Five-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. has announced he will not return to Pro Stock in 2011. One of the most prolific drivers in NHRA history, Coughlin is planning a less hectic schedule of Sportsman events in a variety of race cars in 2011, forgoing the time demands of the 22-race professional circuit.

"We took most of 2006 off just to kind of have a break from it all," the 40-year-old Coughlin said. "We did a lot of high-dollar bracket races and select Lucas Oil Sportsman Series events here and there with no particular schedule in mind. We kind of just raced when we wanted to and it was a lot of fun. That is the direction I am heading now.

"When the chance to get back into Pro Stock presented itself towards the end of '06 we sat down and thought about the goals we could go for if we did return. We knew we wanted to pass the 50-win mark. We accomplished that. We wanted to be in position to contend for the championship each year, and we won two more since we returned. And we really wanted to salute our dad and family business on the 50th anniversary of JEGS, which happened throughout this season.

NHRA announced today that AAA Texas will become the title rights sponsor of the 26th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex, Sept. 22-25, 2011.  

The AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals is the second of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoff-style format to determine the world champions in each of its four Full Throttle Series classes.

“AAA Texas has been associated with the Texas Motorplex since 1998, and we have enjoyed reaching out to race fans at such an iconic location,” said Tom McKernan, CEO of Automobile Club of Southern California and President and CEO of AAA Texas.  “There is a close alignment between the objectives of our organization and those of NHRA and the Texas Motorplex. We each place a premium on quality service, and leverage our brand and resources to promote automotive safety. It is because of these shared objectives that we are proud to have AAA Texas join Billy Meyer and his team to help bring exciting NHRA racing to Texas fans for many years to come.”

Tim Wilkerson has had better weekends with his Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang. It lost traction early in Thursday's run and he ended up unqualified at 17th during the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca.
 
"Well, either that track wasn't as good as we all thought it was going to be or a whole bunch of us got pretty dumb overnight," Wilkerson said after that first run. "This track is usually so good it will hold low 4s but Hagan was low with a 4.13 and most of the rest of us couldn't do anything. We just need to get a better feel for what the track will hold.

Top Alcohol racers Tony Bartone [Funny Car] and Chase Copeland [Dragster] headlined sportsman qualifing during second day qualifying at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca.

Other sportsman top qualifiers included John Mihovetz [Competition], Josh Edwards [Super Stock] and Keith Lynch [Stock]

Bartone, the former nitro racer, laid down the quickest and fastest ever Top Alcohol Funny Car pass with a 5.449, 266.00 lap during Friday’s evening session. His run replaced the previous mark of 5.451 held by Bob Tasca III.

As temperatures continued to plummet Friday evening at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Ashley Force Hood's fortunes rose.
 
She led a resurgent Ford Mustang trio with the best elapsed time in a succession of evening performances that eclipsed the previous driver's. Her 4.076-second run at 309.98 mph topped 4.0s -- the only ones of the weekend -- from brother-in-law Robert Hight and father/team owner John Force.
 
She has the provisional top qualifying position, her fifth of the year if it survives Saturday's two final rounds.

Jim Whiteley, Top Alcohol Dragster owner and driver from Grand Junction, CO., has donated his wife Annie’s 2009 Top Dragster racecar to Racers For Christ [RFC]. As a result, 100-percent of the money from the sale of the car goes to RFC

“This is a very generous example of how our dear friends in motorsports want to help RFC’s ministry,” said RFC’s Larry Smiley. “Jim wants to get the word out that they would love to see other racers and teams do something in a similar fashion to also show their appreciation towards Team RFC’s ministry to the racing community across the country.”

Day two of the 46th annual Auto Club of NHRA Finals produced a power shift in the Pro Stock car arena with Kendall Dodge driver V. Gaines snatching the provisional pole with a clean 6.551 at 210.83 mph and Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson ending the day in the No. 2 position with a 6.553 at 211.39 mph that was a tremendous improvement over his traction-troubled effort of the day before.

Gaines didn't even have a time that carried over from the day before because his troubled 14.605 wasn't in the top 12, so his second go at the track at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona was a something of a relief.

A strange atmosphere is permeating the AAA Finals.  Teams, drivers, tuners and owners are being pulled in many different directions, all at once. It’s that time of year, the time termed “the silly season” in other forms of motorsports as drivers swap rides and new sponsorships are announced.  Drag racing has never had a real “silly season” because our sport seems to be somewhat more stable than others.  This isn’t an endeavor where you’re going to see a top driver lured from one team to another, although it does happen from time to time.

Robert Hight was the toast of Pomona last November as he drove the Auto Club Ford Mustang to the championship and celebrated here near his home, clinching the 2009 title Saturday night. This time, his goal of back-to-back championships is long gone.
 
But he said nevertheless that "Auto Club Raceway is almost a magical place. There is so much history at this track, and we have seen or been a part of that history. When you roll through the gates you just get excited. There are more family and friends around and you have to focus on the race. You see a lot of legends just walking through the pits and to be out on the track racing it is pretty amazing."
 
Friday night he and Jimmy Prock regained some of their strength, registering a 4.080-second elapsed time that for a few minutes was the quickest in the class this weekend.

Eddie Krawiec said after Friday's lone qualifying session at the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals that he "really didn't think it was that good of a run, to be honest with you."
 
But his 6.865-second blast down the Auto Club Raceway quarter-mile aboard his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod rewrote the Pro Stock Motorcycle track record.
 
With that, he grabbed the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot from Hector Arana. The final two qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday.