NHRA Pro Mods at Bristol, Tennessee

Words by Kay Burk

Photos by Chris Haverly

Troy Coughlin powered to the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series victory Sunday, June 18, at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. This Pro Mod race, presented by the Real Pro Mod Association, was the seventh of 12 events on the 2017 schedule.

Coughlin ran a 5.878-second pass at 253.09 mph in his JEGS Mail Order '15 Corvette to defeat No. 1 qualifier Shane Molinari and his S&T Truck Repair Inc. '68 Firebird’s 5.881 at 254.76 for his first win of the season.

Just a little over a week before, the 2012 and 2015 titlist was a distance fifth in the rankings, 234 points behind early-season class dominator Mike Castellana, but a runner-up finish last weekend in Englishtown, N.J., and Sunday's win at Bristol Dragway, coupled with a rough couple of races by Castellana and others ahead of him in the points, have helped Coughlin rise to second place, 105 out of the lead.

Points leader Mike Castellana (near lane) got past Steve Matusek in the first round on Friday 5.939/245.67 to 5.932/244.96, but then fell to reigning champ Rickie Smith in the second round on Saturday.

“We've had a fantastic car for the last two races, for sure," Coughlin said. "It's true we struggled a little bit in the middle part of the first half of the season but we are coming on strong now and nipping at the points leader's heels.

“What can I say about those guys -- Steve Petty, Kyle, Mike, the Jegs.com team and everybody at Mac Tools -- they’re a badass group of people,” Coughlin said. “We’ve had a fantastic car for the last race or so. We struggled a little bit in the middle part of the first half of the season, but it’s definitely coming around."

Mike Janis was the first to fall to Coughlin at Bristol.

Bob Rahaim (near lane) took the first-round win with a 5.855/247.98 to Michael Biehle’s 5.895/252.05.

Coughlin's toughest test Sunday came in his quarterfinal race against Bob Rahaim. Although he got a .007-second jump on Rahaim, he was soon passed and had to use all the power in his twin-turbo Corvette C7 to catch Rahaim’s Camaro and retake the lead, winning with a 5.890 at 253.95 mph ahead of Rahaim's 5.933 at 246.66 mph.

In the semis, Coughlin cruised away from an out-of-shape Jonathan Gray, crossing first with a 5.927 at 238.51 mph to Gray's resigned 8.965 at 84.55 mph.