- HendrickCars.com to sponsor Brittany Force’s Top Fuel dragster starting at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte
- DANIEL WILKERSON AND SCAG FORD FUNNY CAR TEAM LOOKING TO TURN THINGS AROUND AT CHARLOTTE FOUR-WIDE
- Dustin Smiley Races to Advanced Product Design $15,000 Wednesday Win at the Spring Fling
- NEOPMA Pro Mod Drivers Ready to Start 2024 Season at MIR’s Door Wars
- JUSTIN ASHLEY AND SCAG TOYOTA TEAM LOOK TO CONTINUE PROMISING START TO NHRA SEASON AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- FOSTER LOOKING TO TAKE AQUA PROP ALL THE WAY AT CHARLOTTE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
- MBE Tech Report
Charlotte unkind to JEGS racer Coughlin
Courtesy of Jegs
CHARLOTTE, NC – Now that the NHRA’s version of the playoffs, the Countdown, has begun for Pro Stock, no round of racing – qualifying or eliminations – can be squandered. 
Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger, admitted that his team never got the ball rolling during the weekend following a first-round loss to fellow Mopar driver and No. 4 seed, Allen Johnson.
“It was the first race of the Countdown and we thought we’d perform a little better than what we did,” Coughlin said. “We didn’t qualify well, which was not to our benefit. To pull up next to AJ in the first round is tough orders.”
Johnson got off the starting line first and made a flawless run down the track, running a 6.594-second pass at 210.73 mph to Coughlin’s 6.644 at 208.42 mph.
“He didn’t make any mistakes. He did a good job on the tree and got his car down the racetrack,” Coughlin said. “We just didn’t have enough for him.
Mopar Driver Nobile Earns First Career Pole Position at Charlotte Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Concord, NC – After garnering his first no.1 Qualifier status on Friday, Mopar driver Vincent Nobile followed that up with another strong performance by putting his Dodge Avenger on the pole in Pro Stock qualifying on Saturday at zMax Dragway for the 5th Annual
NHRA Nationals in Charlotte. Current points leader Allen Johnson qualified fourth for a Mopar versus Mopar round one eliminations matchup against 13th qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the first of the six-race playoff series “Countdown to the Championship”.
With the 16-car field now set for Sunday’s eliminations, HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger driver Vincent Nobile is enjoying his new found success and official standing as the pole winner.
“My team and I are ecstatic for our first No.1 Qualifier,” said Nobile who set the lowest elapsed time on his second run in Friday qualifying (6.548 sec ET / 211.03 mph) but went quickest in the first Saturday session and second quickest in the final qualifying run. “After yesterday, I knew we could perform just as well and it did, but I actually goofed up a little bit with the burnout (on the last run) or we might have been first in that session as well.”
Coughlin’s Pro Mod championship hopes take major hit
Courtesy of Jegs
CHARLOTTE, NC – The crazy weekend of JEGS.com driverTroy Coughlinshowed just how recalcitrant the vehicles of the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx can be.
Coughlin’s turbocharged 1969 Chevrolet Camaro couldn’t get down the track in his first two qualifying runs at zMax Dragway, but he rebounded to post the No. 4 qualifying time in the final session.
In the first round of eliminations Saturday, with the car basically unchanged from qualifying, Coughlin encountered more trouble and fell to No. 13 qualifier Kevin McCurdy.
“It has been a crazy weekend,” Coughlin said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’ve struggled with managing the power. The guys got it under control, and we went out and made a decent pass.”
Coughlin gets first shot at Countdown points leader
Courtesy of Jegs
CHARLOTTE, NC – Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS/Mopar Dodge Avenger will have the opportunity to make friends and influence the Pro Stock point standings with a first round win on Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway.
Coughlin qualified No. 13 for the race and faces No. 4 seed and fellow Mopar driver Allen Johnson. With Charlotte being the first race of the Countdown, the points have been tightened up with Johnson at the head of the pack.
If Coughlin can knock Johnson out early, the field could bunch up even more.
“When you look at the scenario, he’s No. 1 in the points and we’re 10,” Coughlin said. “If you can crack somebody with that kind of script that would be ideal.”
Coughlin started the weekend 110 points behind Johnson.
The JEGS Avenger unloaded off the truck and ran a 6.616-second lap at 209.60 mph, which was eighth best of the session.
Countdown Officially Underway As Team Mopar Takes on Friday Qualifying at Charlotte Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Photo by Roger Richards
Concord, NC –Friday Qualifying at zMax Dragway officially launched the start of the NHRA six race playoff known as the ‘Countdown to 
the Championship’ and it was the Mopar Dodge Avenger of Vincent Nobile that led the Pro Stock field for the first time. Mopar Dodge Avenger driver and current points leader Allen Johnson wasn’t quite as excited about his start to first playoff weekend, taking the provisional fourth spot after two qualifying runs at the Charlotte strip.
Nobile’s initial pass put him second on the scoring sheet with an elapsed time of 6.573 seconds and speed of 210.44 mph. His second run in the no.5 Dodger Avenger against Jason Line lowered the ET to 6.548 / 211.03 and gave him his first career provisional pole position.
