NHRA: Focus shifts to raceday for Team Jeg's
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
August 19, 2001Jeg and Troy Coughlin started the second and final day of qualifying sitting in the No. 6 and No. 16 positions respectfully. Team Jeg's kept their eyes on the threatening skies above as they set out to improve their qualifying positions before the field was set for raceday.
Troy started the batting order for the men in yellow and black in the third qualifying session. The Jeg's Mail Order Chevrolet Cavalier took on the left lane. Troy left the starting line beams and the car moved to the right as the front end settled back on the ground. The car spun the tires in third gear and was forced to shut off. Troy slipped to the No. 22 spot.
"You just can't afford to loose any runs in this class. Data is the key to consistency," said Troy.
Jeg followed his older brother Troy's lead and rolled into the left lane. He left the starting line and hooked up with the track almost immediately. The car followed the groove from start to finish. Jeg threw a 6.971 at 197.22 mph up on the board and continued his trend of improving with each run down the track. Although his run was an improvement he fell to the No. 10 spot.
"We are making moves in the right direction with our setup. They are not the biggest moves, but we are going the right way. The conditions were almost identical during the third session to what we had in the second session, and we missed a good opportunity to improve our qualifying position," indicated Jeg.
In the final session Troy was on the outside looking in. The car darted off of the line and cruised down the track. It was the best run of the weekend for Coughlin. He ran a 7.015 at 196.59 mph and was just shy of breaking into the quick sixteen.
"We made the best run of the weekend in the last session and it was just a little too late. I think that we got a much better handle tuning of the car with the new engine combination that we put between the frame rails. Our focus will shift 100% to Jeg's car for raceday and we will get ready for The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals after tomorrow," commented Troy.
Jeg made a competitive run in the final session. The car responded well from point A to point B and the consistency appears to back. He ran a 6.999 at 196.36 mph and stayed in the No. 10 spot.
"It felt like we made a better run then we did. The guys told me over the radio what we ran and I was surprised. We really felt like we had the right combination in the final session and that we would improve our position for raceday," explained Jeg. "We made four consistent runs and I think that Team Jeg's is looking strong for raceday. The small measurable changes that we made throughout qualifying paid off and I think that we are back on track."
In the opening tomorrow Jeg Coughlin will face off against Brad Jeter. The match up will put a Chevrolet Cavalier against a Pontiac Grand Am. If the consistency through qualifying is any indication look for Jeg Coughlin and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy Cavalier to be gaining points when the sun comes up in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Text provided by Scott Woodruff
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