Saturday's second big Pro Mod development involved a racer who wasn't even at the track. Defending Pro Mod Challenge world champion Mike Ashley (shown), in the Torco Racing Fuels '67 Mustang, missed the first round of eliminations to attend his daughter's bat mitzvah ceremony on Long Island, putting an end to his unprecedented four-event winning streak. Ashley made one run on Friday, posting a 6.139 that held up for the No. 5 position.

Billes' performance overshadowed a day that largely favored the underdogs. Five lower-qualified drivers won their first-round races, including No. 10 Troy Coughlin, No. 11 Thomas Patterson, No. 12 Mike Castellana (above) -- the lone driver of a nitrous-oxide-injected car still remaining in the field, No. 13 Payne, and Chicago runner-up Joey Martin, a non-qualifier who was inserted into the field in the No. 15 spot to replace Shannon Jenkins. Martin (below) made the most of his second chance, upsetting Shelly Payne in their first-round race, 6.37 to 6.94.

SUNDAY FINALS

With teammate Mike Ashley absent and unable to defend his winning streak, Troy Coughlin came up with the best solution possible:

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he not only began a personal winning streak, he also kept alive his team's extraordinary run in AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR competition.

Coughlin, driving the Jeg's Mail Order '67 Mustang for the Gotham City race team, won his first career title in a Pro Modified car Sunday, beating Zach Barklage, 6.12 to 6.26. The win was the fifth in a row for the Gotham City team, a streak that began in April at the spring Las Vegas event. Coughlin's teammate Mike Ashley, the winner in the first four events of the team's five-race winning streak, did not compete in eliminations in Englishtown due to prior family commitments.