Defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., had a Bond, James Bond, moment at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Coughlin finished qualifying, put his Jegs entry into the 8th spot, and was immediately whisked away James Bond-style to a waiting helicopter for a quick flight to the Grand Canyon. He was scheduled to attend a wedding for close friends Doug Daniel and Heather Rickard, Saturday night on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., had a Bond, James Bond, moment at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Coughlin finished qualifying, put his Jegs entry into the 8th spot, and was immediately whisked away James Bond-style to a waiting helicopter for a quick flight to the Grand Canyon. He was scheduled to attend a wedding for close friends Doug Daniel and Heather Rickard, Saturday night on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

"We were cutting it close from the end of qualifying to the time we all needed to load up in the helicopter and fly over for the wedding but we got it done," Coughlin said. "It certainly made for a unique experience."

Wedding celebrations aside, Coughlin will begin his quest for a fifth Las Vegas title against No. 9 qualifier Kurt Johnson, who ran a 6.715 at 205.10 mph. The two raced once this year for the trophy of the Phoenix event, which Coughlin claimed. Overall, Coughlin is 31-25 versus his good friend. Coughlin recorded wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2000, '01, '02, and '08.

"Hopefully we'll have two reasons to celebrate this weekend," Coughlin said.

Building on a foundation put in place last week in her victory at Houston, Texas, Ashley Force Hood shrugged off a first day misstep at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and sped to the No. 4 qualifying position for Sunday’s 10th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals.