Billy Glidden’s nitrous Mustang is showing signs of coming around. He ran a couple of 6-flat ETs at over 230 but is still a long way from competitive so far this season. (Michael Fischbeck photo) 

Jim Laurita qualified No. 2 with a 5.835 pass at 245.45 but fell to No. 15 qualifier Von Smith in the first round of eliminations. Smith ran a 5.942 at 240.94 to advance to the second round against Gainesville winner Mike Castellana. Castellana, the No. 7 seed, defeated No. 10 qualifier Don Walsh with his 6.108 run at 208.84.

Troy Coughlin (photo courtesy Jegs.com)

Troy Coughlin and his turbocharged ‘Vette went down swinging in the second round.

Coughlin, who qualified in the eight hole, was fresh off of running in his first PDRA eighth-mile event of the year the week before at Rockingham Dragway.

Facing Rickie Smith in the second round Coughlin and his Steve Petty-led team knew they had to be at their best. Coughlin was stellar on the Christmas Tree, but his Corvette overpowered the surface, allowing Smith to run away with the victory.

"We definitely went down throwing the best punches we could and the hardest punches we could," Coughlin said. "Didn't land a couple of them, I guess."

Coughlin left first with a .025-second reaction time, half of Smith's .050, but Coughlin's car moved right toward the wall and he was forced to get out of the gas.

Of Smith and the nitrous cars "They can be beat," Coughlin said. "His car today is just really fast; the nitrous cars are just fast. We're going to keep picking at this thing (his car). We're trying to make it accelerate better and work quicker in the front half of the track.”