DragStory
Troy Coughlin Primed for Big Weekend in Norwalk
Courtesy of Jegs
NORWALK, OH – For Troy Coughlin, racing in his home state of Ohio is always a celebratory experience, and with the 
way his turbocharged JEGS.com Chevy Camaro has been running of late in the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx, this weekend’s NHRA Nationals might be about more than mere civic pride.
Over the course of the past few races, Coughlin has seen the chemistry on his team come together and the performance on his Team JEGS ride has followed suit. It all could add up to a victory party on Sunday.
“We have done real well at the last couple of races,” Coughlin said. “We have a race car that is competitive and car to be beat. I know everybody on the team is giving 110 percent for sure. Just trying to put the whole package together and make it happen.”
Jeg Coughlin Jr. Sees Light of Progress Following Early Exit
Courtesy of Jegs
Photo by Roger Richards
CHICAGO, IL – The individual pieces are showing a lot of promise for Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS / Mopar Dodge Avenger, the next step is to blend all that potential into a few round wins on Sunday.
Coughlin lost to No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson in the first round of Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, but Coughlin’s time was solid enough that it was better than several other first-round winners in Pro Stock.
“The timing was just off,” Coughlin said. “We just did a real poor job in qualifying and got qualified in the 16th spot and that puts us next to the fastest guy. It is not impossible, but a little bit taller order.”
Coughlin had a slight edge at the starting line but his 6.643 second pass at 208.20 mph wasn’t enough to keep Johnson at bay. Johnson’s winning pass was a 6.618 at 209.04 mph.
Demke and Kinard lead Pacific Division to First Title
Courtesy of Jegs
Photo by Roger Richards
JOLIET, IL – With a stellar performance that included wins by Top Alcohol Dragster racer Chris Demke and Super Comp driver Aaron Kinard, the NHRA Pacific Division broke through 
for its first overall team title in the annual JEGS Allstars competition. The Pacific Division team scored 1,300 points, ending in a tie with the Southeast Division, which was gunning for a seventh overall title.
Per the tie-breaker rules which score additional points for wins, runner-up, and semifinal finishes, the Division7 team was awarded the title, and split a $20,000 bonus from JEGS Mail Order. The Division 5 crew, also seeking their first title, finished a respectable third with 1,100 points.
Demke wounded a blower and slowed to a 7.74, but picked up the dramatic win after Randy Meyer fouled away a 5.30, the quickest run of the event. Kinard also chipped in with three big round wins when he drove his dragster to a narrow 8.911 to 8.915 win over Division 2 racer Sherman Adcock Jr., who was looking to become the first driver to double in in the JEGS Allstars race.
Savage, Padilla, Gledhill repeat at NAPA Auto Parts Nitro Jam
Courtesy of IHRA
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – As a kid we are all taught to share. Apparently that lesson didn’t stick for some.
Despite enough Ironman trophies to go around, a few competitors took it upon themselves to hoard the stash as Mike
Savage (AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car), Tom Padilla (Fuel Altered) and Ron Gledhill swept the weekend in the professional categories with only Don St. Arnaud in Pro Fuel breaking through in front of a jam-packed house during the NAPA Auto Parts Nitro Jam presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports and Cricket Wireless finale Saturday at Rocky Mountain Raceways.
Sportsman winners were also crowned Saturday night in front of the standing room only crowd, earning their way into the Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions presented by AMSOIL in the process. Those winners were Kenneth Covington (Grand Junction, Colo.) in Top Sportsman, Paul Snell (Sandy, Utah) in Top Dragster, Carroll Warling (Brighton, Colo.) in Super Stock, Jesse Sanderson (West Jordan, Utah) in Stock, Russ Stevenson (South Jordan, Utah) in Quick Rod and Ed Olpin (Pleasant Grove, Utah) in Super Rod.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. Racing from Underdog role at Route 66 Raceway
Courtesy of Jegs
Photo Courtesy of Roger Richards
CHICAGO, IL – He might be the 16th and final qualifier in Pro Stock at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA 
Nationals, but Jeg Coughlin Jr. has all the confidence in the world in his JEGS / Mopar Dodge Avenger heading into Sunday’s eliminations.
“It’s actually running really well,” Coughlin said. “We’ve made a lot of changes from the time we got here to the time we finished Q4. We were 12th after the first three sessions, but weren’t aggressive enough in Q4 when conditions were really good.”
Coughlin had a best pass of 6.659 seconds at 207.59 mph to claim that final spot in the field. No matter where Coughlin has qualified during his career, he’s never been an easy out and doesn’t expect that trend to change at this race.
