A smidge off, Coughlin falls in quarterfinals (NHRA/JEGS)

A smidge off, Coughlin falls in quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 6)  – The NHRA's Full Throttle Series Pro Stock class 
is so bunched up that even the  slightest slip can mean doom during 
eliminations.

On Monday at the 56th  annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Jeg Coughlin Jr. 
and the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt  were off by just a hair in the second round and 
it cost him.

"We thought  we might be able to improve from first round," Coughlin said. 
"Obviously we just  tipped over that sweet spot and lost a little bit of 
traction coming out of  second (gear) and heading into third. The tires spun 
just enough to let V.  (Gaines) get past us.

"We need a little lady luck sometimes and we didn't  get that today."

Starting the day, Coughlin had a convincing victory over  Rodger Brogdon in 
the first round, cruising to a pass of 6.620 seconds at 208.20  mph against 
Brogdon's 6.670 at 207.30 mph.

"The first round was so-so,"  Couglin said. "We were shocked at the 
performance of most of the other cars. I  know what my car felt like."

In the second round against V. Gaines,  Coughlin's car slipped up going 
through the gears and that was enough for Gaines  to move through with a 6.620 
at 208.91 mph, ahead of Coughlin's 6.655 at 208.20  mph.

Coughlin lost a spot in the standings, but kept points leader Mike  Edwards 
in his sights. Coughlin slipped to fourth overall, and he's now 87  markers 
behind Edwards, who was runner-up to Greg Stanfield.

"Ideally you  get off to a great start here at Indy, and I make up some 
ground on the two guys  ahead of me in the points," Coughlin said. "No big 
deal. You take a look at the  schedule and see Charlotte, Las Vegas, and Pomona –
 all tracks I've had a lot of  success at, coming up next.

"We're still within striking distance and  there's a lot of rounds left to 
race."

The tour takes a weekend off  before heading to zMax Dragway in Charlotte 
Sept. 17-19 for the Carolina NHRA  Nationals.

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