GRUBNIC LOOKING TO MAKE WAVES IN COLUMBUS
HEBRON

Ohio - David Grubnic is not a rookie, yet you might not consider him a veteran, either. He's somewhere in between, still searching for his true identity in the land of 6,000 horsepower dragsters. The Australian racer has been part of the Top Fuel category since 1997, but has yet to snag his first national event victory.

Grubnic started racing a partial schedule of events in 1997. He moved to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) full-time in 2000 and has logged two top 10 finishes in the point standings both seasons. He is looking to improve on his career-best ninth place points effort (2001) this year.

"I feel very good about where the team is," said Grubnic, speaking with an unmistakable twang from the land down under. "Our confidence is very high and we are producing results."

Grubnic is still aiming for the ultimate result, a 4-0 day in eliminations, as he and the Montana Express Dragster head to the 38^th annual Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals presented by Summit Racing at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, June 13-16. Larry Dixon, John Force, Warren Johnson and Angelle Savoie are the defending winners in their respective categories for the $1.9 million race, the 11^th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

So far this season, Grubnic is performing better than he has in the past, and is getting closer to that elusive first win - something he is confident will come sooner than later.

"We need to stick to the route we're going on right now," Grubnic said. "I feel happy and very confident where we are right now and I think that we are knocking on the door of a win. This is a real competitive category, especially this year and we are working on improving our setup every time we make a run.

"(Crew chief) John Mitchell is just in the early stages of being with this team and if we keep developing this program, it will produce a win."

Grubnic has flirted with becoming a first-time winner on two occasions during his career. Last season he came up just short of winning his first 'Wally' when he lost to Kenny Bernstein in the final round at Sonoma, Calif. Four years ago in Houston, he was a surprise first-time finalist against Cory McClenathan, who unfortunately for Grubnic, had the faster car that day.

While there have been nine different Pro Stock drivers to win a race, and five different Funny Car drivers to make an appearance in Winner's Circle, there have only been four Top Fuel drivers to win a race this season. Grubnic would like to make it five. He knows that in the unpredictable world of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, rounds can be won and lost by any team on the strip on any given day.

"I do feel good about where the team is at right now and I think the confidence is high for every person on this team," Grubnic said. "We haven't gotten the win yet, but we are producing better results. It's very difficult adapting to different conditions and tracks but if you want to win, you have to be able to make adjustments.

"The competition in this category is very tough but we are going to do whatever we can to be one of the more competitive cars out there."

HINES HOPES TO REGAIN WINNING FORM IN COLUMBUS

    Matt Hines looks at the Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings and is a little mystified. After all, he is in the No. 5 spot. That's not a position he is familiar with, nor happy to be in.

Hines, after all, is a three-time Pro Stock champion (1997-'99) and has earned 28 victories in 42 final round appearances during his career. However, the once seemingly unbeatable rider has fell on hard times of late and is currently riding the longest winless streak of his career. The last time he visited winner's circle was in May 2001 at Englishtown, N.J. It's been more than a year since he has enjoyed a victory.

"The class is definitely getting tougher and it has been in the last few years," Hines, the rider of the Vance & Hines Eagle One Suzuki, said. "We have been building a lot of engines for our Vance & Hines customers and they have all been stepping up their programs and putting a lot of pressure on us and everyone else."

Hines has been in the winner's circle in Columbus before and hopes to end his current drought there with a victory at the 38^th annual Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals presented by Summit Racing at National Trail Raceway, June 13-16. Larry Dixon, John Force, Warren Johnson and Angelle Savoie are the defending winners in their respective categories for the $1.9 million race, the 11^th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Hines has earned the No. 1 qualifying position at Columbus three times (1997-'99) and has two wins in three final rounds at the track. The last victory came in 1998.

