Coughlin off to fast start with second Super Gas victory

Coughlin off to fast start with second Super Gas victory

 

NORWALK, Ohio (May 19) – On a weekend when his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. recorded his 500th career round-win en route to a Pro Stock victory at the NHRA Kansas Nationals, third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr. reached the winner’s circle himself at the Mickey Mart Rewards Cavalcade of Stars in Norwalk.

 

Coughlin scored a Super Gas victory at the Division 3 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event by running right on the 9.90 index in the final round with his yellow and black JEGS.com Corvette to defeat Doug Kroft’s 9.92.

 

“What a great weekend,” Coughlin said. “This is a big weight off my shoulders. I have wanted to win one of these [NHRA Lucas Oil] races for the longest time. My grandfather, my dad, and all of my uncles have won points meets in Division 3 and now I have one of my own. I’ve come close a few times but now we were able to close the deal, and it was great to do it in Super Gas because our family has had so much success in this class.

 

“To win on the same day that Jeg won his 500th round in Pro Stock is also a big honor. That’s something not many racers ever get to do. It was a great day for the JEGS Mail Order brand. We love to race as a family, but we love to win as a family even more.”

 

The race annually features the largest crowd among the 45 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events, but the big audience did not distract Coughlin, who relied on the tuning expertise of crew chief Jay Schroeder to record six runs between 9.902 and 9.929 during eliminations.

 

“I owe so much of the credit for this to the crew at JEGS,” Coughlin said. “Everyone from my crew chief Jay Schroeder to Rick Rossiter and Greg Cody to the guys back at the shop, the men in yellow and black really delivered on this one.”

 

In addition, Coughlin reached the third round of Super Comp behind the wheel of his JEGS.com dragster, and on Friday he went three rounds in the completion race of the postponed Indianapolis event.

 

After this victory and his win in March at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., Troy Jr. is on a fast track toward reaching his goal of a top-10 finish in Super Gas this year.

 

“Right now I’m meeting my goals, but it’s still way too early to start talking about a championship,” Coughlin said. “I’m sure these points will come in handy later in the year, though.”

 

Coughlin’s uncle Mike drove his JEGS.com Chevy Camaro Top Sportsman entry at the event. He qualified No. 4 in the quick field with a 6.69 but lost his opening-round encounter against Tim Molnar.

 

IZOD IndyCar Series at a Glance

FACT SHEET: IZOD IndyCar Series at a Glance
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States. It offers one of the most
diverse and challenging schedules in motorsports with races held on ovals, permanent road courses and
temporary street courses. The world-renowned Indianapolis 500 Mile Race serves as the centerpiece of the
IZOD IndyCar Series schedule each year.
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES: THE DRIVERS
FACT: The IZOD IndyCar Series continues to attract a diverse lineup of drivers including Marco
Andretti, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Tony
Kanaan, Graham Rahal, Will Power and Helio Castroneves.
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES: CARS AND PERFORMANCE
FACT: The IZOD IndyCar Series features open-wheel, single-seat, open-cockpit cars with front
and rear wings (pictured below).
FACT: IZOD IndyCar Series cars feature a 2.2-liter, turbocharged, direct injected V-6 engine
optimized to run 12,000 RPM. Honda and Chevrolet are the engine manufacturers for the
IZOD IndyCar Series.
FACT: IZOD IndyCar Series cars run on E85 fuel
FACT: IZOD IndyCar Series cars produce approximately 500-700 horsepower
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES FAST FACTS
FACT: IZOD IndyCar Series cars generate 5,000 pounds of downforce at 220 mph, enough to
allow the car to run upside down if that speed is maintained.
FACT: Each of the six pistons in an IZOD IndyCar Series engine travels nearly 1 mile up and
down in the cylinder every minute.
FACT: An IZOD IndyCar Series car accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than three seconds,
more than nine seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo street car
to reach the same speed.
THE IZOD INDYCAR SERIES IN 2013
FACT: The IZOD IndyCar Series schedule is comprised of 19 races, including:
 The 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 26
 16 events, 14 in the United States; 1 race in Canada and Brazil
 6 ovals
 3 permanent road courses
 7 temporary street courses
FACT: ABC and NBC Sports Network provide comprehensive high-definition coverage of the
IZOD IndyCar Series, including a motorsports first 360-degree HD in-car camera.

Topeka race yields a historic day for Pro Stock winner Coughlin

Topeka race yields a historic day for Pro Stock winner Coughlin

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19) – On the day when Jeg Coughlin Jr. collected his 500th round win in Pro Stock, he more importantly won the NHRA Kansas Nationals Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka, his first win of the season and first in the JEGS/Mopar Dodge Avenger.

 

“We’ve been knocking on the door all year,” said Coughlin, who last won at the Brainerd event in 2010. “We’ve had our ups and downs and never quite been able to seal the deal and get a race win. We came out of a test in Tulsa earlier this week really happy with what we had and were extremely aggressive all four runs.”

 

Coughlin’s final-round race against teammate Allen Johnson was a Pro Stock battle for the history books. Both drivers had .013 second reaction times and raced door-to-door down to the quarter mile.

 

“A.J.’s had my number this year,” Coughlin said. “We’ve met three times already and he’s got the best of us. So it felt great to get that win in the final round.

 

“That final round ranks up there with some of the best races I’ve ever won.”

 

Coughlin crossed the finish line in 6.680 seconds at 206.20 mph, a nose ahead of Johnson, who finished in 6.698 seconds at 206.57 mph.

