Clay Millican, Robert Hight, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Matt Hines. NHRA photo

Courtesy of the NHRA

JOLIET, Ill. – Clay Millican raced to his second straight victory of the season with a win on Sunday at the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Clay Millican. NHRA photo

Robert Hight (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the ninth of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Millican piloted his Parts Plus/Great Clips dragster to 3.894-second pass at 289.32 mph to secure his third career win. He defeated Pat Dakin, Scott Palmer, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pritchett in the final round for his first career victory at Route 66 Raceway, the facility where Millican made his first career NHRA Top Fuel start in 1998.

“It took me 19 years to get that first (win), then less than a year to that second one and less than two weeks to get the third,” Millican said. “I like this trend. This place is really special and my team gave me such a good car. It wasn’t necessarily my best weekend, but it was certainly pretty cool to have the team pull together and just keep turning those win lights on.”

Robert Hight. NHRA photo

With his second straight win, Millican moved to second in points behind No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence, who was upset in the first round. Pritchett, who beat teammate Antron Brown, Kyle Wurtzel and Blake Anderson, climbed to third in the standings after her second final round appearance of 2018.

Hight, the defending Funny Car world champion, powered his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS to a pass of 4.073 at 310.63 to defeat 2016 world champion Ron Capps in the final round. Hight drove past Cruz Pedregon, points leader Courtney Force and Bob Tasca III to reach his fourth final round of the year. The victory was the first at Route 66 Raceway for Hight, a 42-time event winner.

“It was a great weekend,” Hight said. “We qualified 12th, which isn’t where you want to qualify, but when you have a team like this behind you, you never lose faith and you always believe in them. I always thought Chicago might have my number. This is my 14th time here and I had never won this race, but we finally got it done today and that’s big. As a driver, you want to win at every venue you go to, and there’s not a better place than Chicago.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. NHRA photo

Capps defeated Jon Schriefer, Shawn Langdon and John Force en route to his first final round of the season and sixth at the facility. Courtney Force maintained her points lead over second-place Jack Beckman, while Hight moved to third.

Pro Stock’s Coughlin grabbed his 59th career victory and first since 2014 after going 6.574 at 210.67 in his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro to beat No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson in the final round. Coughlin, a five-time world champion, had gone 74 races since his last victory, but earned his sixth career win at Route 66 Raceway, the most for any NHRA driver.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to visit the winner’s circle quite a bit over the years and today is one of those days I won’t forget,” Coughlin said. “We’ve got an unbelievable team with Elite Motorsports and this year we’ve come onto a great stretch. I was aggressive and stayed consistent, my team gave me a great car and we were low E.T. four rounds in a row. I think we did it in grand style to break that ice.”

Matt Hines. NHRA photo

Coughlin beat Alex Laughlin, Matt Hartford and Tanner Gray to reach the final round. He also jumped to 10th in points, becoming the eighth different winner in Pro Stock through the first nine races of the season. Anderson, who was seeking his first win of 2018, grabbed the points lead over Vincent Nobile with his final-round berth.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, two-time world champion Smith earned his first victory of 2018 and 19th of his career with a run of 6.816 at 195.87 on his Victory Magnum in the final round. Smith bested Steve Johnson, Jim Underdahl, points leader and No. 1 qualifier Andrew Hines, and LE Tonglet in the final round to lock down his first career victory at Route 66 Raceway. Smith also moved to sixth in the points standings.

“We always run good here in Chicago and I knew we had a good bike,” Smith said. “We were the quickest bike every round and that’s just a testament to my crew. I’m just very excited. We were just trying to win a race and this was big for us.”

The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues June 8th-10th at the NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va. 

Media Center Interviews:

Clay Millican –

Robert Hight –

Jeg Coughlin Jr. –

Matt Smith –

Clay Millican. NHRA photo

JOLIET, Ill. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Clay Millican; 2. Leah Pritchett; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Blake Alexander; 5. Luigi Novelli; 6. Scott Palmer; 7. Billy Torrence; 8. Kyle Wurtzel; 9. T.J. Zizzo; 10. Pat Dakin; 11. Steve Torrence; 12. Richie Crampton; 13. Brittany Force; 14. Tony Schumacher; 15. Terry McMillen; 16. Antron Brown.

FUNNY CAR:

1. Robert Hight; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Bob Tasca III; 4. John Force; 5. Courtney Force; 6. Matt Hagan; 7. Shawn Langdon; 8. Jack Beckman; 9. J.R. Todd; 10. Justin Schriefer; 11. Jonnie Lindberg; 12. Tim Wilkerson; 13. Jim Campbell; 14. Cruz Pedregon; 15. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 16. Dale Creasy Jr..

