Last weekend, 20-year old third-generation racer Troy (T.J.) Coughlin Jr., won the most prestigious drag race in the world when he claimed the Super Comp title at the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Now, he hopes to strike while the iron is hot as he travels to Muncie Dragway in Muncie, Ind., for the annual Million Dollar Drag Race. Now in its 14th year, the Million Dollar Drag Race is the quintessential big money E.T. bracket race with the eventual champion normally winning upwards of $200,000. With the stakes so high, the event, much like the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, attracts all of drag racing’s best sportsman drivers. With that in mind, Coughlin knows he must maintain the focus and determination that allowed him to claim the victory last weekend.
 
“After winning Indy, I’m going into this race with a lot of confidence,” said Coughlin. “That’s good because I know how tough the Million Dollar race is. It’s held on an eighth-mile which means the racing is more competitive and the rounds are closer. I’m also going to have to compete against all the best bracket racers in the world so I have to be prepared for anything and everything.”

Steve Kent, Rodger Brogdon and the Attitude Apparel Pro Stock team announced today their support of the annual Greg Morris Memorial golf tournament to be held in conjunction with the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex September 23-26 with a $10,000.00 challenge.

“Greg Morris was not only a staunch supporter of drag racing at the Texas Motorplex, he supported the racers, the division and the organization as well,” said Rodger Brogdon. “The Golf tournament has helped to support the daughter that Greg left behind and we’d like to lend our support as well.”

Bob Bode defined all the odds when he won the Funny Car title at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 12-15.

Bode, who is from Chicago, proved his performance was no fluke. Bode put himself in the U.S. Nationals field with a 4.109-second time at 298.14 mph. He qualified 12th on the ladder. Even though he lost to John Force in the first run, he's still excited over his first career national event victory.

“I can’t quit smiling,” Bode said. “It is like way over the top winning a Wally. For us, we always hoped we would win a Wally and never knew that we would. So, when we actually stood there holding it, I think I will smile the rest of my life over that Wally.”

Steve Kent’s participation in Competition eliminator during the NHRA U.S. Nationals wasn’t a coincidence according to team driver Rodger Brogdon. It was a precursor.

Kent is planning a foray into Pro Stock eliminator as a second driver for the Attitude Apparel Pro Stock team in 2011.

“I can tell you, Steve Kent is racing at least ten Pro Stock races next year,” said Brogdon during the CompetitionPlus.com Attitude Apparel Hour produced by WFO Radio. “I told him if you get in there for one or two you might just run all 22 of them.”

If anyone truly understood the magnitude of the GSA NHRA Pro Modified division competing at the U.S. Nationals for the first time as a recognized non-exhibition series, it was Ed Hoover.

Hoover, driver of the Trussell supercharged '68 Camaro, was a pioneer in the Pro Mod class, back when the entries were incredibly abundant and so varied that a walk through the staging lanes was nearly over-stimulation in terms of uniqueness. Nowadays, the category is so competitive that sleek and similar designs are the norm, and the era of extreme individuality has gone by the wayside in favor of tenths, hundredths, or even thousandths of a second.

Soft-spoken Rob Flynn is helping rising ADRL Pro Extreme star Alex Hossler make a loud statement in the Pro Modified world.  

Flynn, a veteran crew chief most recently working in the NHRA ranks on Brandon Bernstein's Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster, helped Hossler win Aug. 26 at Gateway International Raceway. That moved Hossler into second place in the standings, just 16 points off Josh Hernandez's pace. It's no real surprise he is making a difference for Hossler, but it's surprising to Flynn that he finds himself in the middle of the doorslammer world.

Pro Mod pilot Melanie Troxel, the lone American entered in the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway in England, is looking to make a statement upon her return across the pond. Troxel raced the season opener at Santa Pod but her team's performance fell short of their expectations.

"We definitely feel like we have some unfinished business there," Troxel said.

The R2B2 team struggled throughout qualifying and as a result Troxel's Worldwide Pro Mod Association Camaro made an early exit on race day. The team finished on a high note by setting the track record on an exhibition run later in the day but it wasn't the same as racing for the trophy.

What do NHRA drivers do when they can’t race down the track at 300 mph? They hit the straight-line competition of bowling of course!

Now it’s YOUR turn to bowl with some of the biggest names in drag racing. Join NHRA racers, champions and supporters and help celebrate the 25th anniversary O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals on Sept. 23 at Splitsville (401 Curtis Mathes Way in Arlington). Racers will be on hand to sign autographs, hand out Texas Motorplex cupcakes and bowl with fans from 6-8 p.m.

Got Nitro? Western Michigan racing fans will have more than their share this Saturday when the annual Funny Car Nationals rolls into the beautiful US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin for the sixth consecutive year. “The Fastest Track in Michigan” repaved their track surface during the off-season last year and their impressive surface now features a concrete surface to the 1,000-foot mark for maximum traction. After a full season of racing, and a long, hot summer, the new track surface has fully “cured” and record times are expected.

Headlining the big show are the modern day Nitro Funny Cars of Dale Creasy, Jr. and Jack Wyatt. Wyatt, from Iowa, is bringing his popular Dodge Stratus while Creasy, Jr. will be appearing in his familiar Chevrolet Impala SS. Both of these stars are fan favorites at US 131.