Coughlin, who won the 2007 Pro Stock title over Greg Anderson by 44 points at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals earlier this month, will drive his brother John’s NHRA Division 3 Top Sportsman-winning car and his own 2006 Mullis dragster.
“I entered the race because I haven’t bracket-raced all season due to the POWERade schedule,” Coughlin said. “I found that LVMS was putting on a host of big-money races, including what could be a $64,000 race (Saturday’s winner-take-all Ultimate Gambler) throughout the holiday weekend and decide to try my luck.”
Coughlin’s Cagnazzi Racing teammate Dave Connolly will also make the trip to The Strip.

• After three years of primary sponsorship of Don Schumachaer Racing’s Funny Car driven by Ron Capps, Brut will not return to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series next season.
“While NHRA sponsorship provided new visibility to Brut, it is still, in context of sports marketing sponsorships, a comparatively small brand,” said Marc Broccoli, director of Men’s Category Marketing, Idelle Lab’s, Ltd. “As the price of competitive, high-profile sponsorship in the Top Fuel classes of drag racing escalates, it has become very difficult for Brut to remain as active and visible a participant as we want it to be.
“This was truly a difficult business decision and made even more so by the fact that Don Schumacher Racing, Ron Capps and NHRA have all proven to be truly outstanding partners and great friends. Our experience with the NHRA and its racing teams and the millions of fantastic drag racing fans has truly been a privilege for us. We will always look upon the era in which we reintroduced America to the Brut brand through NHRA drag racing with great pride.”

• John Force returned to the wheel of a street car this week, and stopped by Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.  during the NHRA Staff Drags. Force actually made a pass of the quarter-mile strip in his Ford pick-up.