PRO STOCK:

1. Jeg Coughlin; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Tanner Gray; 4. Vincent Nobile; 5. Matt Hartford; 6. Deric Kramer; 7. Jason Line; 8. Erica Enders; 9. Alex Laughlin; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Drew Skillman; 12. Mark Hogan; 13. Dave River; 14. Tim Freeman; 15. Bo Butner; 16. Wally Stroupe.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. Matt Smith; 2. LE Tonglet; 3. Andrew Hines; 4. Hector Arana Jr; 5. Eddie Krawiec; 6. Angie Smith; 7. Jim Underdahl; 8. Ryan Oehler; 9. Jerry Savoie; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Joey Gladstone; 12. Scotty Pollacheck; 13. Hector Arana; 14. Kelly Clontz; 15. Marc Ingwersen; 16. Cory Reed.

Robert Hight. NHRA photo

JOLIET, Ill. — Sunday’s final results from the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the ninth of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Clay Millican, 3.894 seconds, 289.32 mph def. Leah Pritchett, 4.501 seconds, 192.08 mph.

Funny Car — Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 4.073, 310.63 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.310, 230.21.

Pro Stock — Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.574, 210.67 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Victory, 6.816, 195.87 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.862, 193.24.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Joey Severance, 5.249, 275.06 def. Dan Page, 5.347, 263.51.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Shane Westerfield, Chevy Camaro, 5.470, 271.73 def. Kris Hool, Camaro, 8.540, 110.82.

Competition Eliminator — Mike Mans, Chevy Lumina, 8.166, 165.99 def. Greg Kamplain, Dragster, 6.780, 181.15.

Super Stock — Justin Lamb, Chevy Cobalt, 8.542, 154.16 def. Dave Dupps Jr., Cobalt, 9.956, 130.40.

Stock Eliminator — Jeff Adkinson, Chevy Camaro, 10.055, 126.85 def. Justin Lamb, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Super Comp — Austin Williams, Dragster, 8.898, 163.49 def. Koy Collier, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Super Gas — Koy Collier, Chevy Camaro, 9.881, 158.71 def. Larry Bernshausen, Chevy Vega Wagon, 9.878, 147.88.

Super Street — Val Harmon, Chevy II, 10.912, 144.97 def. Cole Cummings, Nova, 10.914, 142.90.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Don O’Neal, Chevy Monte Carlo, 8.667, 105.72 def. Lester Johnson, Chevy Bel Air, Foul – Centerline.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Kyle Seipel, Dragster, 6.728, 203.77 def. Aaron Stanfield, Dragster, 6.190, 219.40.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. NHRA photo

JOLIET, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Blake Alexander, 3.775, 331.69 def. Richie Crampton, 4.272, 194.58; Scott Palmer, 3.781, 322.58 def. T.J. Zizzo, 3.807, 322.04; Billy Torrence, 3.784, 330.15 def. Tony Schumacher, 4.718, 162.43; Kyle Wurtzel, 3.926, 303.03 def. Brittany Force, 4.292, 239.06; Luigi Novelli, 4.003, 290.51 def. Steve Torrence, 4.237, 221.34; Clay Millican, 3.755, 329.42 def. Pat Dakin, 3.894, 318.69; Leah Pritchett, 3.769, 329.67 def. Antron Brown, 5.402, 134.91; Doug Kalitta, 3.978, 281.48 def. Terry McMillen, 5.161, 135.73; QUARTERFINALS — Kalitta, 3.934, 305.77 def. Novelli, 4.081, 253.85; Millican, 3.960, 254.95 def. Palmer, 4.122, 266.58; Pritchett, 3.929, 298.93 def. Wurtzel, 5.171, 137.16; Alexander, 4.245, 240.94 def. B. Torrence, 4.538, 192.38; SEMIFINALS — Millican, 3.785, 316.75 def. Kalitta, 3.819, 325.53; Pritchett, 3.832, 326.16 def. Alexander, 3.896, 325.06;

