Promising weekend ends in first round for Jeg Coughlin (NHRA/JEG'S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Ameriquest Mortgage NHRA  Nationals
Route 66 Raceway
Joliet, Ill.
Oct 2, 2005  
 
 

Jeg Coughlin - JEG'S Mail Order / Mopar  - Dodge Stratus RT (Pro Stock)
Race Day Summary 

Promising weekend ends in first  round for Jeg Coughlin

Former series champion Jeg  Coughlin didn't have enough horsepower under the 
hood of his yellow-an-black  Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T Sunday morning 
and the 45-time national event  winner was dismissed in the first round of 
eliminations. 

"We really felt  like we had a decent opportunity to run well today," 
Coughlin said. "We were a  top-half car yesterday during both sessions and the 
racetrack seemed to be  coming to us. We just didn't get it together today and the 
car really slid  around out there. The end result is very disappointing, 
especially at a track  that we usually run well at when we're here."

The weekend was going along  well for Coughlin as he successfully qualified 
for the quickest field in NHRA  history. His 6.695 at 205.47 mph earned the No. 
14 position on the elimination  grid, opposite fellow Ohio driver Larry 
Morgan's 6.668 at 206.67 mph.

"It  was exciting to make the quickest field ever," Coughlin said. "Of course 
that  also means that everyone else in the field is very capable of beating 
anyone  else. Today, Larry had a car that ran extremely well. He put a great 
light on  me, and we lost. I couldn't see him so it must have been fairly close 
but I can  see by our 60-foot times that we were working from behind all the 
way down the  track."

Morgan won with a 6.764 at 204.23 mph to Coughlin's 6.780 at  203.46 mph.

Coughlin and crew will head back to Dallas for the  rescheduled 20th 
anniversary O'Reilly Fall Nationals presented by Castrol  Syntec. The race was 
originally slated for last weekend but was postponed by  Hurricane Rita. Coughlin has 
had success at the Texas Motorplex with one win in  three final-round 
appearances.







TELEVISION:     

 
Sunday,  Oct. 2, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 8 p.m.  
(ET).