NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Mike Coughlin, already an NHRA national event winner in Pro Stock Truck, Super Comp, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster, will attempt to join the short list of drivers who have won in five different categories when he makes his Top Alcohol Dragster debut at the upcoming Dodge/SRT NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.

Coughlin will be piloting the injected nitro dragster owned and run by the father-son team of Rich McPhillips Sr. and Jr. This is the same car that Coughlin’s nephew, Troy Jr., drove to multiple wins and a pair of Eastern Region championships during the 2018-19 season. Currently, the driving duties are shared by McPhillips Jr. and Matt Cummings, who each have multiple wins this season. The car will bear the familiar yellow and black logo of JEGS Mail Order, the high-performance aftermarket company run by Coughlin and his family.

Coughlin recently upgrade his NHRA license during a test session at zMax Dragway in Charlotte and when he got an opportunity to make his competition debut in Las Vegas, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“This all came up kind of quickly; I had a chance to make some license runs after Charlotte and it all seemed to work out well so we’re gonna give it a try,” said Coughlin. Matt [Cummings] last race was in Dallas, and Rich and Jr. wanted to take the car out West and they asked me if I wanted to run either Las Vegas or Pomona so we’re going to Vegas. I really want to just get my feet wet and then see if I want to do it more next season.”

Coughlin has already run in the 5.80s with his Top Dragster entry, so one wouldn’t expect a big adjustment moving to a 5.1-second injected nitro car, but that’s not necessarily the case.

“The big difference is that my Top Dragster runs about 230-mph and the McPhillips car goes 230 to the eighth mile,” said Coughlin. “It’s really fast and it’s a much different experience. There are a lot of switches and levers on that car and they all need to be in the right place, so it was really just a matter of getting used to the procedure.

“On my first run, I didn’t have my chin strap tight so as soon as I hit the gas I saw a lot of sky,” Coughlin said. “Once we got that fixed, it all went smoothly. I made three runs to cross grade my license. Each time, I got more and more comfortable so I do believe we can just jump in and hopefully be competitive.”

Despite his experience, Coughlin admits that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the notion of driving a nitromethane-powered car, but he was able to quell those thoughts with the help of the McPhillips family and an old family friend.

“Back when I was a kid and my dad ran in Top Fuel, I always had a phobia about things like hydrauliced engines,” Coughlin said. “I just never thought I’d drive a nitro car but the McPhillips’ have been great. I see how hard they work and how detail-oriented they are. I also have to thank [veteran crew chief] Steve Boggs. He came to our shop recently to fire up one of my dad’s old Funny Cars that was restored. He also helped smooth over any second thoughts I might have had.”

Coughlin’s first test in the Top Alcohol Dragster class figures to be a tough one as there are currently 22 cars pre-entered for the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas including eight of the current Top 10.

“Honestly, I can’t think of a better group to be doing this with,” said Coughlin. “I got to know the McPhillips family a big when T.J. was driving their car and I really took a liking to them. I’m just grateful that they’ve given me this opportunity. There are 22 cars out there so we’re jumping right into the deep end. I’m both excited and a bit nervous but I’m really looking forward to it.”