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COMMERCE, Ga. (April 22) – Following his victory at last week’s North Central Division Lucas Oil Series opener at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Team JEGS driver Mike Coughlin will now head to Atlanta Dragway for this weekend’s Dart Dash. Held in conjunction with the NHRA POWERade Series national event, the Dart Dash is a special invitational event for drivers in the Top Sportsman class. The fourth annual race, which is backed by Dart Machinery and Country Motors Trailer Sales, brings together the best drivers from each of NHRA’s seven geographic regions in much the same manner as the upcoming JEGS Allstars event later this summer in Joliet, Ill. The field is limited to 70 drivers; last season’s top ten finishers in each division. As the reigning North Central Division champion, Mike Coughlin receives an automatic entry.
“The Dart Dash is a fun race because it features only the best drivers in Top Sportsman,” said Coughlin. “No matter where you qualify in the field, you know that you’ll be racing against someone who is a pretty good racer. That means that you have to be on your game every round. Whoever wins this race will no doubt have earned the title.”
Despite the intense competition, Coughlin likes his chances. At last week’s event in Indianapolis, Coughlin qualified his JEGS.com Cobalt No. 4 in the tough field and then went on to win his fifth-career Top Sportsman race following a string of six-second elapsed times. Last weekend, Coughlin earned a coveted NHRA “Wally” trophy for his efforts. This week, he has his eye on the commemorative Dart Dash Silver Cup trophy that is being awarded to the event winner.
“It certainly would be nice to bring home another victory,” said Coughlin. “Right now, I feel like my car is running as well as it ever has and I’m very comfortable with my driving. If we can keep up the momentum we gained last weekend, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
2008 Dart Dash Qualifiers
Driver (City, State)
Northeast Division
Foxwoods Resort-Casino Top Sportsman Shootout
Edward Foley (Warninster, Pa.)
Ronald Proctor (Harpers Ferry, W.V.)
Gerard Milidantri (Suffern, N.Y.)
Alfred Campbell (Bairstown, N.J.)
Fredrick Gallo (Shirley, N.Y.)
Michael Kaufman (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.)
Delon Pleasant (Williamstown, N.J.)
Ryan Ondrejko (Roslindale, Mass.)
Anthony Arcuni, Jr (Babylon, N.Y.)
Arthur Decesare (Oakdale, N.Y.)
Southeast Division
Trac Star/Davis In-Motion Satellite Top Sportsman Series
Jeffery Barker (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Jerry Barker (Ft. Valley, Ga.)
Ronnie Davis (Suwanee, Ga.)
Jason Wood (Live Oak, Fla.)
Matthew Buck (Lantana, Fla.)
Mike Forsythe (Orange Park, Fla.)
Jerry Donovan (Columbia, Tenn.)
Edwin Stuart (Pensacola, Fla.)
Jeff Pittman (Conover, N.C.)
Bruce Duncan (Crawfordsville, Fla.)
North Central Division
DART Top Sportsman Racing Series
Mike Coughlin (Delaware, Ohio)
Billy Vaughn (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Stephen Brinegar (Germantown, Ohio)
Don Peden (Edinburg, Ill.)
Bill Yates, Sr (Johnstown, Ohio)
Tim Kirman (Morris, Ill.)
Tim Molnar (Seville, Ohio)
Anthony Munao (Arlington Hts., Ill.)
Daniel Stevenson (Bolingbrook, Ill.)
Michael Radtke (Tinley Park, Ill.)
South Central Division
Reher-Morrison Top Sportsman Series
Chris Gulitti (Spring, Texas)
Bert Prejean (Saint Amant, La.)
Keith Raferty (Lake Charles, La.)
Allen Firestone (Velma, Okla.)
Mark Buehring (Houston, Texas)
Richard Dennis (Florence, Miss.)
Jeremy Glidewell (Corinth, Miss.)
Mark Pickens, Sr (Germantown, Tenn.)
Bob Gulitti (Tomball, Texas)
Joseph Mohana (Bourg, La.)
West Central Division
Jerry Haas Race Cars Top Sportsman Series
Dave Slatten (Ft. Collins, Colo.)
Jim White (Haysville, Kan.)
Dustin Premer (Kearney, Neb.)
Ryan Julius (Frederick, Colo.)
Jeremiah Heber (Aurora, Colo.)
Tom Harger (Des Moines, Iowa)
Charley Whittenburg (Spencer, Iowa)
Neal Schaffer (Liberal, Kan.)
Joe Endzelis (Riverton, Ill.)
Wayne Glasgow (Casper, Wyo.)
Northwest Division
Auto Max USA Top Sportsman Series
Randy Johnson (Brothell, Wash.)
Robert Matthews (Gig Harbor, Wash.)
Todd Fricke (Pasco, Wash.)
Michael Strickland (Moses Lake, Wash.)
Todd Hoerner (Deer Park, Wash.)
Frank Tamez (Yakima, Wash.)
Kurtis Tamez (Yakima, Wash.)
Daryl Hemley (Burley, Wash.)
Dave Richardson (Langley, B.C.)
Stefan Kondolay (Chilliwack, B.C.)
Pacific Division
Sunset Racecraft Top Sportsman Series
Jed Bourquin (Canyon Country, Calif.)
Rich Takahashi (San Gabriel, Calif.)
Joe Roubicek (West Lake Village, Calif.)
Roger Hall (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Jim Momjian (Apple Valley, Calif.)
J. Silvia (Upland (Calif.)
Chip Rumis (Ramona, Calif.)
Darin Dolezal (Chandler, Ariz.)
Dean Hall (Guerneville, Calif.)
Chris Newman (Lancaster, Calif.)
