NHRA News: Coughlin hopes to make opponents MAD with Spy vs. Spy car (10/15/2004)

Coughlin hopes to make opponents MAD with Spy vs. Spy car

10/15/2004

Coughlin's Spy vs. Spy Pro Stocker.
Click for bigger image

The Pro Stock class should be advised that sizzling bombs, falling anvils, suspicious trapdoors and other pratfalls will become the order of the day when two-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin unveils a special-edition Spy vs. Spy car at the fourth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.

The 33-time national event winner is part of a new program put together by Action Performance that celebrates the infamous MAD Magazine characters. Additionally, other members of the MAD Racing team will sport the visage of MAD Magazine fictional founder Alfred E. Newman over Halloween weekend and beyond.

"The car looks great," Coughlin said. "We'll race it The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and close out the year on a strong note. I'm looking forward to it. As a kid, I dabbled with MAD Magazine and old Alfred E. He has always been a crazy guy."

Coughlin's Spy vs. Spy helmet.
Click for bigger image

Joining Coughlin in the Spy vs. Spy camp is NASCAR drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield, while Alfred E. Neuman will be represented by NASCAR pros Kenny Wallace and Michael Waltrip, as well as World of Outlaws wildman Danny Lasoski.

While Coughlin's Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, and the various stock cars and sprint cars, will sport either the Alfred E. Neuman or Spy vs. Spy scheme, all six vehicles in the program will share a specially designed MAD Racing "Unsafe at Any Speed!" logo featuring the "Spy" characters from Spy vs. Spy. Action Performance Companies Inc. designed the logo specifically for this latest MAD Racing extravaganza.

"I know the entire Jeg's Racing team is excited to be a part of this deal and to share the stage with all of these great drivers," Coughlin said. "The paint job is very cool. Coming over the top it looks like our conventional Jeg's Mail Order scheme but the Spy vs. Spy guys are going to work, taking over. It's a neat look.

Coughlin's Spy vs. Spy Pro Stocker.
Click for bigger image

"We expect a positive response from the fans and we'll have Spy vs. Spy T-Shirts and die-cast cars from Action Performance available in the Jeg's merchandise trailer right there at the racetrack. Every time we've done a special-edition car in the past it's been very well received and since so many people can relate to MAD Magazine and the Spy vs. Spy characters, I know this one will be a big hit also."

Wallace, Kahne, Mayfield, and Waltrip will roll out their MAD Racing machines during the NASCAR event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 30-31. Lasoski will round out the program with his MAD Racing sprint car, racing on Nov. 5 and 6 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"In recent years, MAD Racing has been a growing presence on the race scene," said Fred Wagenhals, Action Performance's chairman, president, and CEO. "It started with a few specials over the years in the NHRA and now has evolved into this cross-circuit event. Visually, the cars are incredibly creative and are an inspiration from the original MAD Magazine artists' works, including Antonio Prohias, who created the Spy vs. Spy characters, and Norman Mingo, a portrait artist who developed the definitive Alfred E. Neuman rendering."

2004 News Archive
Return to the Home Page