Allen Coates is one of the most accomplished drivers in Speedbowl history and part of one of the legendary Speedbowl families. His mother Emma was won countless Powder Puff Derbies from the late 1970’s through the early 1990’s.
Coates first won in a Strictly Stock during the 1989 season, winning again in 1991 and 1992. Coates also scored a Mini Stock win during the Sunday Stocker series in 1992, and then a Pure Stock win in 1994. But in 1996, driving Russ Rogers’ #90 car back in the Strictly Stock division, Coates would win a record 9 races and his first Speedbowl championship.
Allen then went Late Model racing with car owner Mike Daggett and in 1998 had one of the most dominate seasons in Speedbowl history, winning 13 races and sweeping the extra-distance Triple Crown races. It all culminated in the 1998 Late Model Championship. He won 2 more Late Model Championships in 2001-2002 and the 2001 NASCAR ShorTrack New England Championship. The 2001 Speedbowl title came under controversy with the last race’s finish. Coates ended up winning over Phil Rondeau via wins tie-breaker.
His 49 career wins from 1997-2007 was 2nd all-time to only Phil Rondeau at the time. He also outdueled Ted Christopher and Phil Rondeau to win the Funkmaster Flex Late Model Invitational in 2004. The special event included a $10,000 winners purse and a vintage Chevy Camaro.
Although he did win in Mike Sangermano’s ACT #90 Late Model in 2007, he largely left the division when it transitioned away from G-metric cars.
Then in 2009, Coates returned to drive for Scott Gregory in the Speedbowl’s new Truck division. Coates won 17 races and back-to-back championships in 2009-2010. He became the first driver to earn a track championship in 3 different Speedbowl divisions. His 10 victories in 2010 set the single-season mark for the Truck division. He has since competed occasionally in his own trucks, last winning in 2021. His 23 career wins are also a track record.
Allen Coates is the only driver to have dominant seasons in 3 different divisions (1996 Strictly Stock, 1998 Late Model and 2009 Truck). His 88 career victories are 6th on the Career Wins List and he is widely considered one of the greatest drivers in Speedbowl history.
STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT
| TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS | 1996 Street Stock Champion |
| 1998, 2001-2002 Late Model Champion | |
| 2009-2010 Truck Champion | |
| CAREER WINS | 88 – (49) Late Model, (23) Truck, (14) Street Stock, (1) Mini Stock, (1) Pure Stock |
| SPEEDBOWL RECORDS | 3 different divisions with a Speedbowl Championship (tied with Keith Rocco & Anthony Flannery) |
| 23 Truck wins | |
| 10 Truck wins in a season | |
| 7 seasons with a Truck win (tied with Tyler Chapman) | |
| SPEEDBOWL FIRSTS | First driver to win 9 Street Stock races in a season |
| First driver to win 4 consecutive Street Stock races (1996) | |
| First driver to win 4 consecutive Truck races (2009) | |
| First driver to win all 3 Speedbowl Triple Crown in Late Models | |
| First driver to win all 3 Speedbowl Triple Crown races in same season | |
| First driver to win a race in 5 different Speedbowl divisions | |
| OTHER NOTABLE STATS | 13 Late Model wins in a season (1998) |
| 4 consecutive Late Model wins (1998) | |
| 10 seasons with a Late Model win | |
| 11 consecutive seasons with a Speedbowl win | |
| 2nd driver to win 13 Late Model races in a season | |
| 3rd driver to win a Speedbowl race in 20 different seasons | |
| 4th driver to win 6 Speedbowl championships | |
| won 10 races in a season in 2 different Speedbowl divisions | |
| won a race in 5 different Speedbowl divisions | |
| won 2 Late Model races on May 16, 1998 | |
| AWARDS & HONORS | 2001 NASCAR ShorTrack New England Region Champion |
| 2010 Truck Pit Crew of the Year |
ALLEN COATES
SPEEDBOWL PHOTO ARCHIVES
