NHRA: Jeg Coughlin wins and defends title
By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 8, 2001
Jeg Coughlin Jr. entered raceday as the Defending Champion of the inaugural NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals. He began his battle from the No. 10 position.
In the opening round the reigning Pro Stock Champion and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier faced off Warren Johnson. The first round pair was a rematch of last years final round.
The Jeg machine was in the right lane and left the starting line first by .036 seconds (.445 to .481). It was Chevy -vs- Pontiac in a side-by-side battle to the stripe. The win light came on for Team Jeg's by .0547 seconds. Jeg ran a 6.964 at 197.54 mph to WJ's slower 6.982 at 197.71 mph.
"We were ready and focused when the Jeg's Chevy Cavalier pulled into the waterbox. The car went straight and the transition was smooth down track," said Jeg after round one.
In the second round Jeg faced off against Darrell Alderman. Lane choice went to Alderman. Both cars rolled slowly into the starting line beams. The starting line advantage went to Jeg by .011 seconds (.443 to .454).
The Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier darted to the finish line as the Dodge slowed. Jeg ran a 6.976 at 198.20 mph to take the win light.
"The Jeg's machine is responding well to the changes that we have been making to it between rounds. The first 60-feet has been hurting our performance a little down track," commented Jeg after winning second round.
In the semifinal round Jeg squared off against Bruce Allen. Jeg was once again in the right lane. The Jeg's machine continued the habit of leaving the starting line first. He left first by .031 seconds (.440 to .471).
The Pontiac Grand Am and Chevrolet Cavalier looked like they were welded together at the door as they rocketed toward the finish line. The Jeg machine grabs the win light by .0132 seconds at the stripe. Jeg won on a holeshot by running a 6.975 at 197.71 mph to a quicker 6.957 at 197.42 mph.
"We made a series of small changes throughout the day and we avoided making mistakes and beating ourselves," said Jeg.
The final round put Jeg and Jim Yates head-to-head. The two drivers rolled into the lights quickly. Jeg launched from the line first by .034 seconds (.436 to .470). The Jeg's machine rocketed down the middle of the groove to the big end.
Jeg and Team Jeg's took the win light by .0154 seconds at the stripe. Jeg once again won on a holeshot. He ran a 6.959 at 197.62 mph to the quicker 6.940 at 197.71 mph that Yates ran.
"Team Jeg's did a great job all day. Jerry Bickel (chassis builder) really helped point us in the right direction after the first round in Houston. The car ran straight all weekend and that made it a lot easier to tune. I was given the tools to win the minute that the car came out of the trailer," explained Jeg. "It means a lot for us to defend last years win here in Las Vegas and get our first win of the season under our belt. We are really excited to have Chevrolet and the Cavalier brand be a part of Team Jeg's and we look forward to bringing them more great victories."
The win moved Jeg all the way up to the No. 3 spot in the NHRA Winston Championship points. Jeg now has 269 points. The victory marked the 21st career professional win for the reigning Pro Stock Champion.
Text provided by Scott Woodruff
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