Championship Drag Racing

Mopar Mile-High
NHRA Nationals
Denver
(July 18-20)

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Jeg Coughlin Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

Denver, Sunday: The NHRA POWERade Pro Stock duo of Jeg and Troy Coughlin both qualified in the top-half of the 16-car field. Troy started race day from the No. 6 position and Jeg from the No. 7 slot.

The identical pair of yellow and black JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavaliers started race day at the Mopar Mile High Nationals with a chance of facing off in the semifinal round. A semifinal round match up between the two would guarantee a Coughlin in the final round and an opportunity to score the first Pro Stock win of the season for the team.

Reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin posted his third runner up finish of the season and 14th of his professional career. The youngest Coughlin brother defeated Greg Stanfield, Kurt Johnson and Troy Coughlin. In the final round Jeg lost by .0154 seconds to Warren Johnson. He remained No. 4 in the NHRA POWERade championship and has 810 points.

"We had a great weekend as a team," explained Jeg. "We are headed in the right direction and we just need to keep what we are doing."

Denver, Saturday: The reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion started the second and final day of qualifying sitting in the No. 7 position. Jeg was also one position behind his older brother and teammate Troy Coughlin.

The yellow and black JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavalier continued to look strong on the second day. In the third qualifying session Jeg posted a 7.270 at 190.59 mph. Jeg ran a 7.259 at 190.24 mph in the final session and stayed in the No. 7 spot.

"We picked up where we left off yesterday and kept moving in the right direction today (Saturday)," said Jeg. "We have a solid baseline to tune from that came from both cars. We just need to keep moving in the right direction and put ourselves in a position to win."

Jeg Coughlin Jr and his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavalier will go head-to-head with Greg Stanfield in the opening round.

Denver, Friday: In the opening qualifying session Jeg posted a run of 7.391 at 187.89 mph. The run put him in the No. 18 qualifying position with three scheduled opportunities to improve.

"We learned a lot from the first run that should help us throughout the weekend," said Jeg.

The second session Jeg followed his older brother Troy in the rotation. The JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavalier looked impressive. Jeg laid down a 7.259 at 198.98 mph. The run was good enough to move the reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion into the No. 7 position with two scheduled qualifying sessions remaining to improve.

"To come out here and run like we just did in the night session is a good feeling," commented Jeg. "We are setting our two cars up as close as we can and we are benefiting from it. We look to pick up where we left off tomorrow (Saturday)."

Denver, pre-race: The Mopar Mile High Nationals is the first event of the Western Swing. The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will hit Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma without a break between the challenging events.

The reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion has had a fair amount of success in the past Bandimere Speedway. Jeg Coughlin Jr. has scored two wins ('98 and '99), a second round appearance, and two-first round losses. The 33-year old has competed on the mountain five times in his short career.

"I am always excited to race at Bandimere Speedway," said Coughlin. "The Bandimere family has always provided a great stage to compete on."

Coughlin will enter the 13th race of the 23-event series in the No. 4 position in the NHRA POWERade championship. The two-time Pro Stock champion is 42 points from taking over the No. 3 spot.

Coughlin knows the importance of putting together a string of strong performances during the "west coast" swing.

"Doing well at the next three races can be rewarding for a team," said Coughlin. "The key to our success will be to take advantage of the misfortunes other teams have and avoid making errors that we control. All three climates are different and present unique challenges."