Second-place Countdown contender Jeg Coughlin continued to fight for his fourth
NHRA POWERade Series world championship title Thursday by posting the quickest
Pro Stock run of opening day at the 43rd annual Auto Club of Southern California
NHRA Finals.

Coughlin, who earned Pro Stock crowns in 2000 and 2002,
joined J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Jeff Arend (Funny Car), and Angelle Sampey (Pro
Stock Motorcycle) as the provisional qualifying leaders at historic Auto Club
Raceway at Pomona.

The Auto Club NHRA Finals is the second and final race
in the Countdown to 1, the two-race championship round of the NHRA
Playoffs.

For his efforts in advancing Funny Car safety, John Medlen was awarded
the first annual Mike Aiello Award by Jack Beckman courtesy of
1320tv.com. Mike Aiello was a tremendous friend to the drag racing
community as well as a key member to the Torco's CompetitionPlus.com
team.

One year ago, Mike Ashley announced he would field a championship-contending
Nitro Funny car team in 2007. As he rolls into Pomona this weekend with his
Torco Race Fuels, Inc.-sponsored Dodge Charger R/T for the Automobile Club of
Southern California NHRA Finals, he has fulfilled his goal and expanded his
vision for the future.
 
Ashley's sponsor and longtime friend Evan Knoll
was so pleased with the progress of the team after only one year, he decided to
move his driver, Melanie Troxel, from the Lucas Oil-operated Top Fuel dragster
she raced this season and put her in a Knoll Gas Motorsports /Torco Race
Fuels-backed nitro Funny Car under Ashley's Gotham City Racing team. As of this
point, it has been confirmed by Torco that Gotham City Racing will definitely be
running two Funny Cars and Ashley said he will be driving alongside Troxel,
subject to his commitments in the ongoing business requirements of Lend America.

Twenty-year-old Australian twins Diana and Kate Harker will have their first
opportunity to compete together in an NHRA national event in the NHRA Lucas Oil
Drag Racing Series this weekend at the season ending Automobile Club of Southern
California NHRA Finals. Kate, who has been driving all season, will pilot Tom
Conway's Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels A/Fuel Injected Nitro Dragster, and Diana,
in just her third race of the season, will drive Randy Meyer's  Championship
A/Fuel Dragster with the sponsorship of ProCare Rx.
 
"After an exciting
year I am looking forward to finally having my twin sister, Diana, join me in
the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks this weekend in Pomona," Kate said.

 
"This certainly could not be a better way to end our season, we have
had an up and down year and having Diana competing alongside me and Tom Conway's
Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels team is an exciting experience," she
said.

To accommodate race fans attending this week’s 43rd annual Automobile Club of
Southern California Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, the John Force Racing
museum will be open from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday at the
JFR shop facility at 22722 Old Canal Road.

Live Nation Motor Sports, promoters and producers of the International
Hot Rod Association announced today the two-phase rollout of the new
series’ web sites: NitroJam.com, StreetWarriorz.com, ThunderJam.com,
ProAm.ihracom, and SuperSeries.ihracom. The new and improved sites will
be fan and competitor friendly sites, with much improved navigation,
and they are set to rollout with phase one on November 2, 2007.

Melanie Troxel has
traveled many roads during her Top Fuel driving career, but this weekend a
career that has spanned since 2000 and encompassed 82 starts with four victories
out of 15 final rounds will come to an end. She’s headed to Funny Car in 2008
to drive under the Gotham City Racing umbrella.

That’s why Troxel would
love to win this weekend in her final race behind the wheel of the Evan Knoll-donated Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA tribute dragster.

“That would be the
ultimate way to go out on top in my last race in Top Fuel,” said Troxel.  “As a team, that is something we would really
enjoy to be able to finish our season and our time together.  As many of you know, I’m moving over to Evan
Knoll’s Funny Car team and our present team will be going on with a different
driver.  I’m excited for them because I
know how incredible this car is running. 
This is a serious championship contending team.  I’m honored to be a part of the team and
really enjoyed working with this group of guys.

Television coverage of the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals from Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD has been expanded.

Did you miss the Orlando World Street Nationals? Check out our photo gallery from this blockbuster event.

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