Top Fuel rookie pilot Troy Coughlin Jr. has a weekend off from driving the 10,000-horsepower Kalitta Motorsports SealMaster/Toyota nitro-powered dragster and will pilot his sister's brand-new JEGS.com Super Comp rail at this weekend's JEGS SPORTSnationals at Kentucky’s Beech Bend Raceway Park.

His 16-year-old sister, Paige, plans to begin racing extensively this summer.

"I'm really lucky she's letting me drive it because she is absolutely in love with this dragster," Coughlin said. "She's been making some test runs, doing launches and short hits to get used to it and we plan to get her back in the seat after this race is over to get her some more seat time. But for this weekend, I get to race it, which is cool."

T.J. has won three Super Gas and two Super Comp races at the national level, and has three more divisional wins in Super Gas. He's also a past Division 3 champion in Super Gas, and has four Super Pro bracket racing titles to his credit.

Uncle Mike Coughlin will be racing at the SPORTSnationals in Top Dragster. At last weekend’s Cavalcade of Stars in Norwalk, Ohio, he lost in the quarterfinals in a double-breakout with Zach Sackman. We’ll have all the Cavalcade results and photos coming later in DRO.

"We found some things that need tidying up so the guys will be working hard to get ready for a Wednesday departure to Bowling Green, Ky.," Mike Coughlin said after Norwalk. "It's a big race weekend for us, obviously, being the title sponsor of the event.

"The JEGS SPORTSnationals at Beech Bend Raceway Park is probably one of the biggest stages anywhere for Sportsman racing. We get a lot of compliments and feedback on this race and we're always working to make it better. It was a great turnout last year and should be even better this time because they fixed a parking issue that caused some problems last year.” [05/23/17]

Seven California racers took home wins from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Pacific Division event at Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway over the weekend. Racers from all over the state were represented in the final rounds making this a golden weekend for NHRA racing in California.

It was a brotherly dual in Super Comp where Val Torres, Chino Hills, Calif., faced off against his brother Gabriel Torres, La Puente, Calif. Gabriel was better off the line posting a 0.018 second reaction time and a winning run of 8.920 seconds, 166.25 mph. The more experienced brother, Val, who has six wins in Super Comp alone, had a 0.032 second reaction time and posted a runner up finish of 8.910 seconds, 173.09 mph.

Riverside, Calif., competitor Ken Etter, took home the trophy in Super Stock after a near perfect reaction time of 0.001, off the tree. Etter, posted a winning run of 10.244 seconds, 126.79 mph over Gregg Luneak, Vista, Calif., 10.589 seconds, 125.05 mph runner-up finish. Luneak gave Etter a great fight to the finish running 0.009 to his dial-in.

In Super Street, it was Trey Vetter, Henderson, Nev., running 10.908 seconds, 129.19 mph and taking the hole shot win over Pete Zak, Torrance, Calif. Vetter was off the line first and held off Zak, who posted a 10.903 second, 134.28 mph runner- up finish.

Scott McClay, Tehachapi, Calif., took the Comp Eliminator win by posting a time of 7.371 seconds, 180.86 mph over Joe Mozeris, Phoenix, Ariz. Mozeris had a quicker run down the lane, running 7.019 seconds at 190.54 but transmission-builder McClay was away first and held his starting line advantage taking the holeshot win.  (Joel Gelfand file photo)

Pacific Division racers will have a month off and then head to Sonoma Raceway for the fourth divisional race July 21-23.

STOCK ELIMINATOR: Tim Seymour, San Dimas, Calif., '16 Camaro, FS/B, 9.424, 134.91 def. Ryan Mangus, Rialto, Calif., '67 Camaro, G/SA, 11.305, 115.67.

SUPER GAS: Randy Bowers, Riverside, Calif., '69 Camaro, 9.887, 158.32 def. Evan Kowalski, Riverside, Calif., '05 Corvette, 9.876, 163.14.

TOP SPORTSMAN: Jeff Gillette, Benicia, Calif., '06 GTO, 7.131, 179.47 def. Ed Olpin, Pleasant Grove, Utah, '68 Camaro, 7.495, 153.06.

TOP DRAGSTER: Dave Cook, Novato, Calif., '07 TNT, 7.417, 181.42 def. Thomas Bayer, Alta Loma, Calif., '03 Undercover, 7.398, 168.47.

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE: Rick Newport, Bluffdale, Utah, '95 Suzuki Gsxr, 8.476, 155.85 def. Brockman Roberts, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., '10 Hayabusa, 8.591, 155.61.  [05/23/17]

Texas Raceway was host to the DRO AA/FC Challenge in years’ past. (Jeff Burk photo)

The Agent was saddened to hear that Texas Raceway in Kennedale definitely has closed. The race track a few miles southeast of Fort Worth was opened in 1961 and for the last few years was owned and run by Dave and Cindi McMillan.

The City of Kennedale has been trying to develop the area along New Hope Rd., where Texas Raceway and the dirt oval track, Kennedale Speedway Park, are located. The city government ruled against the continued operation of the track last fall, although the McMillans had hoped to race this year. That won’t happen. [05/23/17]