Record Friday Crowds fill Rocky Mountain Raceways at NAPA Nitro Jam
Courtesy of IHRA
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – Mike Savage came to Salt Lake City with one goal and one goal only on his mind – take back the lead in AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car championship standings.
And in front of one of the largest Friday night crowds in Rocky Mountain Raceways history, Savage made major headway toward that goal with a big victory over Bob Godfrey and the “Burn N’ Money” team, spoiling Godfrey’s bid for a victory on his birthday while collecting his second career victory Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts Nitro Jam presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports and Cricket Wireless.
“Our day was not too bad at all. We are running higher up than we are used to, but we are working hard on the car and getting it to consistently get down the track,” Savage said. “On that last pass it was a little slippery and I had to pedal it, but we stuck in it and put down two solid laps to get the win here tonight.”
Messenger Earns a Place in Winners Circle on Mickey Thompson Tires
Courtesy of Mickey Thompson
Photo by Darr Hawthorne
STOW, OH – Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels congratulates Zane Messenger for a great night of high-
speed action at the Saturday Night Nitro competition at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on June 9. Messenger’s custom built 1977 Pontiac “Future Flash” Firebird earned the number two position during eliminations with a 5.956-second elapsed time at 199.17 mph, and a final round win over veteran Dan Horan Jr. with a 5.768-second elapsed time at 233.20 mph. Messenger uses Mickey Thompson ET Drag tires, size 34.5/17.0-16 (Part #3186) on the rear.
“It was great to see Zane come into his first open competition event as a second generation nitro funny car racer and do so well,” stated Tom Kundrik, Motorsports Manager, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. “Racing conditions were excellent and Zane was ready to push that Firebird to the limit. We congratulate Zane and wish him continued success.”
Pete Stewart Captures PBSS Victory during Canadian Nitro Nationals
Courtesy of PBSS
CAYUGA, ON – There was a large contingent of racers to do battle in round three of the Pro Bike & Sled Series 
presented by Wiseco Performance Products, held at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park during its Canadian Nitro Nationals weekend, but at the end of the day Pro Bike rider Pete Stewart rode to victory.
“We had a good weekend,” said Stewart, of Toronto, Ontario, after the race. “I’m afraid I have nothing exciting to report, everything just fell into place and according to plan. The bike, the track, and fortunately the rider all worked well.”
The win was Stewart’s second in PBSS racing, and Stewart dedicated this win to the late Dave Connery, one of the most popular and long-standing motorcycle drag racers in Canada as well as a gifted customizer and painter.
Butner takes Third ADRL Super Car Win!
Written by Bret Kepner
Dinwiddie, VA – It was no easy task but Bo Butner scored his third event victory in the American Drag Racing League’s spectacular new SuperCar Showdown category. His road to the winner’s circle at the ADRL’s U.S. Drags V at Virginia
Motorsports Park near Richmond was the most grueling yet for the past World Champion in his quest to keep the Ford Motor Company undefeated in the 2012 SuperCar Showdown series.
Holding the winner’s trophy at the end of the race was an unlikely prospect for the Floyds Knobs, Indiana veteran in a weekend which included a broken trailer rig, oppressive heat, destroyed parts and an unintentional new wheelstand altitude record over the course of three days.
“I’ve had tough races but this one takes it”, admitted Butner during post-race interviews. “We’ve been through the wringer at this one and it’s pretty hard to believe we pulled it off. It’s important for Ford, for me and for our fans to win and there’s a lot of pressure to make sure Ford is undefeated in this series but we sure worked for this one”.
Hard Working TA/FC racer Chris Foster
Written by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Photo by David Smith
DAVENPORT, IA – To fans, races are won and lost by drivers, but drivers know the real truth: drag racing is a team sport. Chris Foster may be the one who’s handed the trophy at the end of the race, and it’s his name that’s listed in the
NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car points standings, but at Foster Racing, he is but one man on a 10-man team.
“We all spend a lot of time on this car,” says Foster, who won the Division 3 championship last year and the Norwalk regional event last month. “My dad and my stepdad are both semi-retired and put in a lot of time on it. My dad spends five or six hours a day working on the car and I’m here after work till midnight every night, and that really makes a difference. A race car is just like a wife – it likes lots of attention.”
Foster first attracted national attention in 2009, when he won his first NHRA event and, ultimately, that year’s Division 3 title. He began his Funny Car career in the Midwest Funny Car Association, racing off of a 7.50 Index, and progressed to UDRA in 1996, to IHRA in 2001, and, in 2006, to NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car competition, where today he is a two-time Top 10 driver, a two-time Division 3 champion, and a seven-time winner on the Lucas Oil Series tour.
