David Allio Photos

Jeg Coughlin, Jr. started the 2008 season the way we ended 2007.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. of Mooresville, N.C., won the third annual Pontiac
Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway today. 
Coughlin, in the left lane, defeated Allen Johnson of Greenville,
Tenn., 6.711 sec./204.94 mph to 6.735 sec./203.92 mph.

“We haven’t tested all season,” said Coughlin. “We came out Thursday, made two runs and we were the fastest car.”
       

Allen Johnson cut a strong pathway to the finals.

Coughlin’s qualifying run on Friday afternoon was the quickest and
fastest pass in Pro Stock history at The Strip at LVMS (6.687
sec./206.16 mph).

Scott’s Transmission Center,
located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, has recently announced their sponsorship of a
new awards program called “Top Dog of the Event,”  to be included at each of the
21 Sunoco Race Fuels Money Trail events at Maple Grove Raceway in 2008. The
program awards $100 cash to the winner who ran closest to their dial-in in the
final round. Class winners in Super, Pro, Street, Top Bike and Junior Dragster
Eliminators will all be eligible.

Every
Friday, Torco's CompetitionPlus.com brings you our Feedback letters.
Read what our readers have to say about our feature articles and you
can even offer your opinions.

FEEDBACK FRIDAY - FEBRUARY 1

The champion is back.
 
And defending Pro Modified Racing Association Champion Bruce Boland
will be returning to PMRA competition with a brand new car for the 2008
tour.
 
“I’m looking forward to the PMRA season,” said Boland, who amassed
enough points only at the last event of 2007 to win the
tightly-contested race. “And I’d like to make a repeat of last season,”
he added.
 
Boland and the rest of the B&B Racing team put a new
2500-horsepower ERD Brad Anderson Hemi in the 1953 Corvette last year,
and for 2008 the power plant will be sitting in a new LJ Chassis 1963
Corvette-bodied Pro Modified.
 
"A great veteran drag racer, Bruce Boland is dedicated to the PMRA
series, and like most of our teams he understands the concept of our
series, which is to go out and entertain the fans, and the rest will
look after itself," explained Bruce F. Mehlenbacher, Director of
Operations for the PMRA. "Bruce is a knowledgeable, seasoned competitor
that runs hard and is on his game plan every time he gets into his Pro
Modified. You can never count him out."

Brandon Bernstein is anxious to get the 2008 season underway. 
Bolstered by solid performances in pre-event testing, the second
generation driver is invigorated and ready to renew his pursuit of an
NHRA Top Fuel championship.

The popular driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster came
ever so close to winning the championship last year, finally losing the
battle for the coveted “Wally” trophy in the semifinals of the
season-ending event at Auto Club Raceway.  Building off the team’s
consistent success in ’07, team owner Kenny Bernstein feels the
Bud/Lucas Oil Team has all the markings of another strong run for the
Series title in 2008.

When Bernstein competes at the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb.
7-10, he’ll be looking to equal or better his runner-up finish at last
year’s season-opener.  Bernstein will be sporting a new red Budweiser
paint scheme, inspired by Bud’s new tagline, “The Great American Lager.”

Six-time champion Kenny spent five days in Phoenix monitoring the team’s progress in pre-season testing.

In 1903 G.A. Krause, the founder of
Wolverine World Wide, and his sons built a burgeoning shoe factory in Rockford,
Mich. capable of producing 300 pairs of shoes a day. By 1914 the factory was
growing, producing a line of leather work shoes branded as “1,000 mile shoes”
because of their durability.

In 2008 Wolverine will be using the
quarter-mile to promote its extensive line of premium outdoor foot apparel. The
company has entered into an agreement to sponsor Championship Sunday at three
events on the 2008 Knoll Gas Nitro Jam schedule. Wolverine will present
Championship Sunday at the season-opening Texas Nationals at San Antonio Raceway
April 4-6, the Northern Nationals at Knoll Gas
Motorsports Park in Martin,
Mich. Aug. 1-3 and at the Sooner Nationals at
Tulsa
Raceway Park Aug.
22-24.

Drag racing photographer and a friend of Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com. James Drew was released on Friday after 15 days of
staying at the VA Hospital in Long Beach, CA., with an undisclosed
illness.  He is confined to a wheel chair and must stay off of his feet
throughout the first part of the NHRA season. Understandably, James is
bummed out. Make his day and send a get well card or email.

 email - JAMES DREW
James
Drew
1211 Hackett Ave
Long Beach Ca. 90815

These spy shots feature the new paint schemes for West Coast-based Danny Rowe and Kirk Kuhns. They are paired up for 2008.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports
Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, kicks off the
year with dinner hosted by two legends of drag racing, an open discussion with
current driving stars and a racing collectible show. Combined they make an
event-filled week at the Parks Museum.

Thurs., Feb. 7, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
"A Night with Snake and Mongoose" is the title for a special dinner open to the
public and held at the Parks Museum.  Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The
Mongoose" McEwen are co-hosts for the event, which will include highlights from
the recently released DVD Once Upon a Wheel: Match Race. Reservations are
required and can be made by calling the Museum at 909/622-2133. Tickets are $125
each or $1,100 for a table of 10.  All proceeds from the event, which includes a
memorabilia auction, will directly benefit the Parks Museum.

David Allio Photos

Kurt
Johnson posted the low elapsed time and top speed of the day, driving
his ACDelco Cobalt to the provisional pole with a 6.687 e.t. at 206.16
mph.

Qualifying for the third annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown got underway today at
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three rounds of time trials. One
round of qualifying still remains to be completed on Saturday before the field
is set for the 16-car eliminator.

Team Chevy's Kurt Johnson posted the
low elapsed time and top speed of the day, driving his ACDelco Cobalt to the
provisional pole with a 6.687 e.t. at 206.16 mph.  Parked in the No. 2 position
is Jeg Coughlin Jr. who drove his Chevy Cobalt to a 6.701 second run at 205.44
mph, and Ron Krisher is No. 3 in the Valvoline Chevy Cobalt with a 6.711 e.t. at
204.23 mph.