IHRA
Lagana blasts to victory at Palm Beach Nitro Jam
Courtesy of IHRA
JUPITER, Fl – In more than 12 years of Top Fuel drag racing, Bobby Lagana Jr. had posted only two runs of over 320 miles per hour in his entire career.
After Saturday night, he has a few more to add to his totals.
Lagana, in front of a huge southern Florida crowd, blasted to the best weekend of his entire career with four consecutive runs of over 320 mph, including a career best lap Saturday night, and a weekend sweep of the quickest category in drag racing to give the defending Top Fuel champion an incredible start to the 2011 season at the Palm Beach Nitro Jam Saturday night at Palm Beach International Raceway.
“This was absolutely the best Top Fuel show the IHRA has ever seen,” Lagana said. “I had two 320 mile per hour passes in my life before this weekend and now I have six. Actually all eight runs between the two of us were over 300 miles per hour so that was great for the fans and great for us. Bruce did a great job and so did our group.”
Troy Coughlin Jr. starts season in South Florida at Nitro Jam
Courtesy of Jegs
PALM BEACH, Fl – With a bright new paint job and a take-no-prisoners attitude, T.J. Coughlin and his JEGS dragster is starting the season with a mini-tour of Florida.
Lagana, Evans own Palm Beach once again; Dorn, Bennett win in debut
Courtesy of IHRA
JUPITER, Fl – Just about the farthest point you can get from the sunny beaches of West Palm Beach, Fla. in the continental United States is the great state of Washington on the Pacific coast.
Approaching nearly 4,000 miles from the southern tip of Florida to the capitol city of Seattle, the differences between the two locations are great and the distance even greater. Still, despite the vast amount of land separating the two locations, it was a Seattle man that found himself in victory lane Friday night in Florida as Mark Sanders drove his race rig all the way across the country to lay claim to the first victory of the 2011 season at Palm Beach International Raceway Friday night.
Sanders, spending the past seven days on the road just to reach PBIR, defeated another newcomer, east coast native Paul Romine, in the Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car championship at the Palm Beach Nitro Jam on opening night. Other winners from Friday included Bobby Lagana (Top Fuel), Bill Evans (Pro Fuel), Steve Dorn (Nitro Harley) and Chris Bennett (Fuel Altered).
Thunder Road Raceway Park Race Surface gets a Facelift
Gilliam, La – Special thanks to Skidabrader for working us into their busy schedule to re-surface the race track at TRRP this winter. I must say, Their machine had me speechless when it was making its passes down the track. They truely have a one of a kind machine. Skidabrader will also be advertising on one of the finish line score boards so they are really stepping it up for the track. Check out the video of their work.
Mr. Explosive’ travels 4,000 miles to Nitro Jam opener
Courtesy of IHRA
JUPITER, Fl – Crazy? Maybe. But you can’t deny the drive that keeps the father and son duo of Mark and Jake 
Sanders on the fast track to success in this crazy game called drag racing.
That is because Mark, better known by his car name as “Mr. Explosive,” spent the past week traveling 3,828 miles from his home in Seattle through rain, snow and three times zones to Jupiter, Fla. to compete in this weekend’s Nitro Jam season opener at Palm Beach International Raceway.
Whether you know him as ‘Mr. Explosive’, ‘The Force of the North’ or simply as Mark Sanders, look for Sanders to make serious noise on the Nitro Jam tour in 2011
An online history lesson (IHRA/JEGS)
Courtesy of Jegs
Delaware, OH – Third-generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. will soon strap on his helmet and begin his 2011 campaign at the IHRA’s season-opening Palm Beach Nitro Jam, which runs from Jan. 28-29 at Palm Beach
International Raceway in southeast Florida.
The son of Troy Coughlin, grandson of Hall of Famer Jeg Coughlin Sr., and nephew of John, Mike, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. — all drag racing champions in their own right — Troy Jr. knows it’s a big deal to carry his family name into any event.
Click here and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTrbgRtl81k
Racers, escape the Frozen North!
Courtesy of IHRA
Norwalk, OH – Racers if you are tired of all the ice, snow and cold weather and wish you could just be racing, come join the International Hot Rod Association at its first two Nitro Jam events of 2011 at south Florida’s Palm Beach
International Raceway for the Palm Beach Nitro Jam and at State Capitol Raceway for the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam.
If you haven’t had a chance to experience the new Nitro Jam format, or just want to hit the track before everyone else, the Palm Beach and Mardi Gras Nitro Jam events are a perfect place to start. Both events feature incredible hospitality, great racing and more and a win at either event will gain you entry into the 2011 Summit Racing Tournament of Champions championship runoff at the World Finals in October.
The IHRA prides itself as being the place for sportsman racing and the new Nitro Jam format certainly proves that is the case as it gives racers an entire day of racing to themselves without interruption from the pros and some classes are even featured during the professional rounds.
Watch all the Nitro Jam action live on IHRA.com
Courtesy of IHRA
Norwalk, Oh – The International Hot Rod Association is pleased to announce that it is partnering with 1320go.com to provide Live Timing for all of the Nitro Jam events held 
throughout the 2011 racing season.
Race fans can now visit the IHRA website and watch all of the action live from the professional and sportsman sessions during each Nitro Jam event this season.
“Over the past eight months we have worked closely with 1320go.com to create a custom online Live Timing System for our Nitro Jam events. Continuing our efforts to reach out to the racing communities and to provide the best drag racing experience possible, the new Live Timing System will allow those that can’t travel to an event the ability to watch the action online,” said Skooter Peaco, IHRA VP of Operations. “Our commitment to make drag racing available to the largest number of people has just taken a large step forward.”
JEGS racer T.J. Coughlin has history in his sights
Courtesy of Jegs
DELAWARE, Ohio – Third-generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. will try to become the third member of the famous 
Coughlin racing clan to win an IHRA Ironman trophy at the upcoming Palm Beach Nitro Jam, which runs from Jan. 28-29 at Palm Beach International Raceway in southeast Florida.
“Uncle John won an Ironman in Darlington (S.C) back in 1984 and Uncle Mike won one at Marion County International Raceway (LaRue, Ohio) in 1992 so I think we’re overdue for another Coughlin to find the winner’s circle at an IHRA race,” said Troy Jr., known to most simply as T.J. “I would consider it a great honor.
“I really like the IHRA deal. It’s some great, friendly Sportsman racing with a Hollywood show aspect to it all. I love to race and it’s the next big event on the schedule so we’re heading that way.”
T.J. will enter the Quick Rod class with the same JEGS dragster he’s raced to multiple NHRA national and divisional victories. The car has a new look this year, sporting an all-yellow theme that Team JEGS will banner in 2011, and his powerplant has been tuned up for maximum performance.
Top Sportsman and Top Dragster back in the spotlight at IHRA
Courtesy of IHRA
Norwalk, OH – They are the quickest and fastest sportsman cars on the planet, and once again they are going to be a feature attraction at all Nitro Jam events in 2011.
Known as Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, they are the premier sportsman classes in Nitro Jam competition and feature incredible racing, quick times and unique designs and the two classes will once again have an opportunity to showcase their talents on the biggest stage in the sport during the professional rounds of Nitro Jam competition this season.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to feature our two quickest and fastest classes during the professional rounds all season long,” said Skooter Peaco, IHRA VP of Race Operations. “IHRA invented Top Sportsman and Top Dragster and we are the only ones really committed to showcasing these classes in front of thousands of fans and I’m very proud of that.
