Slight engine issue slows Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s incredible start to 2020 season
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 23) — Prior to Sunday, absolutely nothing had gone wrong for six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. this season. He swept through the NHRA opener in Pomona, Calif., two weeks ago with the quickest racecar of every qualifying and elimination round on the way to his 64th career Pro Stock victory.

It looked like this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals would be a repeat performance, with Coughlin once again leading the three qualifying sessions that were held, locking up his 34th career low qualifier honor in his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. But alas, a minor malfunction in his powerplant during Sunday’s quarterfinal round of eliminations ended his perfect start.

“We’ve had a helluva run to kick off the season but we had a quirky little thing bite us today so we’ll just reset and start over,” Coughlin said. “There’s absolutely no reason to think we can’t get right back where we were right away. We checked everything out and it was just a small miss, which can easily be fixed.”

After crushing rookie teammate Marty Robinson in the opening round with a 6.535 at 210.11 mph to Robinson’s 6.634 at 206.67 mph, Coughlin was lined up against another Elite Motorsports driver, Alex Laughlin, in the second session. But after a huge .033-second head-start, Coughlin felt something going wrong.

“I could sense a small miss right when we launched and it got bigger and bigger and the car started getting heavier and harder, but for a moment I didn’t see him so I kept my foot in it,” Coughlin said. “About that time, he went flying by me and I decided to give up the chase and not hurt the engine. As it turns out, I could have legged it out without damaging anything but I wouldn’t have caught Alex.

“The good news is our other teammate Erica Enders went on to win the race outright so we are two-for-two with Elite and that’s really exciting. All of the Elite cars are looking very fast. Congrats to the reigning champ on her big win.”

Always anxious to race, Coughlin will compete at the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by Elite Motorsports, March 6-8, in Orlando, Fla., before returning to NHRA action with the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 13-15, in Gainesville, Fla.

“From what I understand, most of top Pro Stock and Pro Mod cars from the NHRA are headed to Orlando so that’ll be a fun weekend,” Coughlin said. “Our team owner, Richard Freeman, and his group are involved as sponsors and the race is offering up a $50,000 top prize in each class so everyone will be geared up for that event.”

JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF CHEVY HAVE SEMIFINAL FINISH SUNDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 23, 2020) – Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force and the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team launched their way to the semifinals Sunday in front of a sold-out crowd at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Brittany Force exited in the quarterfinal with her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel team, while Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team and Austin Prock with Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist both ended race day in round one. Continue reading JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF CHEVY HAVE SEMIFINAL FINISH SUNDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. still the quickest
in Pro Stock, qualifies No. 1 again
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 22) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. seems to be operating on another level this year, extending a run of having the quickest Pro Stock car in the NHRA to 11 consecutive rounds. The streak places his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro on top of the field of the NHRA Arizona Nationals heading into race day.

Coughlin opened the season two weeks ago with a convincing win in Pomona, Calif., where he had the quickest car of every qualifying and elimination. That continued here in Phoenix with three more powerful passes that gobbled up every bonus point available. If not for rain showers canceling one of two schedule rounds Saturday, the tally of class-leading runs would likely be 12.

“It’s been quite a run this year and we are certainly going to try to keep this going for as long as humanly possible,” Coughlin said. “Everyone is making quite a big deal out of this and they should because everyone on this team has been working extremely hard to get us to this point. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. still the quickest in Pro Stock, qualifies No. 1 again →

BRITTANY FORCE TAKES FLAV-R-PAC TO THE TOP SPOT SATURDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 22, 2020) – Due to persistent rain, racing on Saturday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park was reduced to just one qualifying session. That was all Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel team needed as they laid down an aggressive 3.670-second pass at 327.11 mph, earning Force the 20th No. 1 qualifier of her career and second consecutive of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

John Force and the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS team stayed in the No. 2 spot, Robert Hight kept his No. 3 positioning with the Automobile Club of Southern California team and Austin Prock and Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist will start race day from 11th. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE TAKES FLAV-R-PAC TO THE TOP SPOT SATURDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Positive Steps Forward for Corvette C8.R
Magnussen, Rockenfeller relish first laps in new mid-engine Corvette racecar

AUSTIN, Texas (February 22, 2020) – Corvette Racing and the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will roll off seventh in the GTE Pro category for Sunday’s Six Hours of COTA for the World Endurance Championship. Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller posted an average lap of 2:02.967 (100.725 mph) in the unique two-driver qualifying format Saturday at Circuit of The Americas.

