Troy Coughlin Jr. once admitted there’s a balancing act when it comes to qualifying and doing it while racing in qualifying. It’s a pretty simple philosophy cited the third-generation drag racer. Make your best run every time, regardless of the situation. 

And for Coughlin, the balancing act over the weekend at the final NHRA Mile High Nationals would have put him in the same caliber as the Flying Wallendas, a tightrope act that made them famous on a tightrope. 

Coughlin was smooth as peanut butter as he swept the weekend at Bandimere Speedway by winning the #2Fast2Tasty crown, qualifying second in Pro Stock, and winning his second NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event of 2023, stopping points leader Dallas Glen in the final round. 

“What an exciting day to come out here and get a win,” Coughlin said. “You just take it one run at a time. We’ve got the best people in the industry at Elite Motorsports. They all work together, and we have excellent power. I just had to stay focused. This is one of my favorite facilities, and it’s an absolute honor just to be here.
 
“The fun part of NHRA championship drag racing is the excitement level like that final; that’s what packs the stands and makes you come back. You hope for situations like that, and you practice all the time, and it’s an obsession; you love it, and you can’t stop.”

Coughlin won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday, following it up with a dynamic performance in Sunday’s eliminations, defeating Aaron Stanfield, Greg Anderson, and reigning world champ Erica Enders to reach the finals.
 
He posted an impressive .015 reaction time against Glenn and didn’t look back en route to a  6.933, 196.64 to 6.949, 195.62 decision. 

There were no ducks all day long, requiring his best race each time he came to the line.

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​“I just look at every run the same as I would like I’m hitting a practice tree,” Coughlin said. “You have a goal, you’re trying to let the clutch out, and you’re trying to hit the tree the best you can. You’re trying to hit your shifts the most consistent as you can. And that’s just how I view it. But I think, obviously, anytime you line up next to Erica Enders or even Dallas Glenn, you’re definitely going to bow up, but all of them are tough. Pro Stock is absolutely loaded with talent. It makes it exciting for the fans, and it’s a great class. If you don’t watch it, I suggest you should.”

In the final round, Coughlin proved his case.

“That’s just the fun part in NHRA Championship Drag Racing,” Coughlin said. “That excitement level is what packs the stands. It’s what packs the cars with drivers and makes us come back. That’s the hook. You hope for situations like that, and you practice situations in your mind like that all the time. It’s an obsession. You love it. You can’t stop.”

That approach was ingrained in his psyche youg in life, watching his Dad and uncles bring a commitment to excellence to competition. 

“So very, very fortunate to have such awesome families in this sport like that,” Coughlin said. “So a huge honor. I watched my Uncle Jeg beat my Dad in the final here in; I think it was ’99. I remember getting kicked off the starting line probably ten times trying to watch. They thought I was too young, which I was, but Jeg won that one, and to come out of here on top is a pretty big honor.”