Coughlin wins second straight NHRA Pro Stock title

POMONA, Calif. -- Jeg Coughlin raced to his second consecutive and fourth overall NHRA Pro Stock title Saturday by qualifying for the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Couglin joined Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) as a season champion, while the Countdown to 1 battles in Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be settled Sunday in the final eliminations at Auto Club Raceway.

Four of the five Funny Car championship contenders -- Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, Robert Hight and Tony Pedregon -- will enter the eliminations on the same side of the bracket separated by 61 points. In first-round pairings, Tony Pedregon and Hight will meet, while Cruz Pedregon and Wilkerson could race in the second round. Wilkerson faces a tough first-round pairing against 14-time champ John Force.

On the opposite side of the Funny Car bracket, Jack Beckman, who is fifth overall and trails the leader by 67, needs to win the race and have his four title opponents lose early to have a chance to win his first championship.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending champ Matt Smith will battle Eddie Krawiec and Chris Rivas for the world championship. Smith earned his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season with a performance of 6.962 at 188.86 on a Buell, while Krawiec qualified second and Rivas was ninth.

Schumacher, Mike Neff and Greg Anderson also claimed No. 1 qualifying positions at the final NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the year.

Schumacher earned his ninth No. 1 of the season in Top Fuel, covering the distance in 3.827 at 315.93. If Schumacher wins, he will set NHRA season records for most wins and elimination round wins.

In Funny Car, Neff earned his second top qualifying effort of the season with a 4.079 at 305.49 in a Ford Mustang. Anderson secured his seventh No. 1 of the season in Pro Stock in his Pontiac GXP with a run of 6.634 at 208.20.