Jeg Coughlin cruises on opening day (NHRA/JEG'S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA Pontiac Performance  Nationals
National Trail Raceway
Columbus, Ohio  
May  20th

JEG'S Mail Order
Jeg Coughlin Jr. - Pro Stock
Friday  Summary
 
Jeg Coughlin cruises on opening  day
 
Much to the delight of a partisan hometown crowd, Jeg Coughlin proved he  had 
one of the quickest race cars in the Pro Stock category Friday by posting  
two of the quickest passes of opening day. Coughlin opened with a third-best  
6.783-second run at 203.09 mph and improved to a 6.771 at 203.98 mph to finish  
Day 1 of the 41st annual Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals a lofty fifth in 
the  standings.
 
"That was a pretty good start for us," Coughlin said. "But there's some  room 
to improve. We see a few areas we can tweak and get this Jeg's car to run  
quicker and hopefully move up the pack. Who knows what the weather will bring  
but I'm confident that if it's better conditions, we'll be ready to take  
advantage of them."
 
Tune-ups were at a premium as cool temperatures wreaked havoc for many crew  
chiefs. Only a handful of nitro-powered cars managed to get down National 
Trail  Raceway and many of the Pro Stockers were equally perplexed. But Jeg's Mail 
 Order Dodge Stratus R/T crew chief Bob Glidden, a veteran racer with 10 NHRA 
 title and 85 event victories, including nine here in Columbus, knew how to  
handle the conditions.
 
"Bob's the best," Coughlin said. "He's seen it all and he's done it all.  Pro 
Stock cars love it when it's cool like this but sometimes you can over try  
too hard or go up there too soft. I think we saw a little of that today. Some  
people weren't expecting it to be this good. But we've tested a lot here and  
Bob's been racing here for years so we were ready."
 
Qualifying continues Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
 
Resources are available for your use at _www.teamjegs.com_ 
(http://www.teamjegs.com/)