- Ashley, Hagan, Anderson and Herrera take Wins at Charlotte Four-Wide
- TOUGH FINAL ROUND PUTS DAMPER ON WEEKEND FOR JOHN FORCE IN CHARLOTTE NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS
- BO BUTNER WINS JHG MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK SEASON OPENER
- AARON STANFIELD RUNNER-UP AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- Tony Schumacher Out Early After Jam-Packed Four-Wide Weekend in Charlotte
- HART KEEPS IT CLOSE IN TIGHT QUAD AT CHARLOTTE
Points Leaders Gingles, Williams Take Earlville
Written by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Earlville, IA – At all-concrete Tri State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa, Gord Gingles stomped the Top Alcohol Dragster field to strengthen his hold on the Central Region points lead, and Kirk Williams won Top Alcohol Funny Car to tie Kris Hool for the top spot in the region.
In the Top Alcohol Dragster final, Gingles left within a hundredth of Chase Copeland, .080 to .089, and made his strongest run of the weekend, 5.48, for his second regional victory in his last three outings. He also scored at Cordova. Copeland, who usually does his best at the end of the season, dropped cylinders a few hundred feet off the starting line and slowed to a 7.43 at 126 mph.
Team JEGS’ father and son reach semifinals at U.S. Nationals
Courtesy of Jegs
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JEGS.com driver Troy Coughlin was more than happy to reach Sunday’s semifinals the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx at for the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
Why? Because the engine was damaged in Coughlin’s turbocharged Camaro in the first round, hampering his efforts for the rest of the day.
Coughlin was eliminated after he red-lit in the semis against Mike Castellana, who had problems during his run, too.
“We had good qualifying and a good effort,” said Coughlin, who qualified No. 2. “We just had a part break in the engine. We kept trying to limp it along. We were happy enough to go a couple rounds.”
Coughlin clinches playoff berth in first year under new team configuration
Courtesy of Jegs
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Even though the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals stretched into a second weekend, Jeg Coughlin Jr. walked away with a reward that was worth the wait.
In his first year driving the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger and building his own Pro Stock engines through JNR Racing, Coughlin locked up a spot in the Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA’s version of the playoffs.
“The drama of the getting into the Countdown was at an all-time high in all the pro classes,” Coughlin said. “Pro Stock was right at the top of the list with six guys vying for the last four spots.
Scruggs’ PX Win At Home Track Highlights ADRL’s Return To Memphis
Courtesy of ADRL
MILLINGTON, TN – Jason Scruggs’ third win in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) in 2012 ended up being one of his favorite and it also proved to be a historic one.
At his home ADRL track and with plenty of friends and family watching, the Pro Extreme star went 3.736 at 207.34 mph to beat Brandon Pesz in the finals of the Memphis Drags III at Memphis International Raceway.
It pushed Scruggs’ career win total in the ADRL to nine, which also gives him the most wins in the history of the class.
“This is awesome. The folks at this track are so nice and the track is just great. I would rate this win here as one of the best I’ve ever had,” Scruggs said. “We had the whole family here and a bunch of friends, including some who had never been to a drag race, so this is a cool feeling.”
Coughlin close to realizing first goal of reaching the playoffs
Courtesy of Jegs
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – It’s taken a lot longer than expected, but Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s mission of getting the JEGS/Mopar Dodge Avenger into the Countdown to the Championship is nearly complete.
“It’s going to be a fun day on Sunday,” Coughlin said. “We want to etch our names into that Top 10, and seal a spot in this Countdown. It’s what we’ve been working hard for all season and it’s within our reach.”
Coughlin took full advantage of the extra qualifying sessions at the rain-delayed 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals moving the JEGS Dodge up from 12th to eighth place on the qualifying ladder and all but locking up a spot in the Countdown in the process.
“We wanted to make sure we got into the field solidly,” Coughlin said. “Eddie (Guarnaccia, crew chief) and the team did a really nice job of getting the car down the track both runs today.”
Mopar Driver Johnson to Start No. 4, Earns No. 1 Spot in Countdown Playoffs
Courtesy of Mopar
Clermont, IN – Two final qualifying sessions reshuffled the ladders for eliminations as the re-scheduled 58th Annual NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis got back underway under cooler and faster conditions than the previous rain shortened weekend at
Lucas Oil Raceway.
The 16 car field is now set with Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson starting fourth in Pro Stock eliminations on Sunday, and thus locking up the No. 1 spot in the Pro Stock Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoff that will begin at the next NHRA event in Charlotte.