 

“As many times has he and I have gone head-to-head in 2013, we’ve been so evenly matched,” Coughlin said. “I knew if I could be .015 on the tree or better, I’d be ok. It was a drag race exactly how you’d script it. We were welded together from start to finish. Fortunately the yellow and black car got the nod today.

 

“I could hear him over there, but we were able to stay out front.”

 

On the way to his 53rd career Pro Stock victory and second place in the class standings, Coughlin knocked off Greg Stanfield, Rickie Jones and Vincent Nobile.

 

“It almost brought a tear my eye to see the win light come on for our 500th round win,” Coughlin said. “Then any day you are hoisting a Wally at the end – it’s what you yearn for. Today was extra special for a lot of reasons. To win a Wally at the end of the day has been exactly what the doctor ordered.”

 

Coughlin opened the day against Stanfield and set the tone for what was going to be a long day for the rest of the class. In the first round, Coughlin got a sizable jump off the starting line and never looked back.

 

The JEGS.com Avenger crossed the finish line in 6.677 seconds at 206.76 mph with Stanfield in his tracks with a 6.711 at 205.51 mph.

 

It was more of the same in the second round, when Coughlin out-paced Jones to hit the 500 career round win milestone. Jones left first, but Coughlin’s Dodge had too much under the hood. Coughlin finished in 6.680 seconds at 206.39 mph while Jones crossed in 6.719 seconds at 205.88 mph.

 

The JEGS/Mopar Avenger got quicker in the semis, and needed every faction of a second to get around fellow Dodge driver Nobile. Nobile cut a .003 second light to Coughlin’s .013 reaction time, but Coughlin erased the deficit by the 60-foot mark and pulled away to a pass of 6.665 seconds at 207.18 mph. Nobile finished with a 6.686 at 206.42 mph.

 

 

“I’ve been blessed to have a great career,” Coughlin said. “My family has been behind me 100 percent. They are as much a part of this win as anyone.”

 

Up next for Coughlin and the JEGS.com Avenger team is the May 30-June 2 Toyota Summernationals from Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.

 

AUTO CLUB’S HIGHT RUNNER-UP AT KANSAS NATIONALS

AUTO CLUB’S HIGHT RUNNER-UP AT KANSAS NATIONALS

 

TOPEKA, KS —- For the third time in four years Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team were running for the money on Sunday afternoon at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Facing veteran Johnny Gray and his Pitch Energy Dodge Charger in the final round Hight had lane choice but for the first time in four final round meetings Gray took the win.  Gray posted a solid 4.067 second pass as Hight’s Mustang smoked the tires for the first time this weekend.

“I really believed we were going to get this one today. Not to take anything away from Johnny Gray. If this thing would have made a run like it had been all day we would have given Johnny a better race,” said Hight, the 2010 and 2011 Kansas Nationals winner. “It is hard to explain why we do well here. I don’t really know why. We have had some team members through the years that have been from this part of the country. This is just a great race track. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock has won here in Top Fuel and Funny Car.”

Hight took out Jeff Arend in the first round and then outran BobTasca III’s Ford Mustang Funny Car in the second round. Hight’s semi-final race was a monster John Force Racing versus Don Schumacher Racing match-up. Hight was giving away lane choice to Capps but Prock had the Auto Club Mustang ready. It blasted down the track in 4.044 second nearly equaling John Force’s track record ET set yesterday.

“I just kept expecting good runs. I look at the data with Jimmy and I see what he is trying to do. You can see the potential if we just get the back half right. It wasn’t surprising. I honestly thought if we got it right in the final it was going to run better than that,” said Hight.

“It was cool at driver introductions this morning Capps came up to me and said it was good to have us back. That just shows the class of the guys we race. I am sure if we start really doing well he is going to take that back,” joked Hight. “It is cool that he noticed we had improved and said something. Right before the semi-finals he came up and said he just saw a smile on Jimmy’s face. It is noticeable that the Auto Club team is back.”

Hight moved up on the Mello Yello point standings from 8th to 7th and now has a firm position in the Top Ten heading into a critical stretch of the season. For his entire Auto Club team the qualifying success and then race day success really had an impact.

“Without a doubt having a weekend like this is great. Now it is just a matter of time. We are going to win some races. To come in here and just hit it that first run was big. If we wouldn’t have had a good run who knows how this weekend would have gone. If we would have missed it and then had to start working on it,” said Hight.

“That first run is just huge. The biggest thing is how this weekend affected by team. We had a big team meeting in Indy. When you are struggling team morale is down and you are just working harder. Things just aren’t right. We decided to come in here with a new combination and a new attitude. It is pretty cool to see some smiles on all these guys’ faces. I believe we will see smiles for a long time to come.”

John Force led the team in qualifying grabbing the top spot in qualifying with a track record 4.043 on Saturday. Force opened Sunday with a win over former teammate Tony Pedregon. In the second round Force was outrun by Jack Beckman due to a wiring malfunction in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. At the end of the day the 15-time champion was pleased with the overall improvement in all his cars.

“Any time you can get a race car to the final that is part of the game plan. Winning is the icing on the cake. It is important to get the exposure for the sponsors like Auto Club, Ford, Castrol and Traxxas. We made some changes to our chassis and with our tune-up. We had a lot of meetings and got a game plan,” said Force, the nine-time Kansas Nationals winner. “To come out and be 1-2-3 in qualifying shows that we are moving in the right direction. We are starting to go rounds and get those extra runs down the race track without smoking the tires. All four of our race cars are testing tomorrow.  That takes budget but we have to do it to get the runs and get where we want to be at the end of the season.”

