Championship Drag Racing

CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals
Chicago
(Sept. 25-28)

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Jeg's Allstars

Jeg Coughlin Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet

Reports: Sunday Saturday Pre-race

Chicago, Sunday: Jeg and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier started race day from the No. 2 position. The 33-year old two-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion scored his second win of the season at the Car Quest NHRA Nationals.

The win marked the 33rd win behind the wheel in Pro Stock and the 44th of his racing career. The Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier out ran three of his four opponents in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL.

Jeg Coughlin disposed of fellow Ohio driver Ron Krisher in the opening round. In the second round the reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion put Kurt Johnson on the trailer by out running him from start to finish. In the semifinal round Jeg took out Bruce Allen.

The final round put Jeg and Greg Anderson head-to-head. Lane choice went to Jeg and he stayed with the left lane.

Jeg launched from the starting line second, but Anderson fouled out by .001-second and turned the win light on for Jeg. The yellow and black Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier posted a run of 6.749 at 203.22 mph in the final round for the win.

"Being back in the winner's circle feels great and gives our team a little added push," commented Jeg. "Every year we do a framed picture of all of our winner's circle shots for everyone on the team and it's nice to add another. Our performance has picked up at an aggressive pace since our last win in Sonoma. We felt good as a team all weekend and had fun as a group. We put a brand new engine between the frame rails in my Jeg's Chevy Cavalier and we never missed a beat. The guys in the engine shop finished it at 3:00 am Friday morning and we had it in the car before noon. I think that's another great example of the dedication and commitment to winning that our entire program has. We've definitely narrowed the performance that Greg has had for most of the year.

"I was pretty busy trying to get my ride back into the center of the groove in the final round and didn't see the win light right away. I had my hands full behind the wheel, we were on the aggressive side in the final. The thing that's really great for our family is winning the 60th Coughlin family NHRA national event. All in all, we had a banner weekend. The Jeg's Allstar Race was a huge success again this year and we are helping to make the event the most prestigious Sportsman racing event in all of Drag Racing with the help of the NHRA and the racers. I won, and my brother Mike scored a runner up finish in Super Gas. A double win would have been pretty impressive for Team Jeg's, but that's racing."

Chicago, Saturday: Jeg and is Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier continued to show strength when qualifying resumed for the Car Quest NHRA Nationals on Saturday. Both of the first two scheduled qualifying sessions were canceled, which put additional pressure to perform on all of the professional teams.

Jeg laid down an impressive run of 6.769 at 203.06 mph to take the No. 2 spot his first time down the track this weekend. The 33-year old showed improvement when he made his final qualifying pass of the weekend. The Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier rose to the occasion and posted a run of 6.747 at 203.34 mph. The run was good enough to keep him in the No. 2 position for race day.

Jeg will line up next to fellow Ohio driver Ron Krisher in the first round. Jeg will have lane choice when the two Chevy cavaliers' meet on the quarter-mile battlefield.

"All in all, we were pretty pleased with our qualifying effort this weekend," said Jeg. "We put a new engine in the car which we had never run down the track. We were confident that we could get it sorted out in the two qualifying session that we expected after seeing the pending weather. We are gaining in the horsepower department and others are certainly taking notice and that is exciting. We are looking forward to having a strong day on Sunday and having both Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavaliers' in the top-half of the field is a real plus and is a reward for the hard work that all of our guys have been putting in to get the yellow and black back on top."

Chicago, pre-race: The recent resurgence of Jeg Coughlin and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier in NHRA's most competitive class has turned plenty of heads lately. Coughlin was the No. 1 qualifier at the last event and was the car to beat. He also currently sits in the top spot at the rain postponed event in Reading when the qualifying action resumes next weekend.

At the last four events the reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion has scored a win, runner-up, and two semifinal round finishes. Coughlin is currently sitting in the No. 3 spot in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship. The 33-year old second-generation driver has 1,232 points and trails the No. 2 position by 225 points or just under 11 rounds. There are 20 rounds of competition remaining this season and the two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion expects it to be a battle.

"We know that the championship is out of reach for us this year," Coughlin said. "Our program has posted some strong performances since we won in Sonoma. We have our sights set on the No. 2 spot. We are currently sitting in the No. 3 position in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship and have made big gains in our program lately that are starting to show up on the track. Our goal is to end the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season on a high note and carry the momentum through the off season."