By Alex Wollf

    For fourteen laps on Friday night it appeared as if the preliminary night of the 30 th annual Mopar Belleville Nationals belonged to Johnny Rodriguez.  However, no one told Jerry Coons Jr. as the 2005 Belleville Champion took the lead on lap fifteen and never looked back in taking the win.

      Levi Jones and Scott Hatton led the field to the green flag with Johnny Rodriguez jumping into the early lead.  The field slowed after two laps when Kevin Swindell stopped on the frontstretch.  On the restart car #87 continued to lead until C.J. Sarna slowed with six laps in the books.  Two laps later the first accident of the feature took place when Robby Flock and Bradley Galeridge tangled in the second turn.  When the race restarted the drivers fanned out three and four wide as they vied for the all important sixth spot that would give them the final guaranteed spot in Saturday night's 40-lap feature.  The shuffling moved Levi Jones into the top six and his Tony Stewart Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out.  On lap fifteen Jerry Coons Jr. shot past Rodriguez and into the lead.  The night's scariest moment came on lap eighteen when Brad Loyet flipped violently in turn four while fighting for a top six spot.  Fortunately, Loyet walked away from the crash under his own power.

      From there, Coons was able to survive a late race caution for Darren Hagen slowing and the ensuing three-lap dash to take the 25-lap feature.  In Victory Lane, Coons sized up the competition.

      "Johnny (Rodriguez)'s a heckuva driver," he said.  "He will be a threat to win (Saturday)."

      Behind Coons and Rodriguez, Stenhouse, Hatton, Jones, and Brad Sweet rounded out the top six locked into the Saturday night Championship feature.  By virtue of a full field inversion Sweet will start on the pole for the dash amongst the six locked in which will determine the first three rows of the Championship feature.  Jerry Coons Jr. was the fast qualifier while Chris Windom, Levi Jones, Mike Hess, and Scott Hatton won 8-lap heats, Jones took the 6-lap Trophy Dash, and New Zealand's Michael Pickens won the 12-lap Semifeature.