Championship Drag Racing

O'Reilly NHRA
Summer Nationals
Topeka
(May 22-25)

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Jeg Coughlin Jeg's Mail Order Pro Stocker

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

Topeka, Sunday: In the opening round Jeg Coughlin and his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavalier went head-to-head against fellow Ohio driver Ron Krisher. Jeg launched from the starting line first by .004 seconds (.025 to .029) and had an impressive .999 60-foot time.

The win light came on for Coughlin. He posted a run of 6.826 at 201.31 mph.

"We made a solid run in the first round and that is the best way to start off on race day," said Jeg.

In the second round Jeg faced off against the current NHRA Pro Stock POWERade points leader. Anderson had lane choice by a mere .003 seconds.

The advantage off of the starting line went to Anderson (.004 to .024). The two cars were dead even at the 1000-foot clock and looked like they were welded together at the door handles. Anderson got the win by .0458 seconds at the stripe. Jeg posted a 6.855 at 200.71 mph.

"We made a solid run down low," said Jeg. "The team will head straight to Chicago and focus on making it happen in the windy city. I am looking forward to racing next weekend with all of my brothers."

Topeka, Saturday: After an exhausting morning of rain delays the Pro Stock class invaded the green racing surface. The factory hot rods were the first to take on the track during the second and final day of qualifying.

In the third qualifying session Jeg posted an impressive run of 6.888 at 199.67 mph. The run was the third quickest of the session and was not an improvement over his previous run of 6.855 seconds. Jeg stayed in the No. 8 position.

Jeg ran a 6.963 at 198.90 mph in the final session. The team used the run to push the limits of their race day set up.

"We made a pretty decent poke in the third qualifying session down low," said Jeg. "We used the final session to draw a line in the sand of where we don't want to cross on race day. I am confident our team will be ready for race day. We learned a lot through qualifying in different conditions that should translate into round wins."

Jeg Coughlin stayed in the No. 8 qualifying position with his run of 6.855 at 200.44 mph from the second qualifying session. Coughlin will have lane choice when he meets up with fellow Ohio driver Ron Krisher in the opening round.

Topeka, Friday: In the opening qualifying session Jeg Coughlin Jr and his yellow and black JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavalier rocketed to a run of 6.860 at 200.68 mph to start the weekend. The run was good enough for the No. 5 position.

The second session gave teams almost identical condition to the opening qualifying session. Jeg laid down a 6.855 at 200.44 mph. His run was an improvement over his first qualifying effort and he slipped to the No. 8 spot.

"We felt like we were in the ballpark after our first run," explained Jeg. "We made a couple of minor changes going into the second session that we thought would have translated into a bigger improvement for us. We have solid data on each lane and that should help us tune better tomorrow."

Topeka, pre-race: Jeg Coughlin Jr. has scored back-to-back finishes at the last two NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events. The reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion will enter the ninth race of the season ready to strike from the No. 4 position in the points.

"Our entire program is moving in the right direction," said Jeg. "We just need to keep picking up rounds on the guys ahead of us and put ourselves in a position to win."

Jeg is one of only five drivers who have qualified at each event so far in 2003. He has 467 points and posted a runner up finish at The Mac Tools Gatornationals. The 32-year old Coughlin knows it is going to take teamwork to put the familiar yellow and black Jeg's Mail Order colors back on top.

"Having both Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavaliers in the show is a plus and will help both of us," said Jeg. "There are a number of drivers that are literally on top of each other in the points. The guys from No. 5-8 and No. 11-18 are real close. Right now there is a lot of opportunity for movement from race-to-race, which is great for the fans and exciting for the teams."

The O'Reilly Summer Nationals is the second race in the three-race swing that began last weekend at the K&N Filter NHRA SuperNationals. The final race in the swing is next weekend in Joliet, IL at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals.

"We are focusing on having a string of strong performance during this three-race swing," said Jeg. "We would like nothing more than to carry some good momentum going into our hometown race in Columbus."