Coughlin taming tricky Bandimere track with ease (NHRA/JEGS)

Coughlin taming tricky Bandimere track with ease

DENVER (July 24) --  With only one drag race a year at altitude, tuning a 
racecar for the Mopar  Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway can be 
a bit of a guessing game.  But four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. 
and his crew from Victor  Cagnazzi Racing are making it look easy, at least 
through qualifying, as the  talented team successfully earned the No. 2 
starting slot with an impressive  6.981 at 197.19 mph.

"We came into the race without any testing time up  here on the mountain so 
we leaned heavily on last year's data, and really one  run in particular 
that we thought we could work from," Coughlin said. "The first  pass yesterday 
wasn't as good as it could have been but we stayed with the  tune-up and it 
paid off last night where we knocked a full tenth of a second off  that 
first run. That told us we had a good car.

"Mother Nature was  calling for cooler weather today and she kept her 
promise so we saw some more  improvements today. Even a little drop in 
temperature means a lot to these Pro  Stock cars, especially when they're gasping for 
breath. It was exciting to take  advantage of the situation and to be the 
first one this weekend to run a  six-second pass. It stuck for second place so 
we're really  pleased."

Coughlin's JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt race team is brimming with  confidence 
after winning last Sunday's race in Sonoma, Calif. The 51-time  national 
winner could tie Top Fuel legend Joe Amato should he extend his winning  
streak and claim another trophy Sunday.

The 40-year-old from Columbus,  Ohio, will begin his quest against No. 15 
qualifier Erica Enders, who posted a  best of 7.042 at 195.19 mph. Enders has 
qualified for just three events and is  0-1 versus Coughlin this year.

Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. MDT and will  be shown in primetime on ESPN2.

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