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Coughlin is facing change. The Pro Stock Truck class is being phased into the sportsman ranks. He said he was proud of his repeat title at Indianapolis in his Chevy S-10 but "it was kind of sad" it would be the last for the category. "We have enough stuff to run a third Pro Stock car (joining brothers Jeg and Troy)," the Columbus, Ohio, native said, "but we're not discounting a two-car sportsman team (with which he would continue to compete with brother John)." CAPPS REACHES SEMIFINALS; JOHNSON UPSET IN FIRST ROUND By Joe Sherk Ron Capps reached the semifinals of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals before running into Whit Bazemore, his 2001 nemesis. For the second time in two days, Bazemore won a tire-smoke race, capitalizing when the motor in Capps' Skoal Racing Green Camaro dropped a cylinder. Tire smoke was the result, enabling Bazemore to get to the finish line first at 5.099 seconds at 296.89 mph to Capps' 6.394 at 159.38. Bazemore won the first round of Sunday's Bud Shootout special event in a throttle-pedaling duel, 5.308 at 246.39 to 5.642 at 186.98. After an impressive qualifying effort, Tommy Johnson Jr. was upset in the opening round when his car also lost traction. "We put a cylinder out (against Bazemore) and the car got out of the groove," Capps recalled. "I wasn't ready for it. If we hadn't dropped the cylinder the car definitely would've made it. I was a little concerned before the run because the cars in front of us hadn't gone down the lane in front of us. But it still was a good, all-around weekend for us." Tire smoking stunned Johnson and the Skoal Racing Blue Camaro team in the opening round. "It was the last thing on my mind. I never considered it," Johnson said. "We ran so well this weekend. I was confident. I had the best reaction time of the first round (.472) . . . and no cares in the world I think this was our toughest loss of the year." Johnson, who posted a career-best 4.818 seconds to take the No. 4 position,
was the only Funny Car driver to run competitive times in each of his
five qualifying runs - 4.850, 4.835, 4.871, 4.823 and 4.818.
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