Inside of 20 to go, Coby began to make his move forward. He chopped the lead down to one second with 17 laps remaining, and four laps later passed Zacharias for the runner-up spot.
But it wasn’t until seven to go that Coby found his way to the back bumper of Jason Myers’ No. 4.
Myers threw the block coming down the frontstretch on lap 44, forcing Coby to check up and regroup, but by the time the duo got back to turn four coming to five to go, Coby had successfully worked the outside lane and passed Myers for good.
“I had to see how bad he (Coby) wanted his right front torn off,” Myers quipped of his defensive move on Coby. “These are modifieds, and he knows you’ve got to have more than the tire there to make (that move) work.”
He added that his decision to move to the lead and ride out front wasn’t a predetermined one.
“I honestly didn’t decide until about five laps in (to go ahead and get out front),” Myers explained. “I was running third or fourth, and I told my guys on the radio, ‘If these guys will just move and let me get to the lead and run my pace, I’m just going to run my pace and let them run theirs.'”
“I knew when Coby got ready to go that if he had enough tire left, he was going to beat me. My only chance was to get as big a lead as I could … because I knew how hard I could run. When I knew he was coming and tried to pick up the pace, the car just got tight in the middle … and I was just hanging on. … Nothing’s tore up; I’m just disappointed we didn’t get a win.”
While Coby led the final six laps, Matt Hirschman spent the better part of the closing stages charging forward from more than six seconds back.
The long-time Race of Champions veteran came from fifth to third and was closing down on the top two, but stalled out with four to go and had to settle for the bottom step of the podium.
Preece and Ron Silk completed the top five, followed by Zacharias, Kyle Ebersole, Richie Pallai Jr., Woody Pitkat and Jimmy Blewett.
2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Burt Myers was never a major factor in the event, finishing a disappointing 11th in the 14-car field.
The next tour-type modified event at Myrtle Beach Speedway will be the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opening Performance Plus 150 on March 18.
RESULTS: Tour-Type Modifieds; Myrtle Beach Speedway; Feb. 11, 2017
Charles Kepley III Memorial A-Feature (50 laps): 1. #2 – Doug Coby, 2. #4 – Jason Myers, 3. #60 – Matt Hirschman, 4. #6 – Ryan Preece, 5. #82 – Ron Silk, 6. #71 – Jimmy Zacharias, 7. #5 – Kyle Ebersole, 8. #17 – Richie Pallai Jr., 9. #46 – Woody Pitkat, 10. #77 – Jimmy Blewett, 11. #1 – Burt Myers, 12. #09 – Brad Vanhooten, 13. #79 – Doug Meservey Jr., 14. #71S – T.J. Zacharias.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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