ATLANTA (May 14) — Troy Coughlin knew his turbo-charged small block JEGS.com Pontiac GTO had a big run in it and his prophecy came true when he needed it most as the past NMCA world champion scored a huge round one victory Saturday night at Atlanta Dragway to advance in Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series action.
After Coughlin qualified seventh with a 6.008-second pass at a whopping 249.16 mph, crew chief Jake Hairston and crewman Brian Metzenheim managed to squeeze a little more out of their combination to produce a 5.965 at 248.11 mph in the first round of eliminations. The number was more than enough to dismiss opponent Don Martin, who got loose early in his run and gave up, coasting across in 8.263 at 111.14 mph.
“It seems like every time Jake and Brian touch this thing, it picks up a little bit more and a little bit more,” Coughlin said. “We ended up hurting the engine yesterday. They put the second engine in and it seems to be running as good as the first one. I tell you, it’s really exciting to see this thing run.
“It’s funny because everyone is always asking me when my new car is going to get done. I get a lot of, ‘You guys are crazy.’ I keep saying this car has potential to be a bigger runner than it is right now. The new car is not going to be done until after Norwalk, and that’s okay with me. We’ve found the sweet spot on this car and hopefully we can maintain it.”
Coughlin will try for his second round win of the season early Sunday afternoon when he races Melanie Troxel in quarterfinal action. Troxel, who made the field as an alternate, upset Mike Janis in the opening round with a 6.014 at 243.24 mph.
Pro Mod action should resume around 1:30 p.m. at Atlanta Dragway.
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Office: 800.345.4545 (#3, ext 412)
Mobile: 614.595.1820
Fax: 740.362.5507
Email: jegspr@aol.com < mailto:jegspr@aol.com > -or- scott.woodruff@jegs.com < mailto:scott.woodruff@jegs.com >