It wrapped up a day that saw the mid-engine Corvette C8.R turns laps at COTA and in the FIA WEC for the first time following its competition debut at last month’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Magnussen, Rockenfeller and the Corvette Racing operation made steady gains from Saturday morning’s first session and were within a second of the top runners in class by the end of the final practice. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Positive Steps Forward for Corvette C8.R →

NASCAR CUP SERIES
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PENNZOIL 400 PRESENTED BY JIFFY LUBE
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 21, 2020

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 TAME THE BEAST CAMARO ZL1 1LE Media Breakout Session Highlights:

WHAT ARE YOUR EARLY IMPRESSIONS ABOUT THE NEW CHEVROLET?
“With where we’re at, I probably wouldn’t have anything good to go off of yet. But the car handles good, we’ve got to adjust on it some more to find where we want to be for the race on Sunday. It’s kind of a guessing game. You’ll probably be able to make something work here on Friday that won’t work on Sunday, and you just have to try to think ahead to find things that you like out of your car to apply to that. So, that’s kind of where we’re at. It’s kind of a guessing game, but so far so good. The car drives really good in dirty air. But I think that’s where we are at too with our setup.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Tyler Reddick →

GenRight Off Road’s Finishes in the Unlimited 4400 Class of World’s Toughest Single Day Race in their street legal 4 door Jeep Wrangler JKU at the King of the Hammers!

As you know, eight weeks ago I decided to enter my LS V8 powered Jeep Wrangler JKU (we call the Terremoto) in the Unlimited 4400 Class at the 2020 King of the Hammers race. We did this to prove a Jeep is built from all GenRight Off Road off-the-shelf parts (or its industry partners) can finish King of the Hammers with products that any Jeep Wrangler owner can buy.

YOUR: ARP fasteners on our beadlock wheels and LS3 engine stud kit. Continue reading GenRight Off Road’s Finishes in the Unlimited 4400 Class of World’s Toughest Single Day Race in their street legal 4 door Jeep Wrangler JKU at the King of the Hammers! →

Our 2020 season got started Thursday February 6th at Pomona with two qualifying attempts.
The first one was off to a good start before the tires shook about 100 feet out. The second run was just as ugly with almost instant tire smoke. Our next attempt wasn’t until Friday evening. Again tire shake caused an early shut off.
Going into eliminations we were qualified in the back half of the field meaning we would be paired with a fairly quick car. That would be Chris Demke who qualified with a 5.23. He just happened to be who beat us in the semifinal at the 2019 World Finals.
After a lot of thought we put together a tune up we thought may solve our problems. Low and behold as if by magic a 5.29 popped up on the score board along with the win light. That was low ET of first round beating Chris’s 5.30. Casey cut a perfect .000 reaction time to Chris’ .037. There was also a perfect reaction time in Alcohol Funny Car making this the first time for that ever to happen.
Second round we had James Stevens. I failed to adjust to the rapid cool down of the air and race track Saturday evening and the dreaded tire shake returned ending our weekend.
The next outing will be the 4 wide in Vegas followed by the Regional the next weekend. April 3-4-5 for the national event and April 10-11-12 for the regional.

Rossi Leads Honda Runners at INDYCAR “Spring Training”
Alexander Rossi posts second-fastest time in weather-interrupted test
Aeroscreen makes successful public debut
2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES opens March 15 in St. Petersburg, Florida

AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 12, 2020) – Alexander Rossi led the way for Honda during a weather-interrupted NTT INDYCAR SERIES “Spring Training” test this week at the Circuit of the Americas, posting the second-fastest overall lap time on Wednesday afternoon to head the 13-driver Honda field. Continue reading Rossi Leads Honda Runners at INDYCAR “Spring Training” →

CHEVROLET AT PHOENIX

What: NHRA Arizona Nationals
When: Friday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 23
Where: Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals at 9 p.m. EST Feb. 23

Chevrolet takes momentum to Wild Horse Pass
Success builds as teams and drivers enter second race of season

DETROIT (Feb. 19, 2020) – With eight National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock world championships combined, Chevrolet drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jason Line were the marque final-round matchup at the season opener in Pomona, California.

Coughlin, the No. 1 qualifier in the JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, prevailed to recorded Chevrolet’s 320th victory since Pro Stock was established as a professional category in 1970. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Phoenix Advance →

DiBenedetto Expects To Have Fast Mustang At Las Vegas

February 19, 2020

When the Cup Series arrived at Las Vegas Motor Speedway a year ago, Matt DiBenedetto, like every other driver and race team, was trying to sort out a new set of rules including a radically different low horsepower/high downforce handling package.

This time around he’ll be driving the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang that was one of the faster cars in last year’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas.

“It was interesting last year trying to figure out the new rules, the new package,” DiBenedetto said. “The encouraging part was that our team and the Team Penske cars showed a lot of speed.

“I think our car will be good this time.” Continue reading DiBenedetto Expects To Have Fast Mustang At Las Vegas →

ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB OPTIMISTIC FOR
NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Making his way to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park this weekend for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are eager to regain their championship performance.

