Heat wins out in Day 2; Coughlin prepares for teammate (NHRA/JEG'S)
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals Bandimere Speedway Denver, CO July 16th Jeg Coughlin - JEG'S Mail Order / Mopar - Dodge Stratus RT Saturday Qualifying Summary Triple-digit temperatures and corrected altitude readings near 10,000 feet kept Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin and his Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T in check during the second day of professional qualifying at the 26th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Just his peers in the pits, Coughlin couldn't improve on his late Friday night pass of 7.163 seconds at 192.60 mph and will start Sunday's action in the 12th position. The good news is that Coughlin has successfully qualified for his 27th consecutive national event, which includes all 13 so far in 2005. The not-so-good news is that he'll have to race his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Richie Stevens Jr. in the opening round of Sunday's eliminations. Stevens qualified fifth on the grid with a 7.135 at 193.16 mph in his Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T. "We improved quite a bit in relation to the pack, especially in that last qualifying session, so we're encouraged by the performance of the car," Coughlin said. "It's never the best case scenario when you race your teammate in the first round but it's the reality of a multi-car team that these things are gonna happen from time to time. If you look at the bright side, at least one of us will reach the quarterfinals for sure." Stevens and Coughlin have raced each other twice this year with each man winning once. Currently, the identically-prepared Dodge cars have carried their drivers to sixth and seventh place in the championship points with Stevens holding a slight 26-point advantage over three-time series champion Coughlin. Eliminations for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals begin at noon. Coughlin should open his quest for his third Denver trophy near 1 p.m. Web Site: _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/) -or _www.jegs.com_ (http://www.jegs.com/)