Moments in JEGS 50-Years / Jeg Coughlin Jr wins US Nationals from the bump

Jeg Coughlin Jr wins US  Nationals from the bump
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Only one  driver in the 59-year history of NHRA Championship Drag Racing 
has won a  national event at the professional level from every starting 
position on the  ladder, and that driver is four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg 
Coughlin  Jr.

Of course, to pull off the feat, a driver must have won from the 16th  and 
final qualifying slot, one of the toughest tasks in the sport as it  
signifies that the other 15 racers all ran quicker elapsed times leading into  the 
elimination rounds.

But in perhaps one of the biggest underdog  stories in the lengthy history 
of the prestigious U.S. Nationals -- the sport's  longest-running event -- 
Coughlin managed to rise from the ashes and score  arguably the most unlikely 
victory of his career.

The year was 2000, and  Coughlin started race day against red-hot top 
qualifier Mark Osborne. The two  thrilled the crowd with a lengthy staging battle 
it proved to be a distraction  for Osborne and Coughlin was able to gain a 
.045-second head start and took the  win on a holeshot. In Round 2, Coughlin 
came from behind to beat Allen Johnson  by .01 seconds, before taking out 
Mark Pawak.

In the final, Ron Krisher  was in the other lane but Coughlin once again 
pulled off a stunning starting  line advantage of .045 seconds to take the 
trophy with a 6.968 to Krisher's  quicker but losing 6.927. The final margin of 
victory was just 14 inches, a  perfect finish to a remarkable day.
 
 
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