Competing as the No. 1 qualifier in the resumption of the rain-postponed Ray Skillman Auto Group Spring Spectacle of Speed from late April, Mike Coughlin simply refused to lose during eliminations, beating five of the toughest racers in the category to earn a trip to the winner's circle.

"We made up the April race all in one day and it was probably one of the craziest single days of my career," Mike said. "The guys gave me a great car, as always, and I was cutting good lights every round, but as always seems to be the case when you win, we still needed Lady Luck on our side."

After earning a first-round bye due to his top qualifying effort, Mike advanced past Al Peavler and Tom Martino when both men red-lighted at the start. That set-up a semifinal test against Shanna Snyder with a trip to the money round on the line.

"The race against Shanna was the key to the overall win," Mike said. "About 200 feet into our run the converter completely came apart. It was bad, oiling the track down and everything, which was such a shame. The saving grace was she had red-lighted because we were cooked otherwise."

With time at a premium, Team JEGS crewmen Greg Cody, Dave Raurk, Ryan Micke, Tony Collier and Justin Beaver, along with help from fellow racers Tom and Ryan Martino and Jerry and Tracy Albert, were able to replace the converter and get Mike back to the starting line just in time to beat final-round foe JB Strassweg, who came into Mike's lane during the race and was subsequently disqualified.  [08/14/17]

NHRA announced today that Jessica Hatcher, an experienced public relations executive with deep family ties to NHRA racing, has been named senior director of public relations and communications.

In her new role with NHRA, Hatcher will lead and create the strategic direction for corporate communications and public relations for the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body. She will report to Glen Cromwell, NHRA senior vice president of media and marketing.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Marketing from Washburn University.

Ms. Hatcher has led brand awareness and public relations campaigns for a multitude of nationally recognized brands, including Capriotti’s, Applebee’s, SKYY Vodka, PopChips, Corner Bakery Cafe, Fatburger, JC Penney, and No Kid Hungry.

“Her experience working with a wide range of organizations required her to serve multiple constituencies, including franchisees and customers. This multi-focus approach will translate well to serving the many NHRA constituencies, including racers, teams, spectators, sponsors, track owners and operators, television viewers, and more,” the NHRA press release stated.   [08/14/17]

​Rahn Tobler, crew chief for Ron Capps, was named Grand Marshal of the Night Under Fire. Bill Bader Jr. is at right.  (Moto Lenz Photos)With famous drivers, header flames and fireworks flying, fans filled every seat for the 40th Annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire, Aug. 12, at Summit Motorsports Park.

"Our 40th celebration did not disappoint," said Bill Bader, Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. "The feedback from our guests has been glowing, and we clearly raised the bar for future years. I could not be more proud of our team. They delivered an incredible evening of entertainment."

In the electrifying Funny Car final, Robert Hight ran 3.86 at 321 mph in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet and won over Cruz Pedregon, who was right there with a 3.92 at 322 mph in his Snap-On Toyota.

Ken Hall flew to a 5.90 at 270 mph alongside his Hanna Motorsports teammate, Rich Hanna, who turned in a 5.86 in the Jet Funny Car final, and Hall picked up the win in the best two out of three competition.

In the Jet Dragster final, Ernie Bogue blasted to a 5.47 at 284 mph in his “Beast from the East” to take the win over Sarah Edwards, whose “Queen of Diamonds II” had an issue and had to be pushed back.

The DeCerbo Construction X4 presented by R&R Auto Body final featured a tight match between Matt Hutter, who hauled to a 3.86 and the winner's circle, while his competition, Larry Higgenbotham hung on for a 3.92.

NDRL Pro 7.0 action put the spotlight on Larry Harlen, who drove his Anglia to a 7.04 to claim the victory over Gordon Horn, who hustled to a 7.06 in his Corvette, and in Gasser, Rich Osborn used a better reaction time and an 11.08 to defeat Gene Schwartz and his 13.24.

AA/Gas was to feature a battle of the Anglias, but Brian Spotts secured the win at the starting line and then sailed to an 8.50 after his competition, Al Borowski, turned on the red light.

Bear Motorsports presented by Wiseco Junior Dragster drivers added another element to the show, and in the Advanced category, Bryce Buehrer won with a 7.93 on a 7.90 dial and a better reaction time over Kaitlyn Curtis, who ran right on a 7.91 dial. Meanwhile, in the Intermediate category, Tyler Crowell cruised to the win with an 8.95 on an 8.93 dial over Brandon Buchanan, who had him on the tree but dipped under with a 9.05 on a 9.06 dial, and in the Novice category, Roman Iocoangeli was ready at the tree and at the top end, and clocked an 11.95 on an 11.90 dial to take the win over Nick Peters, who had a break out pass of 11.97 on an 11.98 dial.

The final pair of cars down track for the evening were met with elaborate and explosive track-side pyrotechnics and a $100,000 fireworks display shot from multiple locations over the park.   [08/14/17]

Don Schumacher Racing will host its most special day of the year on Friday, Sept. 1, when it opens its doors to the public to support Riley Hospital for Children with its 12th annual Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The DSR Open House presented by Pennzoil attracted more than 4,000 fans last year to DSR's 145,000-square-foot facility and raised a record $65,000 that pushed DSR's total contributions to over $500,000 for the Riley Hospital for Children.

 Open House activities include:

- A meet and greet with DSR's seven winning drivers (Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr.) along with hall-of-fame owner Don Schumacher

- Expansive silent auction courtesy of DSR with racing memorabilia, products and services donated by friends and sponsor;

- Behind-the-scenes access to the DSR drag racing facility including tours of its fabrication and machine shops;

- One of the largest indoor car shows in Indiana featuring 200 of the Midwest's best custom and muscle cars, and motorcycles;

- Cacklefest featuring nostalgia dragsters that will entertain fans with the sounds of vintage nitro horsepower;

- Papa John's Pizza will be selling pizza with all proceeds going to Riley Hospital; Food trucks also will be on site with a portion of sales going to Riley.

A new feature this year will be a performance by the Gordon Pipers bagpipe and drum marching band that features Scottish/Celtic culture and music. The Gordon Pipers have been one of the most popular elements of Indy 500 pre-race festivities and perform at Indianapolis Colts games and other major Indy events.  [08/14/17]