Jeg Coughlin and Johnny Gray during qualifying.

Including his Sportsman-level wins, Coughlin now has 64 national event victories to his credit, which also places him ninth on the all-time wins list.

This victory came at the expense of Ronnie Humphrey, V. Gaines, top qualifier Allen Johnson, whom Coughlin beat on a holeshot, and final-round foe Rickie Jones.

"We're just trying to get a car that's raceable on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Coughlin said. "We've had a car that's been like a soldier: it's gone left, it's gone right, it's gone left, it's gone right. We've told it to go left (and) it's gone right. It's been a struggle.

"But at least we've been reeling off round wins in the meantime. We changed the car completely before Atlanta and it went as straight as it has the last two or three years since we've been with the Victor Cagnazzi group."

The victory erases the memory of the NHRA tour's last stop in St. Louis where Coughlin raced to the final only to have his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt break after the launch.

"To pick up a win here today does diminish that disappointment from St. Louis," Coughlin said. "I admit that when I was backing up from my burnout in the final I thought, 'God I hope nothing goes wrong.' In this sport we're measured by ten-thousandths of a second and nickel parts. Fortunately today we were able to bring home our biggest win of 2010."

Pro Stock runner-up Rickie Jones (near lane) and V Gaines in a qualifying session. Gaines was defeated in the second round by Coughlin.