The winningest driver in NHRA history was pleased that the entire event was able to be completed. It was the first time in a month that all qualifying sessions were run and there were no interruptions on race day for weather.

“It was not only important for the teams and the crew chiefs to be able to make good decisions. It is just getting seat time. That is a big deal especially for a driver like Brittany who is a rookie,” said Force. “Courtney has some experience from last year but getting runs is critical. Mostly getting a full event in is good for the sport. If the fans can’t have a show and what they buy the ticket for then they won’t come back. They put on a good show here at Heartland Park Topeka.”

Courtney Force qualified in the No. 2 spot coming into race day and took on Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round for the first time ever. Force took the win with a 4.136 ET at 311.63 mph and moved on to the next round.

“We came out strong in eliminations. Our cars qualified 1, 2 and 3 and all of our Funny Cars got past first round. It was a great start to the day. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang machine was running strong. We had a problem with a dropped cylinder on the first pass, which slowed us down a little, but we were still able to get the win over Creasy,” said Force.

“It was tough racing him because my brother-in-law Danny, his dad works on that team. It’s like second family over there and it makes it that much tougher when you have to race family,” said Force.

Force had Ron Capps in the next round of eliminations. Force lost lane choice and ran a 4.233 ET at 300.73 mph after dropping a cylinder and getting close to the wall.

“We went up second round and did the best we could. Capps and I both struggled getting it down the track. My Traxxas car dropped a cylinder and pulled me over to the wall so I just tried to drive it back to the center of the groove, but it just wasn’t enough to get that win light.

“We’re coming out here tomorrow to test. We’re excited for that. I know we’ve got a great hot rod, we just have to have a little bit more next time. I’m ready to get these problems squared away and move on to Englishtown,” said Force.

In Top Fuel Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fueler ran into a tough first round opponent, Khalid alBalooshi racing for Al-Anabi Racing. Both Top Fuel dragsters launched together but unfortunately for the rookie driver the maroon and gold alBalooshi dragster pulled away.

For Force just getting four qualifying runs was a win.

“We have been losing runs in qualifying because of weather. It was great to get four runs in qualifying and we made good runs. We are in the low 4.80s and I am getting experience which is important,” said Force.

Coughlin wins 500th round, receives congratulations from legend John Force

Coughlin wins 500th round, receives congratulations from legend John Force

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19) – With his second-round victory over Rickie Jones Sunday at the NHRA Kansas Nationals, Jeg Coughlin Jr. reached the 500 career round win plateau in Pro Stock.

 

“It’s been a product of 15 years of dedication from a lot of great teams I have worked with,” Coughlin said. “It’s a testament to them from our family teams in the beginning to the Cagnazzi group, Schumacher and now with Allen Johnson.”

 

Funny Car legend John Force, who has more than 1,000 round wins to his credit was one of the first to welcome Coughlin to the NHRA’s 500 club.

 

“It’s been well earned by him,” Force said. “What he needs to do is not do what I did and run down the road and forget all about that. Take a few days and enjoy what you accomplished. Once it has been a week, you move on to the next race.

 

“We are all proud of him and his whole family. Enjoy this day.”

 

The 500 round wins have helped produce 52 class wins and four championships for Coughlin, who currently drives the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger.

 

“We do take trips down memory lane occasionally and this is one of those times,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been fortunate to win a lot of great races and winning a lot of great championships. It’s a testament to everyone who have been behind us all those years.”

 

Rain Forces Orange County Fair Speedway Event to Monday

Rain Forces Orange County Fair Speedway Event to Monday

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars Return to Middletown Delayed One Day

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — May 19, 2013 — World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and Orange County Fair Speedway officials were forced to postpone Sunday’s event after a steady rain pushed through the area and drenched the track. With more rain in the forecast on Sunday, officials decided to delay the event to Monday.

All event times remain the same for Monday. Spectator gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. with racing on track set to begin at 6 p.m.

Entering Monday’s action, Daryn Pittman sits atop the championship point standings with 3,263 points and holds a 145-point lead over Paul McMahan. Donny Schatz’s season seems to have turned a corner as a string of strong finishes, including a thrilling victory Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway, has launched him up the standings and now trails McMahan by just 5 points.

Tuesday night the World of Oultaws STP Sprint Car Series invades New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Classic before heading into the heart of NASCAR country on Friday for the Circle K/NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

BOWERSOCK COMPLETES ELDORA 3-2-1 COUNTDOWN

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOWERSOCK COMPLETES ELDORA 3-2-1 COUNTDOWN 

Mobil 1 Family Fun Night Doubleheader Action Entertains Huge Crowd as Fireworks Fill the Skies

 

ROSSBURG, OH (May 18) – While Jerry Bowersock (UMP DIRTcar Modified) completed his 3-2-1 countdown, Barney Craig (Stock Car) remained stuck on number 1 in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Family Fun Night feature race action at Eldora Speedway.

 

In the three Modified events this season, veteran Bowersock (Wapakoneta, OH) finished third on opening night, second two weeks ago and then this week was the top of the class as the 25-car field went non-stop for 18 laps around the .500-mile clay oval.   The checkered flag marked victory number 25 for Bowersock, moving him into third behind Scott Orr (34) and Brian Ruhlman (28).

 

Brent Hole charged from his outside pole position at the green flag to take the early lead, while pole-sitter Zach Schroeder followed in close pursuit.   Before two laps could be completed, Bowersock had already moved from seventh to runner-up.  Keeping him within site was opening night feature winner Brian Post as he chose the same line around the lightning quick track.

 

As Hole continued to rule top spot, Bowersock and Post soon found a new player, as quick qualifier of the night, Matt Westfall joined in to create a trio of challengers for Hole.

