Countdown Update: Timely wins for Houston champs
T
hree of the four NHRA Full Throttle winners at the O’Reilly Auto Parts
NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil celebrated their first
victories of 2010, and the wins couldn’t have come at a better time.
Matt Hagan’s victory in Funny Car, the first of his career, moved the second-
year driver around teammates Jack Beckman and Ron Capps and into
second place. Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s victory in Pro Stock broke an 11-race winless
presented by streak and, after a slow start, moved him up from eighth to fifth place. The biggest move was made by Pro
Stock Motorcycle’s Andrew Hines, whose victory moved him up from 10th to fourth place. There was no
movement inside or out of the top 10, although it was close in Funny Car, where Jeff Arend, who was the
Extended runner-up to Hagan, came up one round-win shy of moving around 10th-place Del Worsham. Two-time NHRA
TBC Retail Group agreed to expand
its primary sponsorship of Paul Richards Full Throttle world champion Cruz Pedregon sits just 24 points behind Worsham, setting the table for what
Racing with its Tire Kingdom and Big O figures to be an entertaining summer of musical chairs in the class. In Pro Stock, youngsters Rickie Jones
brands for three more NHRA events, in and Shane Gray are looming just on the outside looking in, and in Pro Stock Motorcycle, four riders are within
Houston, Las Vegas, and Pomona. The a round of 10th-place Shawn Gann.
announcement expands beyond TBC’s
original sponsorship of the team, which
covered the Gainesville, Charlotte, and
Atlanta events. “We are very happy with the
Ready to tackle four wheels
Confirming what has been
More fast Fords
results this team has shown so far, and we one of the worst-kept secrets The latest Cobra Jet Mustang slated to enter the battle for
look forward to having Bobby Lagana Jr. Stock supremacy figures to be a good one: Jim
of the last few months, three-
driving the Paul Richards-owned Tire DeFrank’s latest creation is slated to make its debut at
time Pro Stock Motorcycle
Kingdom Top Fuel dragster,” said Bob the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals with former
Crostarosa, Tire Kingdom’s senior vice champion Andrew Hines will
attempt to get his Pro Stock Comp national champion Bo Butner behind the wheel.
president of marketing and advertising. “We Cobra Jet entries have logged some of the quickest runs
will have a special Big O Tires brand paint car license this summer.
Hines, whose only previous four-wheel in the history of the Stock class, including a record 9.51
scheme on the car for Vegas and Pomona,”
experience has come at the helm of his street cars, by Don Fezell in Charlotte.
said Paul Richards, president of Paul
Richards Racing. “We are excited for the will have an opportunity to drive John Gaydosh’s
opportunity to race at three additional NHRA Pontiac GTO following the O’Reilly Auto Parts
Full Throttle events for the TBC Retail Group. NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka. “Those
Being a family operation ourselves, we
recognize the importance of this
who know me know that I have always wanted to
try racing a car,” said Hines, who won this year’s
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What you
partnership, and we are honored that they Houston event. “In fact, I seriously considered a
have shown the confidence in our racing Pro Stock Truck when I was getting started.