Team JEGS Looks Strong

SONOMA, July 18, 2010: On the strength of a Friday run that was briefly a track record, Jeg Coughlin Jr. qualified for the Fram-Autolite Nationals third on the Pro Stock ladder.

During the night session Friday, Coughlin blistered the track with a 6.552 second, 210.31 mph lap in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt, which for a couple of minutes was the track record before Allen Johnson knocked Coughlin off the top perch.

“We’ve been dealt with two or three scenarios as far a track conditions and weather and we’ve answered every time,” Coughlin said. “Last night we had a game plan and then an alternative game plan if the sun went down.

“The sun went down we went to Plan B, made some adjustments in the pits and the car went out and ran really well. There were a few adjustments we could have made, but we were hammer on the nail.”

The No. 3 qualifying effort is one of the better Coughlin has made of late, and he hopes it translates into a deep run during Sunday’s eliminations.

“We put in a little extra effort into this race to mimic any surprises that might be in store for us,” Coughlin said. “We’ve struggled a bit lately but I think our efforts are paying off.”

Coughlin faces fellow Ohioan Larry Morgan in the first round of eliminations. Morgan’s best pass was 6.607 seconds at 208.52 mph.

“We made four really good runs this weekend, we were in the top four every round,” Coughlin said. “I like the way that feels, especially to be quickest out of this last session.

“Tomorrow first round will be a little more like Q3 than Q4. We’ve got a great baseline to judge Sunday off of. I foresee some real fast runs in the morning.”

Eliminations for the Fram-Autolite Nationals begins at 11 a.m. PDT from Infineon Raceway. Television coverage of eliminations begins on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. EDT.