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Troy Coughlin Returns...
In Pro Mod!
By Susan Wade The Pro Modified class, an exhibition category in NHRA competition, has a new high-profile convert in former Pro Stock contender Troy Coughlin. The Delaware, Ohio, resident -- who won at Topeka in 2002, at Reading the year before, and the $50,000 All-Star race at Bristol in 2000 -- will drive a 1967 Mustang GT for Mike Ashley's Gotham City Racing in 2005. He'll join Ashley and teammate Danny Rowe. Coughlin talks with Competition Plus about the decision that has rejuvenated him.
CP: How did this partnership come about? TC: A couple of years ago, we were in Gainesville, and Mike came around, joking, "Whenever you guys want to drive a real fast car, come and see me." When I got out of the Pro Stock stuff, I said to him, "Let me take a spin in your car," not thinking he was serious. I couldn’t believe it. He let me drive the car he was competing in. I thought, "Oh, man what if I wreck this car? I've never driven 240 miles an hour" -- which is a real rush. But he said, "Don't worry. You'll be OK." It was a lot of fun. CP: How much did you know about Mike Ashley? TC: I've known him about a year and a half. He's been racing for a long time. He seems to have a professional operation and some nice people. He just has a nice operation at the race track. He's winning races and he's leading the points. Even people who work for him away from the racing [in the mortgage lending business] say he takes really good care of his people. That's the impression I get. When I got out of Pro Stock stuff, I was thinking, "Do I want to run Pro Mod stuff?" So I asked Mike, "How do you gets started? Where do you go?" He said, "Come see how you like it. Maybe you'll want to put together your own team." a
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CP: Would you want to start your own team? TC: We'll do it with Mike for two years. This is a good way to try it. I'm just excited, because these cars are really cool and fast, and it's half the schedule. So I have time at home with my family. I can stay at the family business and help it grow. And I can help my son Troy Jr., who's 14 now, with his Junior Dragster. My 16-year-old daughter, Megan, runs in Street Eliminator at National Trails Raceway, and she wants to do more. A couple or three guys have said to me that if I ever put a Pro Mod team together to call them, but the opportunity Mike has given me is a great deal. I'm going to try that.
TC: I've always wanted to race this class. We've always put so much money and time and mental into Pro Stock that it was hard to get out. But I've always been a nitrous oxide guy. I always thought that would be fun.
TC: I've made about six or seven runs, and that's not much. The first time I got in a Pro Mod car was at Bristol, and I made three runs. Then Mike invited me to St. Louis when they were testing the car. I got in a few more laps and got a little bit better, That's when I got hooked. We'd like to test at Bradenton and Gainesville, and Darlington. I've said anytime anyone wants me to test, I'll go. I need as much seat time as I can get. We have a simulator [at home in Ohio]. It has been adapted from Pro Stock to Pro Mod, so I can practice reaction time and shifting. a
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CP: What do you sense of anticipate about the Pro Mod class culture? How different is it going to be from a Pro Stock car? TC: This class is so different. It'll be so different from what I'm used to. They're heavier, they use bigger tires, and they have more downforce. In Pro Stock, you have your Chevys, Pontiacs, and Dodges. And they all kind of look alike. But these cars . . . You can tell the difference -- visually -- between a Mustang and, say, a Studebaker or a Willys. And the whole tactics are different. A Pro Mod car is so much more stable than a Pro Stock car. You can drift in the groove and know it has the potential to crash, but this thing goes all around and keeps going. When I was at Englishtown and got upside down in our Pro Stock car, as I was hanging upside down, I thought, "Well, now I know when to let off the gas." This'll be fun. These cars are crazy. You know they're going to be fast. They're going to be wicked.
TC: I hope so. I hope it brings more business in and the class get more recognition. Scott Woodruff (the Coughlin family's longtime public-relations representative) has done some work with them. They've called us and said they appreciate the help he has given. I understand that next year the Pro Mods are going to have 16-car fields and they'll be racing at 12 races instead of 10. That's what they're talking about.
CP: Is Pro Mod making inroads with NHRA? Is it a class with a future? TC: I'd like to see it get some more recognition. It's so neat. It's so different from what NHRA has had. You have supercharged and you have nitrous. You have old cars and you have new cars. The Pro Stock cars just look similar. But the Pro Mods have so much more variety. You have all kinds of cool stuff out there, and they're all competitive. I think the fans dig it. CP: What have you heard about the Pro Mod class with respect to NHRA's mess with the Pro Stock Truck lawsuit? TC: I really don't know. I haven't paid any attention to the Pro Stock Truck lawsuit, because we're not part of that and didn't want to be part of that. We happened to sell our stuff and just moved on. [The way NHRA informed the PST drivers], that part of it was cold. Yeah, it hurts your heart and the pocketbook, but the class was gone. And usually when they've got their minds made up to do something, there's no use arguing. They do a good job as a whole. I don't know whether that [the lawsuit] helps or hurts the Pro Mod class. CP: Do you plan to race in IHRA? TC: I'm not sure. We'll play it by ear for starters. CP: What's your Mustang going to look like? Are the Adkins brothers, Allen and Mark, of Illusions Custom Paint and Body in Bristol and Mark Brown going to do your car? TC: They're good people. Back in August they showed me around. They showed me the different paint schemes and the celebrity cars they've done. They're good people doing a lot of good work. It'll look trick. It'll have the Jeg's logos on it, but it'll have some wild and crazy stuff. It's just such a cool class. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t CP: Who's going to be your crew chief? TC: Chuck Ford [Mike Ashley's crew chief]. We have a really good relationship. CP: I'll bet Chuck will think you're a nice balance from Mike. Chuck, who's laid-back there in Alabama, has said that sometimes Mike comes in from New York pretty hyped up at the start of a race weekend. TC: (Laughs.) That's exactly what he told me. He used the word balanced. It'll be a good relationship. We've been bouncing ideas off each other.
CP: What's going on with the Coughlins? What's this about Jeg driving for Schumacher and leaving GM? TC: I'm not sure that's 100 percent. He hasn't made his mind up yet. He bounces back and forth. He'll make the best decision for him and the team. If those guys are patient, he's worth the wait. Mike is going to compete in Super Gas and Super Comp, and John will be in Super Stock or Super Comp. CP: How odd will it be for you to drive for someone other than your pop? TC: It's not a whole lot different than when we rented our engines and ran our cars ourselves. [Pauses.] Well, I guess it is. CP: How is your pop going to handle it? TC: He'll still be going to the races. Instead of having two Pro Stock pits next to each other, he'll have one in the Pro Mod pits. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t CP: The Pro Mod class will be another arena in which you can help others with your family's Jeg's Foundation for cancer research and awareness, too, right? TC: Sure. You know, getting tested is
something a lot of people neglect so much. But if it's something that can
save your life because of early detection, it's a no-brainer, really.
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