Some of the best side-by-side racing of the weekend was found in the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman classes, which each featured record bump spots for the 32-car qualified fields. Spradlin, of Ranburne, Ala., ran deep into the six-second zone all weekend including a 6.81 elapsed time in the final round against Thomas Levatino.

In Top Sportsman, Team JEGS driver Mike Coughlin drove to the final round of a JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals event for the fifth time in the last six years, but had to settle for a runner-up finish after losing a close racer against Barker, the reigning Division 2 champion, who hails from Warner Robins, Ga.

“Obviously, it would have been great to get another win here in Belle Rose, but we came up a little short today,” said Coughlin.

“This was my first race of the season so it would be hard to complain about a runner-up finish. My JEGS.com Cobalt ran flawlessly all weekend. I’m not sure if this will be my last race in Top Sportsman but if it is, it was a great way to go out. I have been a big fan of these [SPORTSnationals] races since the beginning and I’m already looking forward to the next one.”

Coughlin has already announced plans to compete in the Top Dragster class this season and he is expecting to make his debut shortly.  

The Top Sportsman class also featured Mike’s older brother, Troy Coughlin, who is making his first competitive runs on his all-new JEGS.com Pontiac GXP.

“We had a pretty good day today,” said Mike. “My car ran exactly the way we expected it to run and I am qualified in the top half of the field, which is always a good place to be. We initially didn’t expect to have Troy at this event but I’m glad he was able to make it."

The JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals attracted a record field of nearly 600 competitors from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The next SPORTSnationals race will be the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals at Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., April 17-19. The JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals will be held at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 25-27.