Qualifying hiccup comes back to haunt Coughlin (NHRA/JEG'S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA Lucas Oil  Nationals 
Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd, MN
August 14th
 
NHRA - Pro Stock
Jeg Coughlin - JEG'S Mail  Order / Mopar - Dodge Stratus RT 
Race Day Summary

Jeg Coughlin's weekend in Brainerd, Minn.,  started off on a high note when 
the three-time NHRA champion qualified No. 2 in  the provisional field of the 
24th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The problems  started Saturday when time 
trails continued and Coughlin slipped to ninth place  overall, just below the 
magic line that separates the top half of the field from  the bottom half. The 
difference is huge for one reason - the drivers in the  top half of the field 
get to pick which lane they will race down in Round  1.

"Historically, the right lane is always just a touch slower then the  left," 
Coughlin said. "But it didn't appear to be enough this weekend to give  anyone 
a decided advantage. But after those two big oildowns during the fuel  
session, with both of them in that lane, Bob [Glidden, crew chief] came back and  
told me we had to be even more ginger with it then normal. We tried to sneak one 
 out but it just didn't happen."

Coughlin's first-round loss to Ron  Krisher was almost as close as the lane 
choice decision between the two, who  both qualified with a 6.735-second pass. 
That one came down to mile-per-hour.  Today's race came down to just two 
hundredths of a second as Krisher had to  catch and pass the fast-leaving Coughlin 
to win with a 6.731 to Coughlin's 6.784  after Coughlin's large .027- to 
.053-second starting line  advantage.

"Only one car won in that right lane and that was on a big  holeshot," 
Coughlin said. "I wouldn't have minded being another one but we just  didn't do a 
good enough job. One of our big goals coming in was qualifying in  the top half 
of the field so we'd be assured of lane choice. We missed it by the  smallest 
margin possible when we stumbled a bit in yesterday's two sessions.  That came 
back to get us, I'm afraid. We tried our best but we couldn't get away  with 
it today."

Up next for Coughlin and crew is next weekend's 18th  annual O'Reilly NHRA 
Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park. Coughlin  is a two-time winner 
there, having claimed race titles in his championship  seasons of 2000 and 
2002.


Web Site: _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/)  -or _www.jegs.com_ 
(http://www.jegs.com/)