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MADISON, Ill. – Troy Coughlin raced to victory in the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals and also won his first round matchup from the No. 1 qualifying position in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.
When Pro Mod eliminations resume on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m., Coughlin will be looking to earn his second Wally trophy of the weekend at the controls of his turbocharged JEGS.com Corvette.
In the delayed Charlotte final, Coughlin defeated Mike Janis, who is currently second in the series points standings. Coughlin was first off the line and powered to a winning performance of 5.937 seconds at 239.14 mph, while Janis’ supercharged late model Chevy Camaro had issues and slowed to a 9.438 at 112.11 finish. It was his second win of the season and sixth of his career and he moved to third overall in the points standings with the effort.
“Winning this trophy for the Charlotte race is pretty special.” Coughlin said. “I’m pretty fired up, pretty excited.”
Coughlin claimed the St. Louis No. 1 qualifying position, the first of the season and second of his career, with a performance of 5.845 at 250.41. He then outran Dave Pierce in the opening round with an effort of 5.851 at 250.18.
“We’re not the fastest car out here,” Coughlin said. “We’re just trying to make good, competitive runs. (Crew chief) Steve (Petty), Mike, Kyle and those guys are doing a fantastic job on this thing. They’re giving us a race car that’s been repeatable. We’re not the fastest hot rod through all these laps, but it’s the most consistent, and I know when I pull up to stage that they’ve given me a good hot rod. This Corvette is pretty mean.”
With a victory Sunday, Coughlin can continue to gain ground on series leader Rickie Smith, who lost in the first round of the Charlotte race but advanced to the second round in the St. Louis eliminations. Janis, who finished runner-up in the Charlotte eliminations, trails Smith by 35 points in second.
“We’re getting closer, we’re inching up on Rickie’s heels,” said Coughlin, who trails Smith by 59 points. “We’re chewing on Rickie’s heels, as they say. He has done an awesome job this year, but we want to chase him down and make him earn it. Mike Janis, Steve Matusek, there are a handful of guys who have the opportunity to jump up and win this thing. I’m happy as heck to be one of them.”
Other first round winners of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals eliminations included Von Smith, Dan Stevenson, Todd Tutterow, Don Walsh Mike Knowles and Kevin Fiscus. Sunday’s semifinal pairings in the category include Coughlin vs. V. Smith; R. Smith vs. Stevenson; Tutterow vs. Walsh; and Knowles vs. Fiscus.
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MADISON, Ill. — Final finish order (1-16) at the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
PRO MODIFIED: 1. Troy Coughlin; 2. Mike Janis; 3. Danny Rowe; 4. Steve Matusek; 5. Jim Laurita; 6. Don Walsh; 7. Von Smith; 8. Bill Glidden; 9. Steven Whiteley; 10. Rickie Smith; 11. Dan Stevenson; 12. Kevin Fiscus; 13. Mike Knowles; 14. Eric Latino; 15. Pete Farber; 16. Kenny Lang.
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MADISON, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Mike Janis, Chevy Camaro, 5.921, 244.12 def. Dan Stevenson, Camaro, 5.955, 242.06; Von Smith, Camaro, 5.963, 239.65 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.929, 244.38; Steve Matusek, Camaro, 5.973, 245.58 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 9.652, 93.18; Troy Coughlin, Chevy Corvette, 5.935, 246.84 def. Kevin Fiscus, Ford Mustang, 5.980, 245.54; Bill Glidden, Mustang, 5.952, 238.30 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 5.981, 240.17; Don Walsh, Camaro, 5.935, 246.80 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.022, 242.10; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.907, 245.76 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 14.245, 61.31; Jim Laurita, Camaro, 5.927, 240.17 def. Steven Whiteley, Camaro, 5.907, 245.85;
QUARTERFINALS — Matusek, 5.905, 248.11 def. Glidden, 5.939, 241.24; Coughlin, 5.845, 250.41 def. Walsh, 5.905, 225.18; Janis, 5.918, 246.12 def. Laurita, 5.891, 246.03; Rowe, 5.860, 248.02 def. V. Smith, 5.905, 242.63;
SEMIFINALS — Janis, 5.900, 247.11 def. Matusek, 8.445, 111.99; Coughlin, 5.881, 250.32 def. Rowe, 5.880, 246.80;
FINAL — Coughlin, 5.937, 239.14 def. Janis, 9.438, 112.11.
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MADISON, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series-
Pro Modified: 1. Rickie Smith, 561; 2. Mike Janis, 526; 3. Troy Coughlin, 502; 4. Steve Matusek, 484; 5. Danny Rowe, 462; 6. Von Smith, 448; 7. Pete Farber, 442; 8. Mike Castellana, 402; 9. Kevin Fiscus, 399; 10. Steven Whiteley, 311.
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MADISON, Ill. — First round results from the third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
ROUND ONE — Von Smith, Chevy Camaro, 5.865, 242.41 def. Steve Matusek, Camaro, 18.079, 41.54; Don Walsh, Camaro, 5.824, 250.78 def. Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.868, 246.12; Kevin Fiscus, Ford Mustang, 5.865, 248.57 def. Jason Hamstra, Mustang, 7.935, 120.16; Dan Stevenson, Camaro, 5.875, 244.92 def. Jim Laurita, Camaro, 6.786, 176.07; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.865, 245.63 def. Bill Glidden, Mustang, 5.952, 243.33; Mike Knowles, Camaro, 7.092, 173.72 def. Steven Whiteley, Camaro, 8.179, 191.70; Todd Tutterow, Camaro, 5.973, 241.28 def. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 8.188, 114.76; Troy Coughlin, Chevy Corvette, 5.851, 250.18 def. Dave Pierce, Camaro, 8.124, 118.82.
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