 

Lap after lap, Hole maintained control; until the half-way mark on lap nine, as Bowersock pulled off the pass that would take him to the checkered flag.  One lap later Westfall inched ahead of Post, and then two laps after that got by Hole for second, but by that time Bowersock had built up an insurmountable lead; especially with no caution flag periods to slow the pace.

 

Bowersock used his knowledge of Eldora to master the lapped traffic, which placed three cars between himself and Westfall coming down for the checkered flag.   Following them across the line were Post and Aaron Orr, who came on strong in the closing laps.  Schroeder hung on for a top five finish, while Hole slipped back to sixth.

 

Attrition was the keyword in the Stock Car finale as only eleven of the 21 starters were around at the finish.   Seven caution flags slowed the pace.

 

Those yellow flags may have slowed up the race, but it had no slowing effect on Craig (Lima, OH) who made it three-for-three in feature race action on the young season.

 

The first yellow came out before one lap could be completed, as a spin up in front of the field created a chain reaction that collected a total of seven cars.   As the green unfurled one more time, it was lights out for the balance of the field, as third-place starter Craig got by Earnie Woodard and Jordan Conover down the back stretch to take the lead that he held to the finish.

 

Lady luck finally dealt Woodard a good hand this week.   He found himself on the top end of a five-car battle that had the huge crowd cheering.

 

While Craig was out creating a new zip code for himself, Woodard, Jordan Conover, Jeremy Creech, Shawn Phillippi and Paul Pardo waged a wild race to determine who would follow Craig and in what order.   Woodard hung on to finish ahead of Creech and Conover, as Phillippi and Pardo completed the top six.

 

Bowersock and Craig shared their celebration as a tremendous fireworks extravaganza filled the skies in an annual Family Fun Night tradition.

 

Eldora returns back to action with a rare Sunday night showing next weekend (May 26) for the four-division Johnny Appleseed Classic by Miller Lite.   Tickets for that event, or any of the other remaining Eldora contests, along with campsites, may be purchased online around the clock at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or during normal business hours by calling the track office (937)338-3815.

 

                                                                                                -E-

Event: MOBIL 1 FAMILY FUN NIGHT Date: May 18, 2013 UMP DIRTcar MODIFIED

TIME TRIALS – 1. 54-Matt Westfall [17.309]; 2. 5JB-Jerry Bowersock [17.697]; 3. 188-Aaron Orr [17.717]; 4. 15-Nick Katterhenry [17.777]; 5. 45P-Brian Post [17.782]; 6. 18-Ryan Sutter [17.787]; 7. 0-Brent Hole [17.833]; 8. 55S-Zach Schroeder [17.886]; 9. 00-Dave Daughtery [17.895]; 10. 23J-Jon Henry [17.936]; 11. 36-Brandon Vaughan [18.003]; 12. 31J-John Brooks [18.081]; 13. 1SB-Steve Billenstein [18.123]; 14. 26-Mike Dirksen [18.129]; 15. 4J-David Treon, Jr [18.159]; 16. 1SW-Scott Williams [18.168]; 17. 5X-Tim Richardson [18.279]; 18. 05-David Smith [18.280]; 19. 20-Josh Morton [18.308]; 20. 52-John Phlipot, Jr [18.312]; 21. 18L-Randy Lines [18.579]; 22. 79-Shane Unger [18.788]; 23. 35-Tim Cornett [18.886]; 24. 21M-Donnie Miller [18.967]; 25. 28P-Nick Price [99.999];

HEAT 1 – 1. 54-Matt Westfall [5]; 2. 1SB-Steve Billenstein [2]; 3. 45P-Brian Post [4]; 4. 00-Dave Daughtery [3]; 5. 18L-Randy Lines [6]; 6. 28P-Nick Price [7]; 7. 5X-Tim Richardson [DNF];

HEAT 2 – 1. 5JB-Jerry Bowersock [5]; 2. 05-David Smith [1]; 3. 23J-Jon Henry [3]; 4. 26-Mike Dirksen [2]; 5. 79-Shane Unger [6]; 6. 18-Ryan Sutter [4];

HEAT 3 – 1. 4J-David Treon, Jr [2]; 2. 20-Josh Morton [1]; 3. 0-Brent Hole [4]; 4. 188-Aaron Orr [5]; 5. 35-Tim Cornett [6]; 6. 36-Brandon Vaughan [3];

HEAT 4 – 1. 1SW-Scott Williams [2]; 2. 55S-Zach Schroeder [4]; 3. 52-John Phlipot, Jr [1]; 4. 15-Nick Katterhenry [5]; 5. 31J-John Brooks [3]; 6. 21M-Donnie Miller [6];

A FEATURE – 1. 5JB-Jerry Bowersock [7]; 2. 54-Matt Westfall [8]; 3. 45P-Brian Post [4]; 4. 188-Aaron Orr [6]; 5. 55S-Zach Schroeder [1]; 6. 0-Brent Hole [2]; 7. 18-Ryan Sutter [3]; 8. 15-Nick Katterhenry [5]; 9. 23J-Jon Henry [10]; 10. 1SW-Scott Williams [16]; 11. 00-Dave Daughtery [9]; 12. 31J-John Brooks [12]; 13. 18L-Randy Lines [20]; 14. 05-David Smith [17]; 15. 20-Josh Morton [18]; 16. 1SB-Steve Billenstein [13]; 17. 36-Brandon Vaughan [11]; 18. 26-Mike Dirksen [14]; 19. 52-John Phlipot, Jr [19]; 20. 4J-David Treon, Jr [15]; 21. 5X-Tim Richardson [25]; 22. 21M-Donnie Miller [23]; 23. 79-Shane Unger [21]; 24. 35-Tim Cornett [DNF]; 25. 28P-Nick Price [DNF];

