Five-time Pro Stock champion Coughlin’s Friday pass of 6.578 seconds at 210.24 mph remained the best among the factory class, though Bo Butner lead Q4 with a stout run of 6.604 in the heat of the afternoon.
Saturday was Coughlin’s 22nd career No. 1 qualifier, and after a drought dating back to 2014, he has now aced qualifying in both of the last two weeks.
“Honestly, today, we were just working on consistency,” Coughlin explained. “The air today was about the same as it was yesterday, but it was much warmer from a temperature standpoint. The goal was to try and remain number one, as well as finish low in both rounds, and we accomplished most of that … just got a little too aggressive in Q4.”
“We’re in a good place for game day, and I couldn’t be more excited to go four-wide and try to win this thing.”
Coughlin will meet Drew Skillman, Vincent Nobile and John Gaydosh in his first-round quad on Sunday.
His Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders remained second on a run of 6.583 at 210.08, while four-time champion Greg Anderson was third-quick (6.587 at 209.79).
Wally Stroupe was the lone Pro Stock driver that missed the field for eliminations on Sunday.
Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Jerry Savoie scored his 10th career No. 1 qualifier on the strength of his Friday pass, which clocked in at 6.824 seconds at 196.24 mph.
He also topped qualifying at the Gatornationals in Gainesville earlier this season.
“The conditions weren’t as good today as they were yesterday, but I’m really confident for race day,” Savoie said. “For me, the most important part of this team is a man that works for me as a friend and as part of my drag racing family, and that’s my crew chief Tim Kulungian. I’ve got one hell of a crew chief. That boy works his tail off and loves being number one.”
“Tim has been our most important factor lately, our crew has worked hard over the winter and I’m excited. I think we can win this thing on Sunday. I’m ready to go to work; hopefully we can stay ahead of the game.”
Savoie will meet teammate L.E. Tonglet, Scotty Pollacheck and Steve Johnson in his first-round quad.
Eddie Krawiec kept his Harley-Davidson V-Rod second on the charts, running 6.835 at 196.93 on Friday, while Andrew Hines’ final run on his Harley was good enough to move to third (6.845 at 195.65).
Angelle Sampey bumped her way into the field during the final round of qualifying on Saturday, slotting in 14th and keeping a career string of 213 races that she has made alive.
The only time Sampey has failed to make the starting field for a race she entered was at Las Vegas in November of 2014, due to a pit injury that forced her to withdraw after two rounds of qualifying.
“I don’t consider that a DNQ,” she said emphatically at the top end on Saturday. “The history books do, but I don’t. So that’s (number) 213 that we’ve made. Hopefully we can turn it into a Wally.”
Meanwhile, Melissa Surber, Joe Desantis, Gunner Courtney, John Hall, James Surber and Andy Simon all fell short of the elimination ladder for Sunday’s three-quad program.
Final eliminations for the eighth-annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals kick off Sunday at 12 p.m.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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