"I haven't won there in a couple of years and it would be nice to get a victory while we are in Columbus," Hines said. "The conditions can be hot and the track can be a little bumpy at times, so you have to be on your best game while you are competing there. You have to be prepared to win there. If you are not riding your best, you won't be able to get down the track and put up some winning times.

"It's definitely one of the more challenging race tracks that we go to."
With the new POWERade sponsorship and increased prize money, Hines said his job of winning races has become more difficult than it used to be.

"I think that when POWERade stepped in as the series sponsor and $50,000 was put up for grabs as the prize money for the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, everyone really started shooting for the top," Hines said. "There were a lot of people who put together solid programs in the offseason and we refined ours to try to put together the best package out there.

"When we got to Gainesville, we took the No. 1 qualifying position because we have a very fast bike. But there is a lot of good competition out there this year and we just need to keep working at it."

While the Pro Stock Motorcycle category seems to bring a number of challenges to any rider, Hines admits he is happy that he is not competing in the Pro Stock category - especially this season. The door slammers' have had nine different winners in the first nine events of the season. Points leader Jim Yates is at the top of the pack, but had yet to earn a victory.

"I think me and Jim Yates have similar programs right now," Hines said. "We are pretty fast during the week, but we just haven't made it happen on Sundays yet. I don't know why that is. But I do know that right now, everything has to go your way to win. Everything has to click. You have to be perfect to win.

"I definitely want to get back into winner's circle as soon as possible. I think we have the bike to do it with too. I just need to cut some good lights on race day and stay as focused as possible. You also have to have a little luck because the motorcycle class is so tough right now. I can't wait for it to all come together."

COUGHLIN'S ENGINE PROGRAM MOVING INTO HIGH GEAR

Jeg Coughlin Jr. might be the youngest of the four Coughlin brothers, but surprisingly he has the biggest expectations to meet.

The 31-year-old hometown favorite will try and win for the first time in nearly a year as he competes in the 38^th annual Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals presented by Summit Racing, June 13-16, at National Trail Raceway. Larry Dixon, John Force, Warren Johnson and Angelle Savoie are the defending winners of the $1.9 million race, the 11^th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

After a remarkable 2000 season where Coughlin streaked out to the points lead from the season-opener and never looked back until he was crowned series champ, he struggled through 2001 by his standards as he finished fifth in the Pro Stock standings, his lowest seeding since he began racing full-time. One of the reasons for the struggles was the fact that the Coughlin family had decided to take their engine program in-house and were overcoming some of the early obstacles the program encountered.

"In the beginning we had a little bit of a problem keeping stuff together, but that was some learning curves that we went through," said Coughlin, whose 23 career victories ties him for fifth all-time in Pro Stock. "The winter was our first opportunity to sit back and not be rushed to have something done by the end of the week and need to fly a motor to a race track. Our goal this year was to not have to fly a motor to the track at all. We have enough pieces, and we have enough talent to have a nice rotation for both cars. So far it has been really smooth, minus the DNQ (did not qualify) at the season-opener in Pomona (Calif.)."

Pro Stock is considered by many the most competitive form of racing in all of motorsports. It is a statement that can be backed up by the fact that there have been nine different winners in the first 10 events. Coughlin has been able to remain among the leaders in the standings despite not visiting the winner's circle in 2002.

"It's pretty wild right now with only three guys that have qualified for every race so far," said Coughlin. "We're in striking distance right now, but we're a round away from being in ninth, and a round from being in third. The pack is extremely tight right now.

Consistency and two runner-up finishes has helped Coughlin maintain his place in the standings, but a victory is what every driver goes to the track for. Nothing would please Coughlin more than to snag the win in Ohio.

        "We have done all our growing up in Columbus and brothers and I all got our NHRA license at National Trail Raceway," said Coughlin. "Our company is based there and we give every one of our 350-plus associates the opportunity to come to the races one of the four days. To be able to have them physically there throughout the weekend makes it real special with a hometown crowd. When you do well in front of everyone you know, it makes it that much more rewarding."