STOCK CAR

TIME TRIALS – 1. 71C-Barney Craig [19.816]; 2. 01-Earnie Woodard [19.931]; 3. 7-Jordan Conover [19.960]; 4. 00-Dean Pitts [20.002]; 5. 410-Paul Pardo [20.047]; 6. 61-Rob Trent [20.174]; 7. 8C-Brad Conover [20.453]; 8. 17-Jeremy Creech [20.505]; 9. 5G-Anthony Goode [20.615]; 10. 36-Adam Schaeff [20.880]; 11. 20-Shawn Phillipi [20.946]; 12. 51-Cody Timmerman [21.140]; 13. 23-Casey Barr [21.257]; 14. 27-Frank Paladino [21.451]; 15. 19-Wayne Williams [21.844]; 16. 65-Rodney Lacey [22.285]; 17. 7D-Dan Wooten [99.999]; 18. 53-Jan Launder [99.999]; 19. 1W-Mark Wooten [99.999]; 20. 49-Eric Sandlin [99.999]; 21. 77-Corey Wooten [99.999]; 22. 82-Chris Douglas [99.999]; 23. 58-Alex Peace [99.999];

HEAT 1 – 1. 71C-Barney Craig [5]; 2. 00-Dean Pitts [4]; 3. 36-Adam Schaeff [2]; 4. 82-Chris Douglas [8]; 5. 23-Casey Barr [1]; 6. 65-Rodney Lacey [6]; 7. 8C-Brad Conover [DNF]; 8. 1W-Mark Wooten [DNS];

HEAT 2 – 1. 20-Shawn Phillipi [2]; 2. 410-Paul Pardo [4]; 3. 7D-Dan Wooten [6]; 4. 01-Earnie Woodard [5]; 5. 27-Frank Paladino [1]; 6. 17-Jeremy Creech [3]; 7. 58-Alex Peace [DNF]; 8. 49-Eric Sandlin [DNS];

HEAT 3 – 1. 5G-Anthony Goode [3]; 2. 61-Rob Trent [4]; 3. 7-Jordan Conover [5]; 4. 19-Wayne Williams [1]; 5. 51-Cody Timmerman [DNF]; 6. 77-Corey Wooten [DNF]; 7. 53-Jan Launder [DNS];

A FEATURE – 1. 71C-Barney Craig [4]; 2. 01-Earnie Woodard [3]; 3. 17-Jeremy Creech [7]; 4. 7-Jordan Conover [2]; 5. 20-Shawn Phillipi [10]; 6. 410-Paul Pardo [5]; 7. 00-Dean Pitts [1]; 8. 82-Chris Douglas [16]; 9. 23-Casey Barr [11]; 10. 19-Wayne Williams [13]; 11. 5G-Anthony Goode [DNF]; 12. 61-Rob Trent [DNF]; 13. 65-Rodney Lacey [DNF]; 14. 58-Alex Peace [DNF]; 15. 53-Jan Launder [DNF]; 16. 36-Adam Schaeff [DNF]; 17. 27-Frank Paladino [DNF]; 18. 77-Corey Wooten [DNF]; 19. 8C-Brad Conover [DNF]; 20. 7D-Dan Wooten [DNF]; 21. 51-Cody Timmerman [DNF]; 22. 1W-Mark Wooten [DNS]; 23. 49-Eric Sandlin [DNS];

 

Rain Cuts Short World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars in Pennsylvania

Rain Cuts Short World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars in Pennsylvania

Morgan Cup Trophy event moved to July 20 at Williams Grove Speedway

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – May 18, 2013 – World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and Williams Grove Speedway officials were forced to cancel Saturday’s Morgan Cup event after late afternoon rain came through the area and drenched the track. Crews worked for several hours to try to prep the historic half-mile oval, but the conditions prevented it from being race-ready.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series returns to Williams Grove Speedway on July 19 and 20. The Morgan Cup, a traveling trophy that resides with either the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series or Williams Grove Speedway, will now be up for grabs on Saturday, July 20. In the event the A-main winner on July 20 is not a full-time Outlaw or member of the PA Posse, the winner will decide in victory lane which side will be awarded the trophy.

Friday night’s thriller won by Donny Schatz will mark the end of the spring event at Williams Grove, and the Friday purse will be adjusted upwards, which increases each position including first place from $8,000 to $10,000.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is back in action Sunday at Orange Country Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., where the drivers meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. followed by hot laps and racing. On Tuesday the series invades New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Classic.

For more information, visit http://www.WorldofOutlaws.com, or follow on Twitter @WorldofOutlaws.

