Teams
Jeg Jr. Hopes Turnaround Happened at Houston
Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Photos courtesy JEGS; Click to enlarge)
Despite suffering some growing pains during the NHRA tour’s visit to Texas last weekend, the Lone Star State could very well be the place where Pro Stock veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr. turned his season around.
The four-time Pro Stock champion, a winner of 52 national events in the class, isn’t used to dealing with this much adversity, but a pair of DNQs on his early-season ledger has Coughlin and crew searching for answers as the series turns to Atlanta Dragway. Continue Reading »
Special JFR Car Headed to Hall of Fame
(Photo courtesy JFR; Click to enlarge)
John Force has raced dozens of Funny Cars over the course his Hall-of-Fame career and this week the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion will display a one-of-a-kind Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE Hall of Fame special edition Ford Mustang Funny Car at Talladega Motor Speedway.
In advance of Force’s induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame the Funny Car will list Force’s most notable accomplishments along with having the International Motorsports Hall of Fame logo on it. The Funny Car will arrive May 1, at the Hall of Fame. Continue Reading »
Lucas Lands 2nd TF Win this Year
(Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
Morgan Lucas dominated the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals from the start of qualifying Friday (Apr. 27) to the winner’s circle celebration Sunday night.
After claiming top-qualifier honors for the fourth time this year with a pass of 3.772 seconds at a track-record top speed of 327.74 mph, Lucas simply trounced the race-day field, running low elapsed time of every round en route to his sixth career Top Fuel victory. Continue Reading »
Neff Extends JFR Funny Car Win Streak
(Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
On a day when Robert Hight’s bid for a historic fifth win in a row ended in the semi-finals, Mike Neff extended the John Force Racing (JFR) team win streak to six races with his defeat of Ron Capps in the Funny Car final Apr. 29, at Royal Purple Raceway, near Houston.
Neff won an improbable race against the quicker Capps when he drove around a tire-smoking Capps at the 700-foot mark, posting a winning time of 4.239 seconds at 301.67 mph. Continue Reading »
Nobile Successfully Defends Houston PS Title
(Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
For the second-straight year, Vincent Nobile and the Mountain View Racing NHRA Pro Stock (PS) team found the winner’s circle at the O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.
Appearing in his ninth-career final, Nobile used an almost perfect starting line reaction time and a 6.59 elapsed time to outlast final round opponent Dave Connolly, who was close behind with a 6.60. For the 20-year old Nobile, the win was the fourth of his career and his first of the 2012 season. Continue Reading »
Female IHRA Nitro Driver Defies Detractors
Kristen Dennis (Photos courtesy IHRA; Click to enlarge)
By Larry Crum
Kristen Dennis decided to go racing just three years ago when she started her own team and so far that decision has turned into one of the most unlikely success stories around. In just two seasons, the mother of two from tiny Magnolia, Texas, has compiled one NHRA victory and two IHRA Nitro Jam wins–all in less than 50 passes behind the wheel.
It’s certainly not a bad start for someone who has used the motivation of being told she can’t to go out and prove she can. Continue Reading »
New Cars, New Look for Summit Pro Stock Team
(Image courtesy Summit Racing; Click to enlarge)
Summit Racing drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line will reveal radically new paint schemes as they also debut brand-new Summit Racing Pro Stock 2012 Camaros this weekend (Apr. 27-29) for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.
“I’m excited by our move to the Camaros,” Line said. “For the first time in my Pro Stock career, I’ll finally be driving a real muscle car, and I think the fans are really going to like our new look, which is completely different from anything else we have ever run.”
Todd Returning to Top Fuel in Houston
(Photo courtesy Vandergriff Racing; Click to enlarge)
J.R. Todd will return to Top Fuel action at this week’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Houston in a second car for Bob Vandergriff Jr. Racing and sponsored by Total Equipment.
The Lone Star state has been very good to Vandergriff during the past several years. He found his primary sponsor, C&J Energy Services, headquartered there and won his first Wally in Dallas last fall, and now, he welcomes Todd into the fold for several races beginning in Houston. Total Equipment is a subsidiary of C&J Energy Services. Continue Reading »
Enders Looking for First Win–Again–at Houston
Erica Enders (Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
GK Motorsports driver Erica Enders carries some confidence and momentum into this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.
The 28-year old is coming off a runner-up finish in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, a result that prompted a phone call from Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden, a 10-time world champion who worked with Enders on another team a few years ago.
“Bob Glidden actually called me on Monday after the race,” Enders said. “We talked a couple weeks ago, too, when I called him after Grumpy (Bill Jenkins) died. He called me on Monday, and the conversation starts out as, ‘Gosh darn it, I thought you were going to win.’ Continue Reading »
T. Coughlin Counting on Making Pro Mod Progress in Houston
Troy Coughlin (Photos courtesy JEGS; Click to enlarge)
The evolution of Troy Coughlin’s JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro Pro Mod continues this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway with the NHRA Spring Nationals. Coughlin and his team, led by decorated crew chief Steve Petty, continue to develop the relatively new turbocharged ’68 Camaro. Pro Mod cars are a notoriously fickle lot, so getting them to go down the track in a fast, consistent basis is an arduous task that takes some time.
A past world champion in the NMCA, Coughlin has shown improvement with his new car, as tuner Petty works to improve the setup. The two have had only two races together, and Coughlin has qualified in the top half of the field in the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx at both Gainesville and Charlotte. Continue Reading »
