Jerry Coons Jr. didn't make too many adjustments. He just raced patiently.

So when Coons found himself trailing early to Shane Hmiel in the 60-lap National Sprint Car Feature at Richmond International Speedway, he didn't react any differently.

Coons led at the break, added a pound of air to his right rear and sustained that success in the latter part of the race. It resulted in Coons' 70th USAC National Sprint Car victory, an all-time record.

"We've been knocking on the door for a little bit," said Coons Jr., who is the two-time defending USAC national midget champion and leads the Silver Crown in points. "We were stuck at 69 there, and it was neat it came on the pavement."

Coons Jr. drew on his experience in Silver Crown, which, in his view, helped him drive more patiently. He clawed his way from the 10th starting position to the top 5, before Darren Hagen caused a yellow flag after his engine dripped oil on the track.

Both Tracy Hines, who finished second, and Coons spent most of their press conference talking about their experience benefiting against a group that forced the issue throughout the race.

"Frankly, it doesn't take a genius," Hines said. "If they have smoke rolling on their tire at lap 10, it's not going to last."

Something of that nature happened on the 34th lap, where Brad Sweet's car caught on fire. He bailed out of the moving car and rolled around in the pit. Without delay, crew members swarmed around and poured water on Sweet.

A few minutes later, he was taken to the infield car center. Sweet later helped push his car into a trailer. He said he didn't suffer any injuries.

"While driving in the race, we got a hole in the fuel cell," Sweet said. "We were leaking fuel, and it sparked a little fire."

Jacob Wilson also had engine troubles, drawing another caution after his right-rear suspension failed. But Coons Jr. didn't suffer any engine problems, following a patient approach that has spelled success in a storied career.

"I hope I can live long enough to see 100," team owner Dick Hoffman said. "That's not 100 years old. That's 100 victories."