After a strong start to the season at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock drivers Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. headed to Phoenix for the second event of 2012. Each driver fell in the opening round of the 28th Annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Johnson, the No. 6 qualifier in his Mopar Dodge Avenger, faced Larry Morgan, who was in the No. 11 slot in the first round. Johnson turned in a pass of 6.598-seconds at 210.97 mph to his opponent’s slightly quicker 6.581/209.72. The pair left the line with nearly identical reaction times, as Johnson recorded a .046-mark to Morgan’s .044.

Coughlin opened the event as the No. 15 qualifier, after reaching the final round in his return to the Pro Stock ranks at Pomona in the Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger. The four-time Pro Stock champion faced two-time and defending champ Jason Line, the No. 2 qualifier, in the opening frame. Coughlin left the line first with a near-perfect .005-second reaction time, though his car got very loose and out of the racing groove near halftrack, allowing Line to pick up the win.

Mopar-powered Vincent Nobile, the No. 4 qualifier, advanced to the quarterfinals at Phoenix. The sophomore driver picked up an opening round win over Shane Gray with a 6.571/211.26 mark. In the quarterfinals, Nobile lined up against four-time champion Greg Anderson, and fouled out on a red-light. Fellow Mopar-powered Pro Stock driver V. Gained did not qualify for the event.

Coughlin is currently fifth in the NHRA Pro Stock standings, with Nobile sixth, Johnson eighth and Gaines 16th. Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock competitors is the 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, March 8–11 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. For more information on NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.

via Mopar Speed - Team Mopar Pro Stock Drivers Johnson & Coughlin Fall in First Round in Phoenix.

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