FRIDAY’S ADJUSTED World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Williams Grove Speedway; Mechanicsburg, Pa.; May 17, 2013

A-Main – (25 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz [12] [$10,000]; 2. 39-Greg Hodnett [3] [$5,500]; 3. 20S-Fred Rahmer [2] [$3,200]; 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [4] [$2,800]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan [1] [$2,500]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [5] [$2,300]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7] [$2,200]; 8. 7-Craig Dollansky [8] [$2,100]; 9. 19M-Brent Marks [10] [$2,050]; 10. 1-Sammy Swindell [11] [$2,000]; 11. 1K-Kyle Larson [9] [$1,500]; 12. 71M-Joey Saldana [6] [$1,200]; 13. 11-Steve Kinser [24] [$1,100]; 14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [13] [$1,050]; 15. 21-Brian Montieth [14] [$1,000]; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart [21] [$900]; 17. 6-David Gravel [19] [$800]; 18. 4-Cody Darrah [25] [$]; 19. 7M-Chad Layton [16] [$800]; 20. 19-Stevie Smith [23] [$800]; 21. 48-Danny Dietrich [26] [$]; 22. 3-Pat Cannon [22] [$800]; 23. 69-Ryan Smith [20] [$800]; 24. 83-Tim Kaeding [15] [$800]; 25. 63-Chad Kemenah [18] [$800]; 26. 14M-Gerard McIntyre [17] [$800]; 27. 747-Davey Sammons [28] [$]; 28. 29-Kerry Madsen [27] [$]. Lap Leaders: Paul McMahan 1-10, Greg Hodnett 11-24, Donny Schatz 25. KSE Hard Charger Award: 15-Donny Schatz [+11]

Qualifying: 1. 9-Daryn Pittman, 16.534; 2. 71M-Joey Saldana, 16.565; 3. 1-Sammy Swindell, 16.643; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 16.714; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 16.774; 6. 21-Brian Montieth, 16.792; 7. 83-Tim Kaeding, 16.799; 8. 39-Greg Hodnett, 16.847; 9. 51-Paul McMahan, 16.871; 10. 20S-Fred Rahmer, 16.906; 11. 49-Brad Sweet, 16.920; 12. 7M-Chad Layton, 16.953; 13. 7-Craig Dollansky, 16.966; 14. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 16.977; 15. 1K-Kyle Larson, 16.978; 16. 19M-Brent Marks, 17.000; 17. 14M-Gerard McIntyre, 17.024; 18. 63-Chad Kemenah, 17.044; 19. 87-Alan Krimes, 17.064; 20. 6-David Gravel, 17.098; 21. 69-Ryan Smith, 17.102; 22. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 17.106; 23. 747-Davey Sammons, 17.122; 24. 27H-Mark Smith, 17.129; 25. 3-Pat Cannon, 17.133; 26. 19-Stevie Smith, 17.145; 27. 11C-Cory Haas, 17.162; 28. 7S-Jason Sides, 17.164; 29. 15A-Adam Wilt, 17.165; 30. 4-Cody Darrah, 17.170; 31. 11-Steve Kinser, 17.232; 32. 48-Danny Dietrich, 17.242; 33. 29-Kerry Madsen, 17.244; 34. 27-Lance Dewease, 17.285; 35. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr, 17.312; 36. 2-Jim Siegel, 17.313; 37. 59-Jac Haudenschild, 17.334; 38. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 17.337; 39. 1Z-Danny Lasoski, 17.362; 40. 6R-Bill Rose, 17.433; 41. 75-Nicole Bower, 17.458; 42. 99M-Kyle Moody, 17.482; 43. 13-Jason Leffler, 17.601; 44. 20-Ryan Taylor, 17.606; 45. 1A-Jacob Allen, 17.697; 46. 12W-Troy Fraker, 17.881

Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature): 1. 7-Craig Dollansky [1] 2. 51-Paul McMahan [2] 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [4] 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr [3] 5. 3-Pat Cannon [7] 6. 14M-Gerard McIntyre [5] 7. 69-Ryan Smith [6] 8. 29-Kerry Madsen [9] 9. 59-Jac Haudenschild [10] 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [12] 11. 75-Nicole Bower [11] 12. 15A-Adam Wilt [8]

Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature): 1. 11K-Kraig Kinser [1] 2. 20S-Fred Rahmer [2] 3. 21-Brian Montieth [3] 4. 19-Stevie Smith [7] 5. 71M-Joey Saldana [4] 6. 63-Chad Kemenah [5] 7. 27-Lance Dewease [9] 8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [10] 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [6] 10. 12W-Troy Fraker [12] 11. 4-Cody Darrah [8] 12. 99M-Kyle Moody [11]

Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature): 1. 1K-Kyle Larson [1] 2. 49-Brad Sweet [2] 3. 1-Sammy Swindell [4] 4. 11-Steve Kinser [8] 5. 83-Tim Kaeding [3] 6. 747-Davey Sammons [6] 7. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr [9] 8. 11C-Cory Haas [7] 9. 87-Alan Krimes [5] 10. 13-Jason Leffler [11] 11. 1Z-Danny Lasoski [10]

Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature): 1. 19M-Brent Marks [1] 2. 39-Greg Hodnett [3] 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4] 4. 7M-Chad Layton [2] 5. 6-David Gravel [5] 6. 27H-Mark Smith [6] 7. 7S-Jason Sides [7] 8. 48-Danny Dietrich [8] 9. 20-Ryan Taylor [11] 10. 2-Jim Siegel [9] 11. 6R-Bill Rose [10]

Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature): 1. 51-Paul McMahan [3] 2. 20S-Fred Rahmer [2] 3. 39-Greg Hodnett [4] 4. 9-Daryn Pittman [6] 5. 49-Brad Sweet [1] 6. 71M-Joey Saldana [5] 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8] 8. 7-Craig Dollansky [7] 9. 1K-Kyle Larson [9] 10. 19M-Brent Marks [10]

C-Main – (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature): 1. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr [1] [-]; 2. 59-Jac Haudenschild [3] [-]; 3. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [4] [$125]; 4. 2-Jim Siegel [2] [$125]; 5. 20-Ryan Taylor [8] [$125]; 6. 12W-Troy Fraker [10] [$100]; 7. 75-Nicole Bower [7] [$100]; 8. 6R-Bill Rose [6] [$100]; 9. 1Z-Danny Lasoski [5] [$100]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [9] [$100]; 11. 99M-Kyle Moody [11] [$100]; 12. 13-Jason Leffler [12] [$100]

Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature): 1. 63-Chad Kemenah [2] [-]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5] [-]; 3. 14M-Gerard McIntyre [1] [-]; 4. 69-Ryan Smith [4] [-]; 5. 4-Cody Darrah [11] [$200]; 6. 27H-Mark Smith [7] [$180]; 7. 747-Davey Sammons [6] [$175]; 8. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr [15] [$160]; 9. 48-Danny Dietrich [12] [$150]; 10. 15A-Adam Wilt [10] [$150]; 11. 11C-Cory Haas [8] [$150]; 12. 27-Lance Dewease [14] [$150]; 13. 29-Kerry Madsen [13] [$150]; 14. 59-Jac Haudenschild [16] [$150]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides [9] [$150]; 16. 87-Alan Krimes [3] [$150]

25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals : John Force Racing

25^th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals

Heartland Park Topeka

Topeka, KS
May 17-19, 2013

 

* * * *

JOHN FORCE LEADS 1-2-3 QUAL EFFORT AT KANSAS NATIONALS

TOPEKA, KS (May 18, 2013) – It was a banner day for John Force Racing as qualifying for the 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals concluded with all three JFR Ford Mustangs atop the Funny Car qualifying order. On Friday it was Robert Hight and Courtney Force sitting at the top the provisional order but today 9-time NHRA Kansas Nationals winner John Force ran 4.043 setting the track ET record en route to his 11th No.1 qualifying effort at Heartland Park Topeka. It was the 141st No. 1 of Force’s illustrious career and the first of the 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing season.

 “It was so smooth on that run I told (crew chief Mike) Neff we could go harder. He said OK but we have to race tomorrow. He slowed it down on that run and it still spun at the other end. When I went past the lights I almost got into the wall down there. When I hit the chutes it sucked me over. Neff is a real sharp cookie but I knew that. With his driving ability and what he has done as a crew chief,” said Force after his final run of the day a 4.077 second pass.

 The last time Force was No. 1 was the Chicago NHRA event in 2012. Force has won the NHRA Kansas Nationals six times from the top spot. In the first round he will face former teammate and two-time Funny Car world champion Tony Pedregon. Force holds a commanding 57-26 win record against Pedregon.

 “It was 125-126 degrees yesterday and I said that was awful hot. It ran that 4.11 which was pretty good (for the second session). Then my daughter and Robert both run in the 4.0s and I thought geez. We have been working on different chassis and they are starting to run for us. I told Neff this morning if I knew what was going on then I wouldn’t need to pay all these crew chiefs. We are a good team because we work together and we communicate. Even with all my experience I sometimes still struggle with the driving and Neff can talk to me and ask me why I am doing something in the car.”

 Force raced around his daughter, Courtney Force, and son-in-law, Hight, on the way to the top of the Funny Car field. This was the 11th time John Force Racing was 1-2-3 in Funny Car qualifying. The last time JFR achieved this feat was Houston 2010 when Force was No. 1 followed by Ashley Force Hood, then Robert Hight.

 “We are 1-2-3 and for Ford, Castrol, Traxxas, Auto Club, this means a lot. It shows that John Force still knows what to do. I surround myself with good people. I would like to take credit but credit goes to the people that give you the power. It starts at Mike Neff and then right down the line. All our crew chiefs work together from Jimmy Prock to Dean Antonelli to Ron Douglas,” said Force. “That is what it is all about. We have been struggling and I have done media stories about that. My dad always taught me when you are struggling don’t change in the middle of the stream and don’t forget which way you are going. Don’t swim backwards. The guys believe in me and I believe in them. They turned my cars around.”

Force’s on-track success meant that Arlie Ryan from Solomon, Kansas won a washer and dryer set thanks to BrandSource and the Win with Force promotion. If a JFR driver wins the race tomorrow a different lucky fan will win a 55” flat screen TV.

When qualifying was said and done, Courtney Force drove her Traxxas Ford Mustang straight down the track and claimed the No. 2 spot right. She will take on the No. 15 qualified car, that of Dale Creasy Jr., on race day. Force had an identical ET to teammate Hight but by virtue of her faster 315.56 mph she was awarded the second spot

 The 24-year-old blonde from Yorba Linda, Calif. picked up four qualifying bonus points on Friday alone, and added 2 bonus points from her fourth and final round of qualifying today at Heartland Park Topeka.

 “It feels great to come out here and make consistent runs each pass. We were trying something different on the third qualifying shot, trying to get it to go quicker down there. The track ended up being a little bit better than we expected on that run, but we came back up and improved our time. We tried to go for that top spot and we were just a little off. I wanted to steal it away from my dad and take that track record away from him, but I’m very proud of my Traxxas Ford Mustang team. I’m proud of my teammates; my dad going to the top and Robert in the No. 3 spot. It’s pretty amazing that we’ve all been running so strong out here during qualifying at Heartland Park Topeka,” said Force.

 Force has never raced Dale Creasy Jr. in previous events. Last year in 2012, Force’s rookie year, she qualified No. 8 here at Heartland Park Topeka and lost to Robert Hight in the first round.

“I’m excited to go into tomorrow. It’s going to be interesting. It’s the first time I’ll be running Dale Creasy Jr. and my brother-in-law, Danny, his dad works on that team. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be out there with my family. I’m just excited that our three John Force Racing Funny Car teams are back on top,” said Force.

