MIKE COUGHLIN

at 275.90 in the final round to capture one of the biggest wins in the veteran ’ s career .

“ This car is so powerful and pulls super hard all the way down the track . It ’ s quite a thrill ,” Coughlin says . “ Without question , this is a top-notch team . I don ’ t know if I ’ ve seen a more professional group at any level of racing . [ Car owner and crew chief ] Rich McPhillips , his son Rich Jr ., and the rest of the crew are incredible to watch in action . It ’ s no wonder they win so much .”

Coughlin will be sharing the McPhillips Racing dragster with Matt Cummings during the 2022 NHRA season , with both drivers taking big goals

into the year .

Coughlin has started his 2022 strong , but seeing what his nephew accomplished during an impressive two-year run , there were already big expectations going into the season .

“ The two years [ Troy Jr .] spent with Rich McPhillips and his crew allowed me to get to know the guys and see how extremely passionate they are about drag racing ,” Mike says . “ I ’ ve never seen a group that works so hard . It ’ s impressive .”

The early success has made it impossible for Coughlin not to think about what ’ s possible once he gets added seat time throughout the year .

That ’ s certainly been exciting for Coughlin , but the real draw for the veteran ? Well , it ’ s hard to argue with the adrenaline rush that is unlike anything he ’ s ever experienced in his long and successful career .

“ These guys know what they ’ re doing and we ’ re starting 2022 with a good bit of confidence ,” Coughlin says . “ Probably the least reliable thing right now is the driver . I ’ m still very new at this and I ’ m definitely learning something new every pass . It ’ s been an adjustment to go from a Top Dragster that goes 230 mph in the quarter mile to a car that hits that number by half-track . The first few times I made a full pass I was like , ‘ Whoa , do I really want to do this ?’ But , of course , you fall in love with the speed just as fast .” DI

32 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 175