NHRA News: Coughlin ready to attempt third POWERade title run (2/10/2004)

Coughlin ready to attempt third POWERade title run

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
2/10/2004

"We built this new car to run 6.5s and 6.6s."
– Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Although there are a million ways to a POWERade Pro Stock championship, there appears to be four things you can't live without.

First, you must be willing to work. Not just a little, but a lot, every day, all year long. Six-time series champ Warren Johnson famously lists "work" as his favorite hobby.

Next, you need to be dedicated. Current titleholder Greg Anderson's wife Kim refers to his car and shop like they're mistresses, wooing her man away at all hours of the day and night.

You'll also need money, and lots of it. Go back through time and you'd be hard-pressed to find a Pro Stock champ who wasn't one of the top spenders in the class the year he took home the big, gold Wally.

The Jeg's Mail Order team started its preparation
for 2004 with a full day in the wind tunnel.

Finally, you need ability. Not just to drive the car straight and hit your shift points, but to hire and keep the right people, to build horsepower better than most, to find and maintain sponsors, to be able to stare down your opponents when the heat is on and pull off perfect runs, and to do it again and again.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. has performed this perilous balancing act for just six professional campaigns, yet already he has a pair of championship trophies and 33 national event victories to his credit, placing him third on the all-time Pro Stock list. It's clear the 33-year-old former Rookie of the Year, who also has the 1992 Super Gas world title on his resume, has what it takes to challenge for the No. 1 spot every season.

Coughlin knows what it's like to reach the pinnacle of the sport, how it feels to lose the top ranking, and what it takes to regain the form that ultimately returns his team to glory. He's been there and done that, twice, and he's as motivated as ever to get there again.

"If you look at our 2003 season, by all rights we had a great year," Coughlin said. "We won a couple of races. We went to the finals seven times. We finished third in the points after a slow start. There isn't much there to complain about. But when you've tasted the champagne it certainly leaves you wanting more."

Coughlin posted a best of 6.69 seconds at 205 mph during a test session in south Florida.

To that end, Coughlin and the rest of his Jeg's Mail Order camp have rededicated themselves to another title charge. They have a new Jerry Bickel Chevrolet Cavalier that team patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. helped design. They invested in a full day at a wind tunnel to make sure the car is perfectly balanced. Coughlin doubled the staff in his engine department, and they've tested extensively this off-season in an attempt to be completely up to speed by the K&N Filters Winternationals.

"We've been where Greg is now," Coughlin said. "So we feel like we have a real good grasp of what it will take to get back there. Sure he dominated the class in 2003, but to me it seemed a lot like our championship run in 2000. The difference was he went after some personal goals at the end of the season, which I think was great for the class.

"I was impressed with what Greg did and I believe he deserved his championship 100 percent. I was proud of the fact Greg and I were the only two drivers to qualify for every race. That tells me we weren't far off. In this class, a couple of breaks one way or the other can make a big difference."

Coughlin's "knowledge is king" mentality has kept Team Jeg's busy since November. Soon after they received and outfitted their new Cavalier, which Coughlin describes as having a "more rigid chassis" than standard designs, they were in NASCAR Country testing at a private wind tunnel.

To keep sharp, Coughlin raced this dragster to the Moroso 5-Day Bracket Championship. In testing,
he used it to scuff up new tires.

"We spent eight hours in there," Coughlin said. "You can dial in so many different factors so we tried to replicate the various conditions we'll see throughout the year and the different surfaces we'll be racing on. It went very well. We've been in the tunnel twice before so we knew what to expect and how to find to the right balance for this car."

As soon as that test was completed, the group headed farther south to Florida for some on-track work.

"We had two major goals," Coughlin said. "One, we wanted to get used to the new beadlock deal, which bumped up the average tire diameter by four or five inches. It took a few passes to figure it out but we all agreed the car's are infinitely more stable and therefore, much safer. [Brother and teammate] Troy made a couple of runs that went towards the wall and he was able to drive the car right back into the groove. He said a year ago he would've given up on those runs.

"Secondly, we wanted to get a new baseline tune-up that matched our new motors. We topped out with a 6.69 at 205.66 mph, with several other runs in the 6.71 and 6.72 range. Overall, we made 14 passes. Granted, the conditions were perfect but everything still went extremely well, which made us pretty happy because we tried a lot of new things. I feel like we're ready for the season to start but we will make a quick stop in Las Vegas next week for a final tune-up."

Although he's hesitant to make predictions, Coughlin knows the basic ingredients for success he and his brother Troy, who will have a new car of his own by April, must use to stay in contention.

The future is dead ahead for Coughlin.

"Horsepower is king in this class," Coughlin said. "And we're hopeful the gains the guys in the engine shop have made in the last six months will be enough to put us where we need to be. I think this year's champ will qualify for every race and average a semifinal finish. That's a pretty tall order because that means you need to be one of the top four cars every week. In Pro Stock, that's saying a lot.

"We need to race smarter than the other guys. We need to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. We built this new car to run 6.5s and 6.6s. I think we'll at least see a few chances to run 6.6s. Whatever the case, we need to be capable of seizing any chance we have to put this Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier in the spotlight.

"Do we have all the pieces in place to win it all? Certainly, we do. But that doesn't guarantee you anything. Winning a championship is extremely tough."

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