TJ Pruitt
(11-23-15) LAS VEGAS, NV – Just a few weeks removed from clinching his second NHRA Pro Mod championship, JEGS.com pro Troy Coughlin returned to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and totally dominated the ninth annual JEGS.com Street Car Super Nationals, winning the opening-day Quickest Pass Challenge, posting the fastest speed ever recorded by a doorslammer during qualifying, and winning the prestigious event outright for the third time.
“Las Vegas has been very, very good to us,” Coughlin said. “I should pick up gambling because we always seem to do well in this town. On second thought, I’ll save all my good fortune for the dragstrip; that’s much more enjoyable for me.
“We had about a perfect weekend out there, and more importantly we had a bunch of fun with all the other drivers. The pressure of the NHRA title fight was gone, and then you add in a bunch of the Outlaw guys taking their best shots and it was just a fun race to win.”
Competing in the Outlaw Pro Mod category, Coughlin started the weekend with the quickest and fastest pass of opening-day action, winning the cash prize of the Quickest Pass Challenge with a stout 5.686 at 268.38 mph.
“That deal was awesome,” Coughlin said. “You could take all the weight out of your car and just go for it. It was a no-holds-barred, lets-see-how-fast-you-are kind of a deal. Everyone was welcome to give it a shot and we came out on top, so that was cool.”
Then somehow in regular qualifying, racing back under the posted rules and proper weight requirements, Coughlin managed to improve, reaching an otherworldly 274.83-mph top speed during a 5.597-second pass, the fastest doorslammer run in recorded history.
“It never stopped pulling,” Coughlin said. “My son Troy Jr. is licensing in a Top Fuel car and said that’s the same sensation as a dragster, that it just keeps pulling and pulling. That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car. Taking the speed record back from the Aussies was a bonus.”
The big numbers kept coming in eliminations as Coughlin beat first-round opponent Brian Macy with a 5.661 at 270.75 mph. He then dismissed John Stanely with a 5.610 at 266.42 mph before taking the trophy with a 5.689 at 273.72 mph against Andrew Berry.
“The final was just like the last pass I made at The Strip in the NHRA race,” Coughlin said. “The car lifted the front end up and just held it there, which caused me to head towards the centerline. I had to completely lift to get it to settle down and then got back on it, and this beast still went 5.68 at 273 mph. It’s just an animal.
“It was a great weekend for the entire JEGS.com team, especially at a race that JEGS sponsors. Troy Jr. went four rounds and reached the semifinals in Pro Mod and we won Outlaw Pro Mod, so it definitely brought some attention to JEGS and our free same-day shipping and handling.”
Troy Jr. qualified third overall with a 5.846 at 251.95 mph in the regular Pro Mod class. He then beat Josh Vettel with a 5.913 at 250.09 mph and Dale Pedersen with a 5.820 at 253.14 mph before posting a 5.876 at 239.53 mph in a bye run that moved him into the semifinals. His streak ended there when he lost to Clint Hairston, who overcame a huge holeshot by Troy Jr. to win with a 5.759 at 253.71 mph to a 5.877 at 239.40 mph.
“Forget about me; my dad is a badass,” Troy Jr. said. “We did well in Pro Mod but he crushed Outlaw. Wow, I still get chills when I think about the 274 he ran. That’s in a door car. It’s just incredible what the guys are doing with that car.
“It was a great weekend for JEGS and we are very appreciative of everyone who raced and came out to watch. I think we put on a great show, and hopefully everyone will go to JEGS.com and do their Christmas shopping. Dad made it pretty obvious we have the best high-performance parts in the business.”
