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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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