FATHER'S DAY FIRST FOR COUGHLIN

While Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon got his fifth consecutive win on Father's Day, Troy Coughlin may have started his own tradition. The Jeg's Mail Order racer collected his first win of the 2005 AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge series Sunday by beating Zach Barklage at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. The former Pro Stock star, who made the switch to Pro Mod this past off-season, needed just seven races behind the wheel of his Ford Shelby Mustang to claim his first Iron Eagle trophy given to race winners.

"Chuck and the guys did a great job all weekend," stated Troy. "It feels so good to win and the fact that it's Father's Day makes it so much sweeter. Meghan and TJ were giving me plenty of encouragement all day. What a great feeling to have on Father's Day. It's a dream come true to win a race for your dad on Father's Day." (Steve Embling photos) [6-20-2005]

SANITIZED FOR YOUR PROTECTION?

The Agent wonders why NHRA.com left the following excerpt out of their coverage of the recent Schumacher Racing teleconference transcript? DRO's West Coast Editor Darr Hawthorne asked the question of the Shoe.

Q: To Schumacher: I'm wondering if you can comment on the rumored million-dollar raise coming to the professional purses in 2006 for NHRA drag racing and do you have any comments on whether this is enough to make a difference to pro competitors or spread across the four different categories, if that really means much?

A: SCHUMACHER: This is the first purported raise that professional categories will receive in five years and I don't think anybody ever considers a raise they get in their

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paycheck may be adequate. Everybody is always looking for more money and such, as I would think the whole sport is looking for more funding and more dollars to come into it. All of this is really an unknown amount and there's really no details disclosed about it as of yet and I'm certainly not at liberty to disclose any. That will happen I'm sure by Indianapolis this year, but I don't think we'll have any details released and really know where those dollars come from and are going until that time.

Q: To Schumacher: Say it's a million dollars. Is that a significant raise since we're dealing with something from 1988, (which) was the last raise?

A: SCHUMACHER: No. There's been raises since 1988, to say the least. Maybe 1998 is what you're meaning. I'm not even sure of back then. I actually only got back involved in the sport in September of 1998. You guys speak with more authority in that area. Is a million dollars adequate or substantial? Like I said, everybody is always looking for more money than what ends up being put on the table and ends up taking place. It's the best that could be put together at this point and hopefully 2007, '08 and '09 will see more increases and bring the sport of NHRA drag racing to the level that it needs to go to."

Does NHRA want to keep the "cat in the bag" until Indy's U.S. Nationals? Shouldn't the Board of Directors be shouting from the rafters instead of keeping the pending raise from the NHRA faithful? Just asking. [6-20-2005]