CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
FITZGERALD USA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL DRAGWAY IN BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2018
Chevrolet Claims Pro Stock Victory on Father’s Day at Bristol
• Jeg Coughlin Jr. earns 60th Pro Stock victory of career, second of season
• No. 1 Funny Car qualifier Courtney Force retains class points lead
• Arthur Kohn is runner-up in Chevy COPO Camaro in SAM Tech Showdown
• Jeff Strickland advances to Stock Eliminator semis in Chevy COPO Camaro
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 17, 2018) – The Chevrolet-powered Pro Stock finalists in the Fitzgerald USA Thunder Valley Nationals have combined for 150 class victories, have faced off 93 times – including 20 times in the final round – and were the Nos. 1 and 2 qualifiers.
Jeg Coughlin Jr., the No. 2 qualifier in the JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS, prevailed over Greg Anderson on a 136-degree Bristol Dragway in the 11th round of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
“It feels great and it’s a testament to our team. We showed our way right to the checkers in Chicago and then came back here in Bristol with another win,” said Coughlin, a five-time Pro Stock champion who ended a four-year winless drought at Chicago. “It felt fantastic from behind the wheel.”
Chevrolet has won every Pro Stock race, with Coughlin joining Tanner Gray and Vincent Nobile as two-time winners.
Courtney Force, driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, lost her bid for a fifth Funny Car victory of the season as the No. 1 qualifier in the semifinals. Force, who heads to Norwalk, Ohio, this week with a 201 points lead, claimed her class-leading seventh low qualifier honor of the season and 24th of her career.
Reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight, who was the No. 3 qualifier in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, fell in the second round. He remains third in the standings. Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, the No. 6 qualifier in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, smoked the tires on the hot, slick racetrack and came up short in his first-round matchup with Ron Capps. It was the 94th meeting between the Bristol Dragway multiple-time winners.
Reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion Brittany Force, who was the No. 5 qualifier in the Advance Auto Parts/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, had the third-best elapsed time (3.942 seconds) of the first round but was eliminated when her .111-of-a-second reaction time didn’t match up with Doug Kalitta’s .030 light.
Coughlin’s pass of 6.709 seconds at 205.10 mph was enough to overcome Anderson’s slight reaction time advantage. Anderson, driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, was making his 151st final appearance, which tied Warren Johnson for first all time in Pro Stock. A day earlier, he earned the 100th No. 1 qualifier honor of his career.
Anderson, the class points leader, registered his first Pro Stock victory at Bristol Dragway in 2001.
Anderson cut a .007 light and defeated Gray (Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS) on a holeshot and Coughlin eliminated No. 3 qualifier Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro SS) in the semifinals.
First-round winners included Nobile (Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS), Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS), Erica Enders (Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Tennessee native Tim Freeman (KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS). Freeman, a Pro Stock national event winner in the late 1990s and 2000, is an assistant crew chief for KB Racing. He also competed at Route 66 Raceway earlier this month in a fifth KB Racing-prepared Camaro.
In the third of seven rounds of the School of Automotive Technicians (SAM Tech) Factory Stock Showdown. Arthur Kohn of Richmond, Texas, tripped the red light in the final round to finish as the runner-up in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Kohn, who won at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, remains the points leader.
Jeff Strickland of Red Bay, Alabama, the 2016 Stock Eliminator champion in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, advanced to the class semifinals at Bristol Dragway. Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois, reached the third round of eliminations in his COPO Camaro.
Bob Letellier of Biddeford, Maine, advanced to the third round of Super Stock in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro before falling.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues June 22-24 with the Summit Racing Equipment NHR Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. FS1 will telecast qualifications live at 1:30 p.m. ET June 23 and taped eliminations and finals at 6:30 p.m. June 24.
An interview with Pro Stock winner JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier; 60th Pro Stock win and 79th national event win in seven classes; also beat Greg Anderson at Chicago two weeks earlier; cut an .023 light and ran 6.709 seconds at 205.10 mph):
YOU’RE ON A ROLL
“It feels great and it’s a testament to our team. We showed our way right to the checkers in Chicago and then came back here in Bristol with another win. It felt fantastic from behind the wheel.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE INSIDE THAT CAR SITTING IN THE SUN. IT’S NOT THE MOST COMFORTABLE CAMARO YOU’VE BEEN IN
“It’s my home away from home being behind the wheel of the Chevy Camaro SS. Rick and Rickie Jones and the entire Elite team today figured out the track extremely well. Our car was fast three of the four rounds and had lane choice against Greg (Anderson) in the final round. It felt fantastic. I let the clutch out, I hit the tree pretty well and I thought, ‘C’mon, baby, hit the finish line first.’ Thanks to everybody on the Elite crew.”
TWO WEEKS AGO AT CHICAGO YOU WON IN PRO STOCK AND LAST WEEK YOU WON IN SUPER COMP. THIS WEEK, SAME FINAL ROUND OPPONENT AND SAME RE3SULT
“It has a nice ring to it. Since we’ve made some transitions in the team we’ve been really fast, Erica (Enders) and I both. She has been in four final rounds and this is my second final and second win in just a few weeks. The Super Comp win at Virginia was satisfying as well. Bracket races around the world know that I am very proud of that. To win here at Thunder Valley feels fantastic. It’s a historic place. I remember coming here in the ‘80s as a kid. To be able to be crowned the champion here feels fantastic. The Elite team really gave me a great car.”
YOU’VE WON 79 NATIONAL EVENTS, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN THE WINS AND ROUND WINS WEREN’T COMING BUT YOU SHOWED THAT COMPETITIVE SPIRIT. TALK ABOUT THAT
“There a 15 or 16 other Pro Stockers out there that want to decapitate me without question. We’ll be in Norwalk in a few days to start over again. It was some trying times. I’ve been blessed with an amazing team, have worked with some of the brightest crew chiefs, engine builders and have a lot of great things to show for it. No. 1 is our family. We’re very close and have a great time together on and of the racetrack. I work with my three older brothers back home in Delaware, Ohio, and their families. There was a lull having a couple of years between wins, but we’re true competitors as a team. It’s been fun to see that tide turn for us. We still have a couple things to check off our box to reach our ultimate goals.”