Coughlin powers to provisional pole at U.S. Nationals (NHRA/JEGS)

Coughlin powers to provisional pole at U.S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS  (Sept. 4) -- Defending U.S. Nationals Pro Stock champion Jeg 
Coughlin Jr. used a  track-record pass of 6.580 seconds at 209.39 mph 
Saturday evening to put his  JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt on the provisional pole at 
the 56th annual Mac Tools  U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

A winner at two of the last three  races on the Full Throttle tour, 
Coughlin proved he's serious about earning his  fifth U.S. Nationals trophy and 
challenging for a fifth Pro Stock world title  with a run that pushed all the 
class heavyweights down one slot.

"The  fight for the No. 1 spot is always a challenge, especially here at 
the U.S.  Nationals," Coughlin said. "It feels fantastic to bring it back to 
the JEGS pit,  even if it's just for one night. Tomorrow's going to be 
another battle because  the conditions are supposed to be similar to what we saw 
today. Pro Stock cars  love it when it's cool and dry like this."

Coughlin entered this race as  the hottest driver in the factory hot rod 
class after winning national events in  Sonoma, Calif., and Brainerd, Minn., 
to go along with a runner-up result in  Denver. Overall, the 40-year-old from 
Delaware, Ohio, has four victories this  season, which is second only to 
points leader Mike Edwards' eight wins in the  early part of the year.

"The confidence is building," Coughlin said. "We  need to keep it rolling. 
I know we want to make sure we dot all the 'i's' and  cross all the 't's' 
because you certainly don't want to shoot yourself in the  foot at this point 
in the chase. We'll triple-check everything before every run  and if there's 
a chance to improve tomorrow that we'll take a poke at  it."

Professional qualifying wraps up with two sessions Sunday, scheduled  for 
11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ESPN2 will show highlights in primetime. Check  
local listings for times.

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