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NHRA: Coughlin seeking third straight Autozone Winternationals Title

30 January 2001

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

POMONA, Calif. - Jeg Coughlin Jr. has his roots and success firmly established in the Midwest. However, he can't overlook his accomplishments in Southern California.

Coughlin, from Columbus, Ohio, will be seeking his third straight season-opening win when the NHRA's opens its 50th Anniversary with the 41st annual AutoZone Winternationals, Feb. 1-4, at Pomona Raceway. The $1.9 million race is the first of 24 events in the $50 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series.

"Team Jeg's has had a lot of success racing in Pomona," said Coughlin. "Our team enjoys racing there and our record at the track reflects that. The fans are great and they bring a heightened level of excitement to racing in NHRA's backyard."

Last season's win at the historic Pomona Raceway was the first of 10 for Coughlin en route to his first NHRA Winston Pro Stock championship. He assumed the points lead at the Winternationals, won six of the first seven events, and closed the season strong to secure his first series title. Coughlin isn't expecting such an early advantage this season.

"I think that the 2001 NHRA Winston Drag Racing season will be the most competitive season that the Pro Stock class has ever seen," said Coughlin. "The new body styles and rules that NHRA has put in place will make NHRA's most competitive class even more competitive. Fans will see more 200 mph runs and some of the best side-by-side racing that our sport has to offer."

Entering 2001 at Pomona, Coughlin will be behind the wheel of his familiar yellow-and-black Jeg's Mail Order Oldsmobile Cutlass. However, the door-slammer category will introduce new vehicles this year, including the Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac Grand Am and the Dodge R/T.

"We have taken delivery of two 2001 Cavaliers," said Coughlin. "The Cavalier that I will drive we received January 15th and (brother) Troy's new Cavalier we got on the 22nd. There are modifications and changes that we do to our vehicles in house after taking delivery of them that require a lot of time. We decided to start the 2001 NHRA season with our Oldsmobile Cutlass. Our game plan is to debut our JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cavaliers at the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida."

With all the information the Jeg's team has collected over the past few years on their Oldsmobiles, Coughlin is hoping their team will have a slight edge over their competitors in the early going.

"We have a wealth of data and information on our Oldsmobile," said Coughlin. "Our game plan is to use that to our advantage during the start of the season. We will begin testing our new Cavaliers when we return from Pomona and will have them ready to race by the time we get to Florida."

If Coughlin can benefit from an early season advantage of any kind, the remaining Pro Stock competitors might experience a season similar to 2000: Everyone trailing the yellow-and-black ride and battling for second place in the Winston point standings.

Text Provided By A. Vizcarra

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