MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 28, 2025) – Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com team rallied to their first semifinal appearance of the season Sunday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Troy Jr. dominated on the starting line all day with his total reaction times tallying to .023-seconds. Starting the day from the No. 16 qualifying position off a 6.568-second pass at 209.07 mph on Friday, Troy Jr. had a first-round match up against first-time No. 1 qualifier Eric Latino. With a .001-second reaction time and 6.581-second pass at 208.88 mph, Troy Jr. got the win on a holeshot over Latino’s 6.536 at 209.59 with a .058 reaction time.
In the quarterfinals, Troy Jr. faced off with teammate Fernando Cuadra Jr. and the Corral Tequila / Cuadra team. It was a clean side-by-side drag race with the JEGS.com machine getting to the finish line in 6.626-seconds at 208.42 mph to take the win over Fernando Jr.’s 6.634 at 207.66. Troy Jr. was again impressive on the starting line with a .009 reaction time.
Facing Matt Hartford in the semifinals, the 14th of Troy Jr.’s career, the JEGS.com car had difficulty off the starting line pulling left and squaring the tires to eventually coast across the finish line in 14.396-seconds at 57.84 mph. Troy Jr. was still stout on the starting line with a .003 reaction time. Hartford had a clean pass at 6.562 and 209.85.
“The boys in Yellow & Black worked hard all weekend and fought through adversity with our car,” Troy Jr. said. “We learned a lot about our setup and car today and I’m proud as heck to get to race with these men and women at Elite Motorsports. On to Dallas and looking forward to the JEGS Friday night session. You won’t want to miss Dallas.”
The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series continues with the Stampede of Speed and the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex October 10-12, the fourth of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
