After Bub McCool won his first-ever World of Outlaws Late
Model Series A-Main last Saturday night at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway, he made
sure to thank a long list of people: his parents, his crew, his sponsors.
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| Bub McCool with his son 'B2.' |
But the 34-year-old Rookie of the Year contender from
Vicksburg, Miss., saved his biggest pat on the back for his son Johnny McCool III,
or ‘B2’ as the 7-year-old is known.
It was, after all, ‘B2’ who put dear old Dad in position to
win in just his second career visit to Tazewell’s menacing high banks. The
youngster accompanied his father to the pre-race draw for the top-eight
starting spots in the ‘Outlaw Sizzler 50’ – McCool won a heat race to earn a
redraw berth – and promptly pulled the number one pill from WoO LMS announcer
Rick Eshelman’s coffee jug.
Armed with that prime spot, McCool outgunned
outside-polesitter Scott Bloomquist for the lead at the initial green flag and
never looked back. He made no mistakes during the caution-free race, holding
Bloomquist at bay at a track located virtually in the legendary Tennessee star’s
backyard.
“He drew good for us,” McCool said with a beaming smile as
he rubbed his son’s head while standing in his trailer following the race. “It
was tough to pass out there tonight, so him drawing that ‘one’ is what did it
for us.”
That wasn’t all the younger McCool did at Tazewell, though.
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| Bub celebrates at Tazewell with his son and team. |
“Today he showed his first interest in working on the race
car,” a proud McCool said of his boy. “He came up to me this afternoon and
said, ‘Daddy, I want to help you.’ I said, ‘O.K. You can scrape some mud (off
the car).’ He came right back and said, ‘No! I want to turn some bolts and
things!
“I was like, Well, O.K. So we turned him loose and let him
tighten some stuff.”
Perhaps ‘B2’ didn’t make the setup and tire choices that
propelled Bub to victory, but his work pleased Dad nonetheless.
“I had a new crew chief tonight,” laughed McCool, his arm
draped around his son’s shoulders.
