Jeg Coughlin to battle familiar foe in Round 1 (NHRA/JEG'S)
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series NHRA Pontiac Performance Nationals National Trail Raceway Columbus, Ohio May 21st JEG'S Mail Order Jeg Coughlin Jr. - Pro Stock Saturday Summary Jeg Coughlin to battle familiar foe in Round 1 A pair of two-time POWERade Pro Stock champions, Jeg Coughlin and Greg Anderson, will meet up for the third time this year when the elimination rounds of the 41st annual Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals begin Sunday morning. The two pros, sponsored by rival mail order parts companies, will likely be the first pair of Pro Stock cars on the racetrack at National Trail Raceway as they qualified in the eighth and ninth positions. Despite sunshine and increased temperatures, Coughlin managed to improve his previously posted numbers by a considerable margin Saturday morning. His 6.759 at 203.55 mph in the Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T was two hundredths of a second quicker than his Friday night pass. "We're in the field and ready to do battle," Coughlin said. "Today was a 'lesson's learned' kind of deal. The conditions changed quite a bit from yesterday to today. We went from almost too cold to get down the track to the usual hot conditions we have had here in the past. It was a day of adapting to change and I'm pleased with the way the Jeg's Mail Order team responded." Although he improved his elapsed time Saturday, Coughlin actually slipped four spots on the elimination ladder to the No. 9 position, meaning he'll yield lane choice to Anderson, who qualified eighth with a 6.751 at 204.45 mph. The two have split their first two races this season. Last year, Anderson beat Coughlin five times en route to his second POWERade title. "We didn't make perfect passes in either of our runs today," Coughlin said. "We'll be doing plenty of investigating tonight to see how we can improve this car and get it ready to run Greg tomorrow. Greg had our number last year, but he had everyone's number last year. We've split our two races this year so we're certainly closer to his performance than we were last year. The fact we're eighth and ninth tells me we're close. It'll be a driver's race and we'll do what we can to take the win light." Eliminations are slated to begin at 11 a.m. Resources are available for your use at _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/) Media Contact: Scott 'Woody' Woodruff Director of Media & Motorsports Office: 800.345.4545 (3.412) Mobile: 614.595.1820 Fax: 740.362.4385 Email: _jegspr@aol.com_ (mailto:jegspr@aol.com) -or- _scott.woodruff@jegs.com_ (mailto:scott.woodruff@jegs.com) Web Site: _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/) -or- _www.jegs.com_ (http://www.jegs.com/)