Roeder Tops Pacific Coast Nationals

| November 12, 2007
George Roeder was the big winner at the Pacific Coast Nationals, the final round of Gene Romero’s West Coast Flat Track Series at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, November 10. Roder won the Open main event after fighting it out with Kevin Varnes, Kenny Coolbeth, Bryan Smith and Chris Carr. Roeder eventually broke through and took the checkered flag with a small gap over Coolbeth. Kopp ended up third, followed by Carr and Dan Geden.

Roeder said he had a good battle with Smith until Smith “seemed to have lost a valve.” Roeder said he saw a flame shoot out of Smith’s pipe.

“Smith was hard to get around tonight, and I was not sure I could get back around him till his mishap,” Roeder said.

The race marked the return of Kevin Atherton, who suffered a head injury at the Daytona Short Track in 2006. In his first race back since the injury, Atherton looked good in his heat race, finishing a close second to Carr. In the main, Atherton finished 13th.

In the four-lap Trophy Dash, Joe Kopp took the win ahead of Roeder, Smith and Carr.

Kayl Kolkman won the Top Gun 450 main.

By Mitch Friedman