MOLINARI WINS CAREER FIRST WALLY WITH PRO LINE POWER

June 27, 2017

MOLINARI WINS CAREER FIRST WALLY WITH PRO LINE POWER

NORWALK, OH (June 25, 2017) – Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH hosted the Summit NHRA Nationals over the weekend and the J&A Service Pro Mod Series put on a great show as usual. Records were broken and first time wins were celebrated, and Pro Line power was the common denominator.

Just qualifying for a NHRA Pro Modified race is a testament to an exceptional race program, and there is an emerging trend of all four Pro Line Racing-powered cars qualifying for the big show. Not only did all four PLR-powered cars qualify in Ohio yet again, but Troy Coughlin also set the NHRA Pro Mod speed record while earning the top qualifying position. The qualifying order was as follows:

  • #1 – Troy Coughlin - 5.756 ET at 259.31 MPH
  • #3 – Shane Molinari - 5.831 ET at 257.28 MPH
  • #8 - Michael Biehle - 5.857 ET at 254.71 MPH
  • #9 - Sidnei Frigo - 5.873 ET at 252.61 MPH

As fate would have it, Biehle and Frigo faced each other in the first round of eliminations and it was Biehle who came out on top with 5.842-second charge to the finish. Both Coughlin and Molinari took first round wins.

Once again, two PLR-powered cars squared off in the second round with a Coughlin vs Biehle battle. Even though Biehle improved to a 5.802 at 256 MPH, Coughlin’s PLR Hemi-powered C7 Corvette blazed on past and ran a searing 5.729 at 258 MPH, courtesy of Steve Petty’s hot tune. Molinari faced Steve Jackson for the second time this year, and it was Molinari who got to the finish line first.

Ricky Smith, who beat Molinari two races back, was Molinari’s semifinal matchup for the second consecutive race. Just like the race before, Molinari outran Smith to the finish for a final round appearance. Not one to be left out of the party, Coughlin took down Mike Castellana to also earn a spot in the final.

In what seemed to be a case of déjà vu, Molinari and Coughlin lined up in the NHRA Pro Modified final, for the second week in a row. Both cars left hard with 1.0 sixty-foots, and Coughlin had a slight lead until he got loose and had to back off. Molinari never slowed and dropped a 5.779-second bomb to secure his first ever Pro Mod Wally. Congratulations to all four teams for some hard fought racing and especially to the Molinari Bond Motorsports team for getting their first win!