Coughlin Jr. claims second win in a row at the NHRA Topeka Nations driving a RJ Race Car

Troy Coughlin Jr. remembers the moment the phone call came in. He was a sixth grader, and on the other end of the cell phone, some twenty years or so ago, was his Uncle Jeggie Coughlin. It was the closest technology had to Facetime.

Coughlin's father was in the final round against Mark Whisnant, and those unforgettable words came through the phone's speaker.

"He won!"

"Anytime you win at the same track as your father, it's extremely memorable," Coughlin said.

More memorable were the three laps the kid made around his uncle's house, where he spent most of his time when Dad was on the road.

"That's probably the fastest I've run since, to be honest," Coughlin told the assembled media in the Heartland Park - Topeka media center. "That was a good time.

Sunday, at a sweltering Heartland Park, Coughlin won his second career Pro Stock title at the Menards NHRA Nationals, beating Greg Anderson in the final and denying the seasoned veteran his elusive 100th career victory.

The disappointments of his early season struggles melted away with the win. For Coughlin, he barely noticed any perceived struggles.

"Well, to be honest, the mindset never really changed from the time I got here," Coughlin said. "I just wanted to get in the car and be as focused as possible and just be focused on the process of making a good clean run. You don't always make good clean runs, but if you focus on the process and not the outcome, I think that your odds definitely go up, especially mentally."

While the first victory always seems to be the hardest to achieve, it's the second which is usually much simpler. Coughlin readily admits he didn't expect a second one so soon.

"I really have no expectations," Coughlin said. "I just try and come in and be the best I can be and work on making good runs with my guys. And to be honest, no, I don't think I would've expected that, but it's no surprise because they work so hard. All the guys work extremely hard day and night, They're seven days a week, either making power, cleaning the cars up, maintenance and servicing. It's a lot of work, and it's a juggernaut down there in Oklahoma."

Coughlin entered Sunday's eliminations as the second-seeded entry with wins over Chris McGaha, and Fernando Cuadra Jr. before getting the best of Erica Enders in the semi-finals.

Then there was Anderson waiting for him in the finals. The 99-time winner entered race day as the No. 1 qualifier and seemed to be the odds-on favorite throughout qualifying.

"You know, I'm not so sure about keeping Greg from 100; we're just going to try and win as many rounds and races as we can," Coughlin said. "And that's pretty cool that he's going for 100 wins. That's absolutely impressive. And that's got to be a huge honor for him and it's an honor to be next to him.

"I've watched my dad race Greg so much and my uncle Jeg race Greg so much. It definitely almost reminds me of our football rivalry at home, Ohio State and Michigan. So it's exciting. The fans want it. We want it. That's kind of a purpose out here to have rivalries, and it's great for marketing. I'm honored to be a part of it. I'm the luckiest kid here."

Even racing in the most brutally hot conditions in two consecutive races, Coughlin understands the importance of a well-oiled team turning the swelter into a cool and calm forecast.

"It just shows you how fantastic the chief crew system is at Elite Motorsports between Mark Ingersoll, Rick Jones, Tim Freeman, Eric Kazinski, absolutely everybody, every single individual there," Coughlin explained. "It just speaks volumes of their character and their integrity and their passion and will to succeed in the sport of Pro Stock drag racing.

"This class is extremely challenging. I think that you kind of know what to expect each round, kind of what's coming, the turnaround times, the usual fatigue after the second round, and you just kind of keep yourself going, and you help your guys when they need it and support each other. Try and keep winning.