FINAL — Millican, 3.894, 289.32 def. Pritchett, 4.501, 192.08.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.109, 303.57 def. Jim Campbell, Dodge Charger, 4.932, 161.90; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.092, 308.50 def. Justin Schriefer, Charger, 4.305, 222.73; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.017, 320.74 def. Jonnie Lindberg, Ford Mustang, 4.442, 246.57; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.213, 237.25 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Dodge Stratus, 6.907, 81.20; John Force, Camaro, 4.059, 318.77 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.670, 175.68; Robert Hight, Camaro, 4.354, 229.00 def. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 5.036, 155.90; Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.475, 250.00 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 5.874, 97.84; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.024, 317.42 def. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.011, 322.50; QUARTERFINALS — Capps, 4.104, 311.77 def. Langdon, 4.154, 307.16; Tasca III, 4.084, 307.86 def. Hagan, 4.149, 282.95; J. Force, 4.208, 303.09 def. Beckman, 4.451, 241.11; Hight, 4.064, 316.97 def. C. Force, 4.058, 312.42; SEMIFINALS — Capps, 4.058, 313.80 def. J. Force, Foul – Centerline; Hight, 4.076, 315.12 def. Tasca III, 4.886, 165.64;

FINAL — Hight, 4.073, 310.63 def. Capps, 4.310, 230.21.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 6.582, 210.08 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.584, 209.75 def. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.603, 210.80; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 210.50 def. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.577, 210.18; Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.579, 210.57 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.590, 209.52; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.570, 210.47 def. Mark Hogan, Pontiac GXP, 6.764, 204.57; Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.573, 211.13 def. Wally Stroupe, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.579, 210.93 def. Dave River, Chevy Cobalt, 6.897, 197.59; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.574, 210.44 def. Tim Freeman, Camaro, 7.414, 135.61; QUARTERFINALS — Anderson, 6.618, 210.54 def. Kramer, 6.595, 210.01; Nobile, 6.582, 210.21 def. Line, 6.595, 210.70; Gray, 6.600, 210.31 def. Enders, 6.601, 209.72; Coughlin, 6.567, 210.57 def. Hartford, 6.573, 210.05; SEMIFINALS — Anderson, 6.604, 209.85 def. Nobile, 12.390, 70.57; Coughlin, 6.574, 210.67 def. Gray, 6.592, 210.73; FINAL — Coughlin, 6.574, 210.67 def. Anderson, Foul – Red Light.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.887, 196.42 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.910, 193.46 def. Hector Arana, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.821, 196.99 def. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.916, 192.22; LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.828, 197.65 def. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.941, 192.93; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.835, 199.02 def. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 7.051, 191.43; Matt Smith, 6.784, 198.35 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.868, 195.85; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.815, 197.02 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.006, 195.17; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.801, 198.32 def. Cory Reed, Buell, Broke; QUARTERFINALS — Arana Jr, 6.793, 200.89 def. A. Smith, 6.839, 196.64; Tonglet, 6.807, 198.93 def. Krawiec, Foul – Red Light; Hines, 6.818, 198.47 def. Oehler, 7.105, 192.30; M. Smith, 6.788, 198.96 def. Underdahl, Foul – Red Light; SEMIFINALS — Tonglet, 6.814, 198.55 def. Arana Jr, 7.636, 135.81; M. Smith, 6.796, 198.64 def. Hines, 6.818, 197.31; FINAL — M. Smith, 6.816, 195.87 def. Tonglet, 6.862, 193.24.

Matt Hines. NHRA photo

JOLIET, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence, 712; 2. Clay Millican, 687; 3. Leah Pritchett, 582; 4. Tony Schumacher, 578; 5. Doug Kalitta, 570; 6. Brittany Force, 471; 7. Terry McMillen, 464; 8. Antron Brown, 456; 9. Scott Palmer, 350; 10. Richie Crampton, 329.

Funny Car

1. Courtney Force, 728; 2. Jack Beckman, 647; 3. Robert Hight, 624; 4. Matt Hagan, 601; 5. J.R. Todd, 539; 6. Ron Capps, 535; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 522; 8. Cruz Pedregon, 433; 9. Shawn Langdon, 429; 10. John Force, 383.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 653; 2. Vincent Nobile, 647; 3. Erica Enders, 594; 4. Deric Kramer, 592; 5. Tanner Gray, 575; 6. Bo Butner, 550; 7. Drew Skillman, 529; 8. Chris McGaha, 527; 9. Jason Line, 499; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 487.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Andrew Hines, 348; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 345; 3. Scotty Pollacheck, 278; 4.  LE Tonglet, 249; 5. Jerry Savoie, 240; 6. Matt Smith, 235; 7. Hector Arana Jr, 233; 8. Hector Arana, 192; 9. Angelle Sampey, 187; 10. Cory Reed, 173.