Wally trophy in hand, Coughlin looks ahead to Dart Dash
COMMERCE, Ga. (April 22) – Following his victory at last week’s North Central Division Lucas Oil Series opener at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Team JEGS driver Mike Coughlin will now head to Atlanta Dragway for this weekend’s Dart Dash. Held in conjunction with the NHRA POWERade Series national event, the Dart Dash is a special invitational event for drivers in the Top Sportsman class. The fourth annual race, which is backed by Dart Machinery and Country Motors Trailer Sales, brings together the best drivers from each of NHRA’s seven geographic regions in much the same manner as the upcoming JEGS Allstars event later this summer in Joliet, Ill. The field is limited to 70 drivers; last season’s top ten finishers in each division. As the reigning North Central Division champion, Mike Coughlin receives an automatic entry.
“The Dart Dash is a fun race because it features only the best drivers in Top Sportsman,” said Coughlin. “No matter where you qualify in the field, you know that you’ll be racing against someone who is a pretty good racer. That means that you have to be on your game every round. Whoever wins this race will no doubt have earned the title.”
Despite the intense competition, Coughlin likes his chances. At last week’s event in Indianapolis, Coughlin qualified his JEGS.com Cobalt No. 4 in the tough field and then went on to win his fifth-career Top Sportsman race following a string of six-second elapsed times. Last weekend, Coughlin earned a coveted NHRA “Wally” trophy for his efforts. This week, he has his eye on the commemorative Dart Dash Silver Cup trophy that is being awarded to the event winner.
“It certainly would be nice to bring home another victory,” said Coughlin. “Right now, I feel like my car is running as well as it ever has and I’m very comfortable with my driving. If we can keep up the momentum we gained last weekend, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
2008 Dart Dash Qualifiers
Driver (City, State)
Northeast Division
Foxwoods Resort-Casino Top Sportsman Shootout
Edward Foley (Warninster, Pa.)
Ronald Proctor (Harpers Ferry, W.V.)
Gerard Milidantri (Suffern, N.Y.)
Alfred Campbell (Bairstown, N.J.)
Fredrick Gallo (Shirley, N.Y.)
Michael Kaufman (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.)
Delon Pleasant (Williamstown, N.J.)
Ryan Ondrejko (Roslindale, Mass.)
Anthony Arcuni, Jr (Babylon, N.Y.)
Arthur Decesare (Oakdale, N.Y.)
Southeast Division
Trac Star/Davis In-Motion Satellite Top Sportsman Series
Jeffery Barker (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Jerry Barker (Ft. Valley, Ga.)
Ronnie Davis (Suwanee, Ga.)
Jason Wood (Live Oak, Fla.)
Matthew Buck (Lantana, Fla.)
Mike Forsythe (Orange Park, Fla.)
Jerry Donovan (Columbia, Tenn.)
Edwin Stuart (Pensacola, Fla.)
Jeff Pittman (Conover, N.C.)
Bruce Duncan (Crawfordsville, Fla.)
North Central Division
DART Top Sportsman Racing Series
Mike Coughlin (Delaware, Ohio)
Billy Vaughn (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Stephen Brinegar (Germantown, Ohio)
Don Peden (Edinburg, Ill.)
Bill Yates, Sr (Johnstown, Ohio)
Tim Kirman (Morris, Ill.)
Tim Molnar (Seville, Ohio)
Anthony Munao (Arlington Hts., Ill.)
Daniel Stevenson (Bolingbrook, Ill.)
Michael Radtke (Tinley Park, Ill.)
South Central Division
Reher-Morrison Top Sportsman Series
Chris Gulitti (Spring, Texas)
Bert Prejean (Saint Amant, La.)
Keith Raferty (Lake Charles, La.)
Allen Firestone (Velma, Okla.)
Mark Buehring (Houston, Texas)
Richard Dennis (Florence, Miss.)
Jeremy Glidewell (Corinth, Miss.)
Mark Pickens, Sr (Germantown, Tenn.)
Bob Gulitti (Tomball, Texas)
Joseph Mohana (Bourg, La.)
West Central Division
Jerry Haas Race Cars Top Sportsman Series
Dave Slatten (Ft. Collins, Colo.)
Jim White (Haysville, Kan.)
Dustin Premer (Kearney, Neb.)
Ryan Julius (Frederick, Colo.)
Jeremiah Heber (Aurora, Colo.)
Tom Harger (Des Moines, Iowa)
Charley Whittenburg (Spencer, Iowa)
Neal Schaffer (Liberal, Kan.)
Joe Endzelis (Riverton, Ill.)
Wayne Glasgow (Casper, Wyo.)
Northwest Division
Auto Max USA Top Sportsman Series
Randy Johnson (Brothell, Wash.)
Robert Matthews (Gig Harbor, Wash.)
Todd Fricke (Pasco, Wash.)
Michael Strickland (Moses Lake, Wash.)
Todd Hoerner (Deer Park, Wash.)
Frank Tamez (Yakima, Wash.)
Kurtis Tamez (Yakima, Wash.)
Daryl Hemley (Burley, Wash.)
Dave Richardson (Langley, B.C.)
Stefan Kondolay (Chilliwack, B.C.)
Pacific Division
Sunset Racecraft Top Sportsman Series
Jed Bourquin (Canyon Country, Calif.)
Rich Takahashi (San Gabriel, Calif.)
Joe Roubicek (West Lake Village, Calif.)
Roger Hall (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Jim Momjian (Apple Valley, Calif.)
J. Silvia (Upland (Calif.)
Chip Rumis (Ramona, Calif.)
Darin Dolezal (Chandler, Ariz.)
Dean Hall (Guerneville, Calif.)
Chris Newman (Lancaster, Calif.)
