Troy Coughlin's best pass not enough for first-round win
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 24) -- The twin-turbo experiment continued for Troy Coughlin at this weekend's 38th annual ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Running a combination that no one has ever used before in his JEGS.com Pontiac GTO Pro Mod car, Coughlin steadily improved throughout the weekend, running his best time and speed in the first round of eliminations. Unfortunately, the best E.T. of the entire race was posted by his opponent, send Coughlin home early.
After qualifying No. 15 with a 6.476 at 227.04 mph, Coughlin started Saturday night's eliminations with a much-improved 6.293 at 232.11 mph. But class superstar Jay Payne was prepared as well, and his whopping 5.947 at 242.15 mph was simply too much for Coughlin's charge. Nevertheless, the veteran racer from Delaware, Ohio, was pleased with his team's effort.
"Truth be known, we're probably not ready to contend just yet," Coughlin said. "We're just inching up on what this set-up wants. We add more coals to the fire and it spins the tires, so we have to add power in very small increments and figure out another way to slow down the tire speed.
"We could just choke it down, leave 600-700 horsepower on the table, and make it down the track every time with a 6.30, but I'm not out here to race like that. I'm out here to kick butt and believe me, when we get this thing figured out, it's going to be so bad-ass. I can't wait. It's exciting, and that potential is what keeps us so driven."
The AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge takes a week off before returning to action July 6-8 at the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