“We’re always striving to be number one but it’s definitely a surprise and I’m definitely new to this,” said Nobile who is running with HEMI power supplied by Johnson’s J&J Racing team and is currently fifth in the Pro Stock playoff race. “It felt great in the car and I was shocked how fast we went. I knew it was a great run but I’ve never been a No.1 Qualifier.”
IHRA divisional champions crowned, Drivers one step closer to Tournament of Champions glory
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – The regular season is over, the fields are set and the drivers are ready to race – bring on the Tournament of 
Champions!
After a memorable season of racing within the six divisions of the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL, several big-name drivers and a few new faces have emerged as division champions making up the final spots in this year’s edition of the Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL.
The Tournament of Champions, which determines the world championships in each of IHRA’s seven touring classes, is made up of national event winners, winners of special TOC qualifying races held throughout the year and the top three in each class within each division of the Summit Pro-Am Tour. All of the qualified drivers will travel to Memphis International Raceway in October to compete in the preeminent sportsman event to determine the world champion in each class.
WHO’S IN THIS ISSUE OF RPM – OCTOBER 2012
Courtesy of RPM Magazine
Brandford, ON – THE UNIVERSAL SOLDIER – It was an $800 car that turned into Mike Roy’s passion, a 1971 Monte Carlo that was anything but cherry when he originally bought it back in the summer of 1991. But now, well, it pulls double duty effortlessly on both
the street and strip and is truly universal!
THE BULLET MAKES CONTACT – The 2012 Yellow Bullet Nationals, best put; “it is a totally off the hook display of fast doorslammer drag racing…” — Mark, www.goDragRacing.org
All racers and teams fought tough to be the YB Nat’s class champion, but there can only be one winner!
FROM SHOEBOX TO MATCHBOX – Check out the cool ‘57 Chevy of Paul Martin and wild 1976 Chevette of Beau and James Bettis.
THE 5.70 REAL STREET RACING ASSOCIATION – It was a simple concept really, either we step up for the class we enjoy or we watch it fade into nothingness. Enter Tom Clausen…
THE BEAST IN THE EAST – Charity Drag Race triples in size in three years – For an eager, diehard group of Atlantic Canada drag racers the ultimate goal of doing what they love and at the same time raising funds for The Child Life Department at the local hospital turned into reality when the weekly cruise night bench racing and smack talk turned into talk on renting the track.
PROJECT 4 LUG THUG – Natural Progression – Controllin the Powa! – If you have ever left on green with the jug on kill, you already know that a good dose of nitrous left unharnessed leads to tire smoke or a display of your undercarriage.
GETTING BACK ON TRACK with Blake Robinson – Suspension, Steering and Body
Dyno Dave Reaches the Semifinals at the U.S. Nationals
Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo by Dyno Dave Motorsports
Claremont, IN – This year’s rain delayed U.S. Nationals might have been a puddle-ridden hassle for some, but for Dyno Dave Heitzman 
it was his chance to shine. Qualifying in the number two position and advancing to the semifinals made a dreary two week affair much brighter. Dyno Dave also showed the Top Alcohol Dragster class how it’s done by recording low elapsed time for the event and capturing top mile per hour honors.
“To be knocked out by the world champ in the semifinals is nothing to be ashamed of,” said Dyno Dave. “It really pumped up the team to qualify so well, and the support from our fan base was amazing. You can’t be disappointed by running the quickest and fastest times at the biggest race of the year.”
Going into Saturday’s qualifying session the Shane Co. Dragster sat in the number eight position from the previous rounds of qualifying. In the one and only qualifying round Dyno Dave launched the Shane Co. dragster to a 5.360/268.17 blast that catapulted him to the number two slot.
Mike Knowles, NHRA Pro Mod Pilot, Takes Flight With Blue Angels
Courtesy of Kozak Motorsports Marketing
The WCOPMA heads to Sacramento Raceway after two year absence
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Sacramento, CA – This weekend the West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association will head to Sacramento Raceway Park for the first time 
since September 2010. The two year absence has racers excited about running again at what is known as the “hometown” track to many WCOPMA members.
The points battle is on for the 2012 Championship and this will be a major event in the final standings as Rod Burbage and Mike Maggio will both be in attendance looking to gain as many points as possible as the season is winding down with only two events left. Both Burbage and Maggio have the opportunity to be the champion at the end of the year, Burbage currently leads the standings with a 144 point lead over Maggio but the Maggio Motorsports team is undefeated so far this season at the WCOPMA events they have attended.
Nine other racers are looking to play spoiler in the Burbage/Maggio scenario which include recent “Nightfire Nationals” event winner Dan Myers, Blake Housley driving for the Balance Racing team, Sean Renteria who has laid down 5-second times at Sacramento Raceway so far this year, Rich Roberts, Scott Bailey, Rob Cacioppo, Bret Williamson, Monty Berney and first time WCOPMA racer Jeremy Hanger.