The Team Mopar veteran was one of four Mopar-powered Dodge drivers to make the prestigious U.S. Nationals field in Pro Stock, along with four Mopar Dodge Chargers in the Funny Car class.
Frigo, Hool Take Rescheduled Topeka Wins in Earlville
Written by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Earlville, IA – At the rescheduled “WIBW Thunder in the Heartland” Topeka regional, Sidnei Frigo picked up his first Top Alcohol Dragster win this year and Kris Hool his first in Top Alcohol Funny Car since he opened the regional era with a victory at Gainesville in
February.
Completing the last two rounds at Tri State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa, the day before qualifying began for the regularly scheduled regional event there, Frigo topped Randy Meyer in a great final, 5.40 to 5.43, after gaining a slight edge at the Tree, .067 to .078. It was the Brazilian driver’s second career win, including the Division 2 race last year at zMax Dragway in Charlotte.
“We backed it down because we hadn’t made a run in that lane,” said crew chief Tom Conway, who tuned the car to an early shutoff 5.34, 253 on the one time trial allotted all returning drivers. “The groove there is narrow, but if you can keep the car in the middle of it, you can really run hard.”
Frigo shut off to a 5.87 at 185 mph on a semifinal single when Texan James Thompson, who had won the Topeka event in each of the past two years, was unable to make the trip north to Iowa for the rain date. Meyer won the other semifinal over John Finke in a match crucial to Finke’s East Region championship hopes, 5.54 to 5.99.
Black Diamond Motorsports DeFlorian Qualified Number One at Memphis Drags III
Courtesy of Black Diamond Motorsports
Memphis, TN – A track record in Extreme Pro Stock was good enough to send John DeFlorian to the top spot, as he went 4.131 seconds elapsed time (ET) at 175.73 miles per hour (MPH) in the first session of qualifying but that was just a preview of what was ahead. In the
final session of qualifying saw the 2012 Jerry Haas built Sonny Racing powered Camaro resetting the track record again with a 4.105 ET at 176.14 MPH a full .03 of second ahead of the nearest driver .
“The conditions were a little better, but we found a problem after the second run,” DeFlorian said. “The Pro Stock cars were in the pits and we were there thrashing right before we ran. It was kind of a guess, but we went with it and it was hauling. What an awesome day.”
Kevin Bealko in the Jerry Haas built Sonny Racing powered 2011 GXP ran 4.169 ET at181.62 MPH in the second session which held on for the fourteenth qualifying position at the end of the day.
The fourth and final round of qualifying at Memphis International Raceway takes place at 12 p.m. CST on Saturday with eliminations to follow at 3:30 p.m
Pesz’s Track Record In PX Heads Qualifying List At ADRL’s Memphis Drags III
Courtesy of ADRL
MILLINGTON, TN – Sporting a new look on his ’58 Corvette, Pro Extreme driver Brandon Pesz delivered a track record to cap off a thrilling day in the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) return to Memphis International Raceway for the Memphis Drags III.
With a bold new wrap, Pesz ran a blistering 3.660 at 206.99 mph in Friday’s third qualifying session to top the run Jason Scruggs made three years ago in Memphis, jumping to the No. 1 qualifying spot in Pro Extreme in the process.
If the standout run holds up, it would be the first No. 1 qualifier for Pesz in the ADRL.
“We’ve got a fast hot rod in the heat and the track was real good today,” Pesz said. “It means a lot to get the record and be in that No. 1 spot. It’s awesome and I knew this car had that in it. I knew it was there and I just want to continue to do my best.”
Other top qualifiers through three sessions on Friday include Burton Auxier (Pro Nitrous), Billy Glidden (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), John DeFlorian (Extreme Pro Stock), Pat Musi (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified) and Ronnie Davis (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman).
Third generation ‘Nanook’ racer Kyle Hough wins Nitro Jam Fuel Altered championship in first year
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – It all came down to one night.
After seven stops, nearly 10,000 miles logged and a ton of racing, the chase for Nitro Jam’s professional championships all came down
to the final day of competition at the CarSafe Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
The other three champions had already sealed their titles. Their drama was over and they were able to breathe easy. Not so for a 19-year-old rookie out of Las Vegas who faced a pressure no teenager should ever have to endure in their very first year of racing – one pass for all the marbles.
After day one was rained out, Nitro Jam’s professional teams had one less day to make up ground in the championship chase making for a frantic – and very exciting – showdown in front of a packed house as a near capacity crowd watched Kyle Hough and Ron Maroney do battle for the Fuel Altered championship in one of the tightest points battles in Nitro Jam history.
