Columbus winner Mike Coughlin heads for St. Louis (NHRA/JEG'S)

Columbus winner Coughlin heads for St.  Louis
 
MADISON, Ill. – A week after winning his tenth career NHRA national event  
title at the JEG'S NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Mike Coughlin will 
 look to keep the ball rolling as he heads for this weekend’s Division 3 
Lucas  Oil Series event at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St.  Louis.

Last week, in just his third outing in the Top Sportsman  class, Coughlin 
claimed a victory at his home track, National Trail Raceway when  he drove his 
JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cobalt to a final round victory over Tommy  Turner of 
Naples, Fla., with a run of 7.43 seconds at over 184 mph. 
 
“I knew that it would take a few races to get accustomed to this new  Cobalt, 
but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in the car,�?? said Coughlin.  “
As you might imagine, it’s quite a bit different than my old Super Comp  
dragster, but I've made close to 100 runs in this car now, so I'm able to  
concentrate a bit more on actually racing the car and not just driving it.  [Chassis 
builder] Jerry Bickel builds a great race car and hopefully, last  week’s win 
was just the start of something good. Anytime you win a race, it  really helps 
boost your confidence.�??
 
Coughlin didn't take delivery of the new racecar until April, and he has  
competed in has just two Lucas Oil Series races this season. As a result of the  
late start, he is currently ranked 22nd in the Top Sportsman points standings, 
 but believes that there is still time to make a run at the top spot. 
 
“At this point, it would probably be very difficult to win the  championship, 
but there are still a few races left so anything is possible,�?? he  said. “
I'm certainly not going to raise the white flag yet and realistically, I  
believe that a top ten finish is very possible. I just need to continue to drive  
well, and hope that the car will continue to make quick, consistent runs.�??
 
In addition to his ten career NHRA national event wins, Coughlin has  claimed 
five Lucas Oil Series victories in North Central Division competition,  the 
most recent of which came last year at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., at  
the wheel of his Super Comp dragster.
 
 
 
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(http://www.jegs.com/)   and for media/fan resources check out _www.teamjegs.com_ 
(http://www.teamjegs.com/) .

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