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LAS VEGAS, NV (OCTOBER 30th, 2017) - The NHRA completed their Pro Modified race season at the Toyota Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend. Four PLR Hemi-powered race cars made it into eliminations and one brought home the most coveted prize in Pro Mod racing.
Shane Molinari qualified number one in Pro Mod with a remarkable 5.80 @ 255 mph, Troy Coughlin got in with a 5.84 @ 253 mph to take the number 5 spot, Michael Biehle II was able to hold down the number ten slot with a 5.89 @ 251 mph and last but not least, Sidnei Frigo qualified twelfth with a 5.89 @ 250 mph.
In the first round of eliminations, Coughlin and the Jegs.com C7 Corvette, tuned by Steve Petty, eliminated Frigo with a 5.80 @ 255 mph to Frigo’s 5.86 @ 252 mph, Molinari secured a round one win over Danny Rowe with a 5.88 @ 252 mph. Unfortunately, Biehle was unable to push through to get the victory in E1 against Rickie Smith.
Going into round two of eliminations, Molinari was up against Harry Hruska but was unable to pull out a victory. Coughlin matched up against Mike Castellana. Coughlin and Castellana have battled it out this year for the points lead and Troy was only up 26 points going into the final race. If Coughlin pulled off a win he’d win the J&A Services Pro Mod Championship, if Castellana won he’d have to go one more round to secure the top spot.
Coughlin jumped out to an early advantage with a 0.030 RT and withheld the lead to move him into the next round with a 5.836 @ 255.29 mph to Castellana’s 5.837 @ 249 mph and take his third NHRA Pro Mod Championship.
Coughlin matched up against Harry Hruska in E3, Coughlin jumped out to an early lead with a 0.066 RT and never looked back from there. Coughlin took the round win with a 5.84 @ 254 mph to move him onto his second final appearance in a row. In the finals, Coughlin faced Steve Jackson and gave up the win when his car suffered a mechanical issue and he was forced to abort the run.
Congratulations to JEGS Performance team and everyone involved in this epic battle for a J&A Services Pro Mod Championship. “It takes an absolute army of people to get to this point, From Steve Petty (Crew Chief), Mike Rees and Kyle Pettis, to my brothers and my wife and kids, to the 400-plus associates we have at JEGS Mail Order, on through to all of our incredible partners with the race team, we all did this together.” said Troy. “It was a struggle every race. We had some rule changes to deal with at the start of the year, then they threw some more at us late in the season, but somehow these guys kept focused and together with everyone at Pro Line and FuelTech, we figured out a way to win.”
This is Troy Coughlin and Steve Petty’s third Pro Mod Championship in the last six years together. Also this is Petty’s second Championship of the year, one in PDRA Pro Boost and now one in NHRA Pro Mod. It takes someone to be really dedicated and mentally focused to do something at this caliber. Congratulations again to all involved in this roller-coaster ride of a season. We’re looking forward to see what next year holds for Team Jegs.
