TEAM REPORTS (VARIOUS LOCATIONS) - JEGS NOTES

Team JEGS Patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. reacted to the death of NHRA founder Wally Parks: "Wally Parks was a man of vision who ruled with a smile and a hand shake. He was a man who was ahead of his time and showed the world how to get things done. It's hard to think of drag racing without him. His legacy will live on as long as there are two vehicles that want to race side-by-side in a safe environment. I have thanked Wally Parks many times over the years for giving me something our family can do together that we all enjoy. NHRA Drag Racing is a great sport that families can enjoy together."

>>> Fifty-time NHRA national event winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters the final race before the Countdown to One in the fourth and final position in the current Pro Stock standings, knowing only four racers will be eligible to win the 2007 POWERade title after this weekend's second annual Torco Race Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The driver of the JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt is just 16 points behind third-place Allen Johnson, but just 18 ahead of fifth-place Jason Line and 29 ahead of sixth-place Kurt Johnson. Even Larry Morgan lurks just 50 points back in seventh. Each round of racing won is worth 20 points.

"There are five of us fighting for the last two spots," Coughlin said, referring to the fact Dave Connolly and Greg Anderson have already secured the first two positions. "It's basically come down to who does the best this weekend. There is no room for error, nor should there be.

>>> Mike Coughlin officially wrapped up the Division 3 Top Sportsman championship by winning the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals Sept. 30 at National Trail Raceway, his third victory of the year. It marked the first championship for the 41-year-old from Delaware, Ohio.

"It’s starting to sink in that the championship is clinched," Mike said. "Winning at our home track was a great way to wrap up a great season."

>>> Red-hot John Coughlin claimed victory in the JEGS Top Dragster Shootout, a specialty event held Sept. 29 during qualifying for the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals. It was Coughlin’s second win in as many weeks following his victory at the Division 1 Lucas Oil Series event at Atco Dragway.

“We’ve been on a roll lately and I just hope it doesn’t stop any time soon,�?? said Coughlin, the current Division 3 points leader in Top Dragster and Super Stock. “Now we just need to keep the momentum going."

>>> Team JEGS chef Nicky Morse has prepared meals for royalty, distinguished diplomats, and Ohio's ultra wealthy at the only four-star restaurant in Columbus. He's cooked for country music's brightest stars as part of the support crew for CMT's "Showcase" program. He's mentored young apprentices at Ohio State University, and worked elbow-to-elbow with Wolfgang Puck to raise money for cancer research. He even has his own reality show on FSN Ohio, "The Racing Chef."

Now motorsport's most decorated chef has opened his personal cookbook to race fans and members of the media by featuring one of his creations each week of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Complete with step-by-step instructions, Morse divulges a complete recipe on teamjegs.com and NHRA.com that allows budding cooks a chance to create a masterpiece of their own at home.

For this weekend's second annual Torco Race Fuels Nationals, Morse shares "The $1,000 Fruit Omelet." Morse explains: "I made this dessert in Dallas and donated it fresh out of the kitchen to the DRAW auction, which raises money for injured racers and their families. Pro Stock driver Kenny Koretsky bought it for $500, and Jeg Sr. matched his donation with $500 of his own. That's why I call it "The $1,000 Fruit Omelet."

>>> Team JEGS short-track superstar Gary St. Amant has been the lead dog in the Hooters Pro Cup Series since the second race of the regular season, but an untimely accident with three laps left at the second stop of the five-race championship series dropped him to second overall after he limped through with a season-low 24th-place result.

Now the two-time world champion will play catch-up when the USAR tour arrives at Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina for this Saturday night's Mark Brooks Memorial Naturally Fresh 250. St. Amant finds himself 29 points behind fellow veteran racer Bobby Gill with just three races left before the 2007 title is decided. It's a deficit he can easily make up with a strong showing this weekend.