Two weeks ago, at the season-opening Winternationals, the reigning and three-time Funny Car world champion laid down three consistent qualifying passes in the .80s to land the Auto Club Chevy in the No. 3 spot. The slew of runs would back up their showstopping performance from pre-season testing where the Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham led crew were the quickest of the Funny Car class in two of the three test days. Although a rare second-round exit on race day at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona would have Hight packing up early, the 16-year racing veteran left confident that the team won’t be making a habit of the day. Continue reading ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB OPTIMISTIC FOR NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

THE STAGE IS SET FOR AN ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL PENNZOIL 400 PRESENTED BY JIFFY LUBE
The Pennzoil 400 is set to heat up the desert, kicking off the West Coast swing of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series

Houston, TX – February 19, 2020- Pennzoil returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to host the third annual Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube as part of the NASCAR Cup Series. Building on the heart-pounding action of the past two years, the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube will once again headline an action-packed, triple-header motorsports weekend driven by fan activities and on-track exhilaration. The green flag will wave to commence the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday, February 23rd at 12:30 p.m. PST and will be broadcast live on FOX. Continue reading THE STAGE IS SET FOR AN ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL PENNZOIL 400 PRESENTED BY JIFFY LUBE →

CHEVROLET AT PHOENIX

What: NHRA Arizona Nationals
When: Friday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 23
Where: Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals at 9 p.m. EST Feb. 23

Chevrolet takes momentum to Wild Horse Pass
Success builds as teams and drivers enter second race of season

DETROIT (Feb. 19, 2020) – With eight National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock world championships combined, Chevrolet drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jason Line were the marque final-round matchup at the season opener in Pomona, California. Continue reading Chevrolet takes momentum to Wild Horse Pass →

BRITTANY FORCE EAGER TO HIT THE RACETRACK WITH
NEW SPONSOR FLAV-R-PAC
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Brittany Force will be debuting the yellow and blue colors of Flav-R-Pac on her Top Fuel dragster this weekend when she heads to the NHRA Arizona Nationals hosted at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, just outside of Phoenix.

Force is sitting third in the NHRA Top Fuel points standings thanks to a No. 1 qualifying position and semi-final finish at the 2020 season opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. After making only half-track passes at pre-season testing, Force’s first full pull of the year was an impressive 3.706-second pass that had her leading the pack on Friday. A stellar Saturday with 3.686 and 3.657-second runs earned Force the No. 1 qualifying position. She would have a solo run and two consistent passes only to fall short to eventual race winner Doug Kalitta in the semis. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE EAGER TO HIT THE RACETRACK WITH NEW SPONSOR FLAV-R-PAC →

AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST FIRED UP FOR THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Coming off his second career final round appearance at the Winternationals, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fuel team are eager to keep up the momentum heading into this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Following an impressive pre-season test at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Prock and his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fuel dragster team continued to show they’re one to watch out for this season when they finished runner-up at the season-opening event. Continue reading AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST FIRED UP FOR THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series History at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In 68 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets have earned 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes.

RCR in the Cup Series… In 2,996 NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,076 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3. RCR has earned 16 total championships (six NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, seven NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series. Continue reading RCR Event Preview – Las Vegas Motor Speedway →

JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF LOOKING TO CONTINUE EARLY SEASON SUCCESS AT NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 19, 2020) – John Force and the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are gearing up for this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals, the second of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Season schedule, ready to keep up their season-opener performance as they compete for the driving legend’s 152nd event title. Continue reading JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF LOOKING TO CONTINUE EARLY SEASON SUCCESS AT NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

Dominic Scelzi and New Crew Chief Jimmy Carr Debuting Together Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (Feb. 18, 2020) – Dominic Scelzi kicks off his aggressive 2020 schedule this Saturday.

Scelzi and new crew chief Jimmy Carr will make their debut together at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., which hosts a 360ci winged sprint car event.

“I’m so ready to get going,” Scelzi said. “I’m excited to see what we can do this year and build something that will be a long-term thing. It’s going to be what I hope is for the rest of my career. For some people maybe the pressure is way up, but for me I don’t feel pressure. I have great people behind me. We have great engines and great race cars. I have all the tools I need to be successful.”

Scelzi is coming off a career-best season with eight wins. His most recent triumph at Keller Auto Speedway occurred in April 2018.

“We’re just going to chase wins this year,” he said. “We’ve won a handful of shows in Hanford, four or five times. I feel pretty confident. We’ve won when it’s been hooked up and rough and we’ve won when it’s been slick. We’ve conquered that place with pretty much any surface it’s given us.”

Scelzi is also excited to start the season at a track that was recently taken over by veteran Peter Murphy, who has played an important role in his career.

“It’s really neat,” Scelzi said. “Peter and I normally talk a lot, but we’ve talked a ton the last three months as this has been building up. There’s a lot of exciting stuff that has been announced. He’s the right guy for the job.”

Defending Phoenix champ & points leader
Jeg Coughlin Jr. checking all the boxes
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 17) — Everything seems to be going perfectly well for six-time NHRA champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. at the moment and in a sport where luck can change as easily as the breeze, the 49-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, is anxious to ride his current wave of good fortune for as long as possible.

Consider the facts entering this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals:
After just one race, Coughlin leads Pro Stock by 36 points, the largest margin in any professional category.
His JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro was quickest of all eight rounds in Pomona, Calif., including qualifying and eliminations.
He was the No. 1 qualifier in Pomona.
Dating back to last year, Coughlin has won two national events in a row and has been to four straight finals. His won/loss elimination-round record during this span is 14-2. Continue reading Defending Phoenix champ & points leader Jeg Coughlin Jr. checking all the boxes →