 As excited as the Forces were about their respective qualifying efforts, the biggest smiles in the JFR pit area belonged to the Auto Club Mustang crewmen, crew chiefs and driver Robert Hight. Since the end of last season the team has been searching for a consistent tune-up and in the past two days the team feels like they have a good handle on one.

 “I am thrilled. This is the best four runs we’ve put together. We had the fastest car out here early on. We’ve been trying to search for that for three years. Right now, there is nobody out here that has a car as fast as us at the beginning part of the track. I’m excited and to be one, two and three with our Ford Mustangs as bad as we’ve been struggling this is a great start to the season for us,” said Hight.

 Hight is 9-1 versus veteran Jeff Arend in first round match-ups. Tomorrow will be the sixteenth meeting between Hight and Arend with Hight only having losses to the Jim Dunn backed driver.

  “When you qualify well, you know you get an easier pick. We’ll have to bring our ‘A’ game for sure but I’m excited. We do everything right, we ought to be deep in this deal and maybe meet one of my teammates in the final,” added Hight.

Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang earned eight qualifying bonus points this weekend. The last time they earned that many bonus points in one event was over a year ago at the spring NHRA event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His qualifying struggles have been well chronicled but to put this weekend’s turn around in perspective from the Sonoma event in July until the end of the season Hight’s team only earned seven qualifying bonus points.

 The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster had a pressure filled day with overcast skies threatening all day and a few brief showers halting racing action they were trying to post a time quick enough to qualify for the race. At the end of Friday’s qualifying session they were the 13^th quicket Top Fuel dragster and did not carry a time over to Saturday.

 In the first session the Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane tuned dragster went right down the track and solidified rookie Brittany Force’s position in the field. Conditions afforded the team the chance to put a little more into the tune up and with each run of the first three runs the Castrol EDGE dragster improved. In the final session the team was pressing and slowed a bit to 3.856 seconds but the pass was straight and heading into the first round Force is confident in her chances.

 “We’ve been running a pretty consistent car. We ran a 3.856 in the last run and a 3.846 in the previous run. We’re in the show and we ended up 13th. The Castrol EDGE team gets to run tomorrow so we’re pretty excited about that. We get Khalid alBalooshi in the first round and I’ve never run him before so I’m excited and looking forward to tomorrow,” said Force, who is writing a daily diary for the Topeka Capital Journal newspaper.

“I really like Khalid. I’ve talked to him quite a few times. He’s always offered help and advice if I ever needed any. He’s a great guy and I’m excited to be in the lane next to him tomorrow.”

 Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

THE DRIVERS

 JOHN FORCE, 64, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang

Final Qualifying: 1^st at 4.043 seconds, 313.22 mph

Bonus Qualifying Points: +4 (quickest of Q3 and 3^rd quickest of Q4)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Tony Pedregon (57-26)

 ROBERT HIGHT, 43, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 3^rd at 4.050 seconds at 315.12 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +8 (Quickest of Q1 and Q2; 2^nd quickest of Q3)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Jeff Arend (13-2)

 COURTNEY FORCE, 24, Traxxas Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 2^nd at 4.050 seconds, 315.56 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +7 (2^nd quickest of Q1 and Q2; quickest of Q4)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Dale Creasy Jr. (0-0)

 BRITTANY FORCE, 26, Castrol EDGE Top Fuel Dragster

Final Qualifying: 13^th at 3.846, 320.89 mph

Bonus Qualifying Points: 0

First Round Opponent (W-L): Khalid alBalooshi (0-0)

 RACE SCHEDULE:

 Sunday, May 19

 Final Eliminations                      11 a.m.

 

Landmark 500th elimination round win for Coughlin could happen Sunday

Landmark 500th elimination round win for Coughlin could happen Sunday

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 18) – Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger has consistently been one of the top cars in Pro Stock this season and the team’s fourth-place qualifying effort at the NHRA Kansas Nationals proved the point yet again.

 

“It feels real good right now,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been working on our total package, trying to put it all together: from the pits to the racetrack to the driving to qualifying to turning the win light on Sundays.”

 

Coughlin had a best pass of 6.633 seconds at 208.46 mph, missing on third place by just a fraction of his top speed as teammate Allen Johnson had an identical ET but got the third position thanks to a mph of 208.62.

 

“I’m happy with the way we’ve started here at Heartland Park,” Coughlin said. “We were second in the first session and fourth the other three runs. I’m real confident the car is going to continue to perform well, and I feel great behind the wheel. I like the total package we’ve brought to the track this weekend.

 

“We’re really not changing a whole lot on the car. It’s got some small inefficiencies we’re just trying to tweak, but we don’t want to upset the apple cart. We really feel like we’ve got a car that can go the distance.”

 

Coughlin squares off against No. 13 qualifier Greg Stanfield in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning. Coughlin and Stanfield both have reputations for having some of the best reaction times in the class, and Coughlin said he’ll be ready for a strong test from his friend.

 

“You know deep down you have to be on your best behavior,” Coughlin said. “Ultimately you have to stick to your game plan. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good game plan with the JEGS/Mopar Dodge for tomorrow and that round in particular. We’ll give it a go and see how we do.”

 

With two round wins on Sunday Coughlin will hit 500 Pro Stock rounds wins for his illustrious career.

 

“You try not to look too far ahead because when you do it can often get you into trouble,” Coughlin said. “I hope that milestone happens tomorrow, and I also hope it’s a milestone on the way to our first win of the season.”

 

Eliminations for Sunday’s NHRA Kansas Nationals get under way at 11 a.m. CDT from Heartland Park Topeka.