Coughlin closes in on securing berth in Countdown field
(NHRA/JEGS)
Coughlin closes in on securing berth in Countdown field
SEATTLE (July 17) -- Jeg Coughlin Jr. will enjoy looking at a mountain
rather than racing on one this weekend at the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply
NHRA Nationals at beautiful Pacific Raceways, which lies at the base of Mount
Rainer. The NHRA tour pulled out of Denver Monday morning and headed to the
Great Northwest with Coughlin still holding the title of hottest driver in the
Pro Stock class over the last 10 races.
"We held our own in Denver and didn't lose any ground in the points, which
is always important, but I must admit that I'm excited about racing in
Seattle," said Coughlin, who upped his win total to 49 less than two weeks ago in
Bristol, Tenn. "The engine guys at Cagnazzi Racing have proven they know how to
make a lot of horsepower and tracks like Pacific Raceways allow us to strut
our stuff a little bit, and that's always fun."
The driver of the JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt, Coughlin is no stranger to
success in the Great Northwest. He won this event in 2002, a victory that helped
him secure his third POWERade championship. Coughlin has two Pro Stock titles
(2000 and 2002) and one Super Gas championship (1992) on his resume.
"The track is surrounded by trees and it's just about at sea-level so we
have all the oxygen we need, which is perfect for these naturally-aspirated Pro
Stock cars," the 37-year-old Coughlin said. "Having said that, we did pretty
darn well in Bristol and that facility is considered an altitude track so it
doesn’t seem to matter to this group.
"Our focus right now at Cagnazzi Racing is to make sure both Dave (Connolly,
his teammate) and I are comfortably in the top eight. The first cutoff for
the Countdown to the Championship is just four races away so we need to make
absolutely sure we're in the field. Right now we're second and third so we're
looking good."
The new playoff-style Countdown format to decide this year's champions pares
each professional field down to eight eligible drivers prior to the U.S.
Nationals in Indy. The group will be trimmed again after four more races
following the event in Richmond, Va., with a final sprint to the titles starting in
Las Vegas.
"It's great to hear that we've scored more points than anyone else in the
class over the last 10 races," said Coughlin, who trails POWERade leader Greg
Anderson by just 84 points. "If we can keep that streak alive we'll contend
for the title right down to the end. I know we have an extremely quick car that
gets down the racetrack every time. I know what it takes to win
championships and we have the pieces in place with this team."
Pro Stock qualifying begins at 3 p.m. PDT Friday.
Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at _www.jegs.com_
(http://www.jegs.com/) and for media/fan resources check out _www.teamjegs.com_
(http://www.teamjegs.com/) .
Media Contact:
Scott "Woody" Woodruff
JEGS, 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)
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