SMITH TAKES NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION BUT IS ONE OF SIX TOP SEEDS TO LOSE IN THE FIRST ROUND IN J&A SERVICE PRO MOD RACING AT NORWALK
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NORWALK, Ohio – Defending world champion Rickie Smith claimed the No. 1 qualifying position but then lost his first round matchup to Troy Coughlin Saturday during the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing is presented by The Real Pro Mod Association.
Coughlin used a holeshot start in his JEGS.com Corvette to hold off the quicker IDG Chevy Camaro at the finish line at Summit Motorsports Park. Coughlin finished in 5.859 seconds at 250.18 mph to pass Smith’s machine, which finished in a quicker but losing 5.856 at 247.88 at the finish line.
“It was awesome just to get qualified and then to take out Rickie in the first round,” Coughlin said. “I mean, he’s a five-star racer, I mean he is a true gem. It was a great win for the JEGS team and Rickie is fast, there’s no doubt about it, but we had a little more luck go our way.”
Coughlin’s victory was one of six upsets in the first round of Pro Mod racing. Others to win from the bottom of the ladder included No. 14 qualifier Mike Castellana defeating Pete Farber, No. 12 Troy Coughlin Jr. defeating Jim Whiteley, No. 11 Dan Stevenson outran Kevin Fiscus, No. 10 Robert Patrick beat Mike Knowles and No. 9 Khalid alBalooshi powered by Danny Rowe.
The only two favored seeds to win were No. 2 qualifier Mike Janis who beat Clint Satterfield and No. 4 Bob Rahaim, who knocked off Billy Glidden.
Sunday’s second round pairings include Janis vs. Patrick; Rahaim vs. Coughlin Jr.; Castellana vs. Stevenson; and Coughlin vs. alBalooshi.
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NORWALK, Ohio — First round results from the ninth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, the sixth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
ROUND ONE — Khalid alBalooshi, Chevy Camaro, 5.907, 247.57 def. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.947, 247.11; Robert Patrick Jr., Ford Mustang, 5.948, 241.15 def. Mike Knowles, Mustang, 11.810, 69.58; Dan Stevenson, Camaro, 5.969, 241.11 def. Kevin Fiscus, Mustang, 5.931, 247.57; Troy Coughlin Jr., Chevy Corvette, 5.901, 250.18 def. Jim Whiteley, Chevy Chevelle, 5.866, 244.03; Bob Rahaim, Corvette, 5.824, 246.66 def. Bill Glidden, Mustang, 5.909, 223.32; Mike Castellana, Corvette, 5.922, 243.41 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 5.910, 247.79; Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.867, 246.80 def. Clint Satterfield, Pontiac Firebird, 7..362, 136.69; Troy Coughlin, Corvette, 5.859, 250.27 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.856, 247.88.
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