Championship Drag Racing

K&N Filters SuperNationals
Englishtown, N.J.
(June 17-20)

EVENT HOME
   Tickets
   Event schedule
   Results
   Star Tracks
   Audio Broadcast
   Photo Galleries
   Video highlights
   Entry List
   Preview

     Event sponsor

Troy Coughlin Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet

Reports: Saturday Friday Pre-race

Englishtown, Saturday: The final day of qualifying for the 35th annual K&N Filters Nationals didn't play out the way Troy Coughlin had hoped for. The 39-year old second-generation driver ended the final day of qualifying sitting in the No. 22 position.

In the third qualifying session the Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier moved around down track and Coughlin wisely pushed the clutch in and coasted to the finish line.

"I felt the car move around and just didn't feel comfortable," said Coughlin. "I have crossed over that line here before. These cars can turn on you in a hurry and there's no rewinding the clock once it happens."

The final qualifying session gave Coughlin his final chance to break into the quick-16. He posted a run of 6.918 at 201.13 mph and fell short of making the cut.

"We got a little aggressive for the final session," explained Coughlin. "We just never had a combination that worked this weekend. We made an engine change for the last two sessions after hurting an engine last night (Friday). We are going to take everything back to the shop and regroup."

Englishtown, Friday: Troy Coughlin started the weekend focused on qualifying for the 35th annual K&N Filters Nationals. In the first of the four scheduled qualifying sessions the Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier opened by running a 6.920 at 200.26 mph. The 10-year Pro Stock veteran ended the session sitting in the No. 15 spot.

"We got from A-to-B during our first run and picked up some solid data that will help us make the right decisions for the rest of the weekend," said Coughlin. "We were sluggish in the first 60-feet and just never recovered. The car made a little move to the left after launching, but quickly went back to the center of the groove."

In the second session Coughlin improved over his previous time. He ran a 6.910 at 200.32 mph and slipped to the No. 21 spot. The 39-year old second-generation driver will have two more opportunities tomorrow (Saturday) to break back into the quick-16.

"The run just felt a little flat to me from the seat," explained Coughlin. "We really took a close look at the engine and some pieces inside it. We saw something that we were not happy with and put a new engine between the frame rails for Saturday. We will try a different approach in the morning and move forward. We have everything it takes to get the job done in our pit area and we have a group of guys on this team that never give up."

Englishtown, pre-race: Troy Coughlin is the type of person that looks ahead and doesn't spend much time thinking about the past. The 39-year-old, second-generation driver is a glass is half-full kind of person.

"Every race is like a clean slate and everyone is tied for first when they roll through the gate to start the weekend," said Coughlin. "You can't let the past control what you do going forward. You still need to learn from the mistakes you made, but you can't change anything that has already happened. The opportunities are ahead of you."

This weekend the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will invade Old Bridge Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. The event is the 11th stop on the 23-race schedule. Coughlin will enter the event sitting in the No. 19 position in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship with 185 points. With a strong performance he can move up as high as the No. 16 spot. The 10-year Pro Stock veteran knows how important it is to make a move forward at this point in the season.

"We are almost to the halfway point in the 2004 NHRA POWERade season," said Coughlin. "The West coast swing is coming up and you really need to be moving forward going into the swing. Every point is part of the big picture when you add up your score the closer you get to the end of the season. We just need to focus on what we can control and do the best job we can going forward with what we have to work with."