serluca/New London-Waterford Speedbowl)

Corey Coates celebrates his first career Limited Sportsman feature Saturday at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl (Photo: Mike Serluca/New London-Waterford Speedbowl)

WATERFORD – With the end of the 2015 racing season edging ever closer at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, a piece of advice he got from his mom Lori in 2010 had Corey Coates a bit worried.

“My mom told me a long time ago when I first started racing – it’s a pretty cocky thing to say – but she said ‘If you can’t win in the first season of racing in a division you should try something different.’” Coates said.

That philosophy had Coates a little worried that maybe he was going to have to find something different than a Limited Sportsman to race in 2015.

Worry no more for Coates.

Coates, of Ledyard, held on through a late race restart to win the 25-lap Limited Sportsman feature Saturday at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.

Norm Root Jr. of Old Saybrook was second and Ed Gertsch Jr. of East Haven third.

It was the first career victory in the division for the rookie

Coates said his mother gave him the bit of advice about winning when he was a rookie with the Mr. Rooter New England Truck Series in 2010. He won that season in the division.

“She had told me that in the beginning of the season,” Coates said. “She had told me, no pressure, but … You tell people that and they say ‘You’re cocky, that’s not why you should race. You should want to have fun.’ But we spend a lot of money and a lot of time to drive around. That’s the just the way I was brought up. Obviously we know what my dad was about.”

Coates’ father Allen is one of the local legends of racing.

“About two weeks ago I started getting a little depressed with myself,” Coates said. “I was started to getting a little skeptical. The car would run really good in the heat races and I’d get to the feature and I couldn’t figure it out.”

Allen Coates caught his son and looked to make a move under him for the lead on lap 17, but Allen Coates slowed on the track on lap 18 with rear end issues.

“He was probably going to beat me,” Corey Coates said.

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