TOPEKA, Kan. — The start to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season wasn’t exactly what five-time Pro Stock world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. envisioned. But betting against a driver who has 58 career wins and 100 final round appearances on a team that has claimed the past two world championships might not be wise.

Coughlin and the Elite Motorsports team, which also includes back-to-back world champion Erica Enders, have had a frustrating start in the new-look Pro Stock class, as Coughlin and Enders sit ninth and eighth, respectively, in the points standings.

It’s been particularly rough for Coughlin in his Magneti Marelli/Elite/JEGS.com Dodge Dart GT lately, as the Pro Stock veteran has posted three straight first-round losses. But Coughlin has continued to push forward and has no doubt the light at the end of the tunnel is near, perhaps even as soon as the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 20-22.

“I have been going at it a lot of years, but when I look at the depth of our team, we can add up to a couple hundred years in drag racing collectively,” Coughlin said. “We really see light at the end of the tunnel and know that we’re all surrounded with the greatest talents and great engineers and support from Mopar, Magneti Marelli and the folks at SRT. We certainly felt like we’d be ahead of it by this time, but the fact of the matter is, it’s still a work in progress.

“It’s real simple: You can take one of two paths. You can be ho-hum about it and kick the dirt, or you can find something positive in everything that we’ve been through. That’s the way everyone in our group has looked at it. We’re looking ahead at the horizon and looking forward to running well and challenging for round wins and race wins and to be in a position to challenge for the NHRA Mello Yello championship.”

Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Enders (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners at Heartland Park. The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1, including live finals on Sunday. It is the eighth of 24 races during a 2016 campaign that has very much been a challenge for Coughlin and the Elite Motorsports team.

The struggles to find consistency and performance with the new Pro Stock cars, which include fuel-injected engines, shorter wheelie bars, flat hoods and a 10,500 RPM rev-limiter, have been evident. Coughlin has managed only three round wins and has watched the Summit Racing Equipment tandem of Greg Anderson and Jason Line put together dominating performances in the process.

Line and Anderson both have three wins, claiming victories in all six races thus far. But Coughlin hasn’t lost an ounce of hope or confidence and knows a turnaround will come soon, in part because of how hard he has watched his team work to find solutions.

“We’re really, really close,” said Coughlin, a two-time winner at Heartland Park Topeka. “To put a program together as quickly as the Elite Motorsports group and (crew chiefs) Rick and Rickie Jones did, it’s not one thing that’s held us back that couple hundredths of a second – it’s a handful of little things.

“I can promise you there have been no stones left unturned in this camp. Our group is focused on getting the engine happier on the race track, accelerating faster and putting down good elapsed times. We feel like we’re pecking away at it, and it feels like we’ve eliminated what seems like 99 percent of the problems. We’re just trying to fine-tune that last one percent to get us toward the front of the pack.”

Coughlin raced on a limited basis in 2015, but was excited to team up with the Elite Motorsports team for a full season and make a run at a sixth world championship this year. Seeing what the group accomplished the last two years with Enders also makes it easy for Coughlin to believe the best is yet to come.

“With Elite Motorsports, I see a group of champions that took down the last two Pro Stock titles in a dominating fashion,” Coughlin said. “When you step back and look at the big picture, it’s really kind of easy to keep the faith. There isn’t a person on this team that doesn’t think we’ll get these two Dodges running at the top of the charts.”

Having those results come soon would be ideal for Coughlin, considering the NHRA Kansas Nationals serves as the second of a six-race stretch over seven weeks. Anderson and Line lead the way in Pro Stock, but Coughlin will also have to deal with the likes of Bo Butner, Chris McGaha, 2014 top rookie Drew Skillman, 2012 world champ Allen Johnson, Vincent Nobile, Shane Gray and Alex Laughlin.

“It’s definitely going to be an extremely busy stretch,” Coughlin said. “Having a good flow through that stretch would be nice, and if we could get some round wins and get the performance to turn the corner, that could lead us into the summer months really well – and that could set us in the points a little better. We’ll look to this stretch and hopefully pull some positive momentum out of it and get that to propel us into Chicago, the Western Swing and be ready to go for the (Mello Yello) Countdown (to the Championship).”

In Top Fuel, Crampton drove his Lucas Oil dragster to his second victory of the 2015 season at Heartland Park. Crampton is seeking his first win against the likes of two-time and defending world champion Antron Brown and points leader Brittany Force, who already has two victories in 2016. Other top contenders for the victory include Doug Kalitta, who won the Kansas Nationals in 2006, Winternationals winner Steve Torrence, Clay Millican, J.R. Todd, Terry McMillen, who is looking for his first Top Fuel victory after finishing runner-up at the Gatornationals, and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.

In Funny Car, fans witnessed what was at the time a record 15 three-second runs in the class last year. Race winner Beckman made five of those three-second runs, including a 3.984 second sprint in the finals to defeat 16-time world champion John Force. Beckman is after his first win of 2016, while others to watch include two-time season winner Tim Wilkerson, who is tied with Courtney Force for the points lead, reigning world champion Del Worsham, Robert Hight, three-time Topeka winner Ron Capps, four-time Topeka winner Cruz Pedregon, Chad Head, Alexis DeJoria and two-time world champ Matt Hagan.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand how the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 20 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, May 21, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 22.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com.

Before heading to Topeka, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will make a stop at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15. Keep up with all the NHRA action on FOX Sports 1.

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NHRA KANSAS NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock – earn points leading to 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships. The race also will feature competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series.

WHERE: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas. From Kansas City, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-70) to the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track. From Wichita, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-335) to the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track.

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, May 20-22

SCHEDULE:      

FRIDAY, May 20 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 4:30 and 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, May 21 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1:30 and 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, May 22 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:      

Saturday, May 21, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at midnight (ET).

Sunday, May 22, FS1 will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 2 p.m. (ET).

2015 EVENT WINNERS: Richie Crampton, Top Fuel; Jack Beckman, Funny Car; Erica Enders, Pro Stock.

MOST VICTORIES: John Force, 9, FC; Scott Kalitta, 6, TF; Warren Johnson, 5, PS; Cruz Pedregon, 4, FC; Greg Anderson, 4, PS.

TRACK RECORDS:            

Top Fuel – 3.710 seconds by Crampton, May ‘15; 329.91 mph by Larry Dixon, May 2015.

Funny Car – 3.967 seconds by Chad Head, May ‘15; 325.06 mph by Courtney Force, May ’15.

Pro Stock – 6.515 seconds by Erica Enders, May ’15; 211.43 mph by Enders, May ’15.

NATIONAL RECORDS:    

Top Fuel – 3.680 sec. by Antron Brown, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.; 332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.

Funny Car – 3.879 sec. by Jack Beckman, March ’16, Gainesville, Fla.; 331.45 mph by Matt Hagan, Nov. ’15, Pomona, Calif.

Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ‘14, Englishtown N.J.

TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also available online at www.NHRA.com/tickets.

Story and photos courtesy of the NHRA