Confident Coughlin ready to conquer Atlanta (NHRA/JEG'S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
May 12-15th
 
 
Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin knows his Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T  
is a great racecar. Earlier this year he powered his way to the final four in  
Phoenix only to lose by one-thousandths of a second to the eventual race 
winner.  At the last two events, Coughlin has qualified a lofty fourth on the 
elimination  ladder. He also watched his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Richie 
Stevens drive  his identical Stratus to a runner-up finish at the Bristol event. 
All the  pieces, it would appear, are in place.
 
But the respected young veteran with three NHRA championships and 45  
national event wins to his credit knows that in drag racing the only thing that  
ultimately matters is whether you win or lose. So with his eyes firmly set on  the 
trophy, Coughlin enters this weekend's 25th annual NHRA Southern Nationals  
with a clearly defined goal.
 
"It's time to win," he said. "Our car is running great and now that Richie  
has his new car, which is truly a twin of mine, we have the ability to benefit  
greatly from twice as much data. We are truly a two-car team now. Our crew  
chief, Bob Glidden, has both cars running at the top of the charts and the two  
crews are working extremely well together. 
 
"When I say it's time for us to win, I say it with conviction because I see  
how this team has come together in such a short amount of time. Bob said at 
the  start of the year it would take us a few races to get up to speed. I think 
we've  paid our dues."
 
Coughlin is no stranger to Atlanta Dragway's winner's circle, having taken  
the top prize there in 2000 in a great race against Bruce Allen. The win helped 
 lift Coughlin to one of his two Pro Stock world titles. At the same time, he 
 knows the track he traversed in Y2K is a thing of the past as the racing 
surface  was completely redone in the last two years.
 
"Atlanta is always a bit of a tuner's race because we go there just as  
spring is turning to summer so you're never quite sure what the weather will be  
like," Coughlin said. "It oftentimes changes over the course of the weekend. The 
 new track is very smooth and it gets better the more time that goes by. I 
think  it'll play well for us."
 
Racing begins at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday with two scheduled qualifying  
sessions. 
 
TELEVISION SCHEDULE:    
 
Saturday, May 14, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at  
7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday May 15, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute  weekly news 
magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 15, ESPN2 will  televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 
p.m. (ET).