He owns 60 career wins at the coal region oval.

According to Howard, he and the crew don't overanalyze these extra-distance events.

"I think we hit stride at the end of the season where some of the teams might be low on budget or running out of funds, where I think our race team is kind of gearing up and we become strong again," Howard said. "What is it that we get in the rut through the middle (of the season), I have no idea. But it seems to happen to me every single year. I think we don't overanalyze the race, I think we're just coming out of the rut at the right time."

Howard scored three of his four Coalcracker wins in 1989, 1999 and 2001. His fourth came in 2006.

"We're usually hanging in the top four or five and we're usually consistent enough that we don't overthink the race and we don't dial ourselves out of the event," he said of his success in the Coalcracker wins. "I think what stands out is we are always riding around lap 50 in the top five and we're prepared enough to make it to the end."

Craig VonDohren is the defending winner of the Coalcracker 100. The all-time winningest 358 modified driver at the track with 63 wins won his first Coalcracker in 1987.

He's been winning as of late with a victory in the 50-lap, $10,000 Forest Rogers Memorial at Grandview Speedway a few weeks ago and then winning back to back to start off the month at Big Diamond.

The Coalcracker 50 for the sportsman modifieds started in 2003 and has produced single wins by David Van Horn, Jason Hamilton, Willie Osmun and Jordan Umbenhauer.