COUGHLIN GETS HIS 50TH PRO STOCK WIN
Mon, 2010-05-17 15:15
One race after missing out on his 50th Pro Stock win, Jeg Coughlin Jr. sealed the deal on a hot 
and humid Sunday in Commerce, Georgia.
Coughlin grabbed the elusive victory after beating an upset-minded Rickie Jones in the final round of the NHRA Southern Nationals.
“I was fortunate years ago to eclipse 50 wins with my Lucas Oil events, but I just can’t seem to get away from the number 50,” joked Coughlin, whose family’s mail order parts business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “Winning fifty times in Pro Stock was my next plateau. I am very blessed to do what I do.”
One race after missing out on his 50th Pro Stock win, Jeg Coughlin Jr. sealed the deal on a hotand humid Sunday in Commerce, Georgia.
Coughlin grabbed the elusive victory after beating an upset-minded Rickie Jones in the final round of the NHRA Southern Nationals.
“I was fortunate years ago to eclipse 50 wins with my Lucas Oil events, but I just can’t seem to get away from the number 50,” joked Coughlin, whose family’s mail order parts business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “Winning fifty times in Pro Stock was my next plateau. I am very blessed to do what I do.”
Against Warren Johnson in the final round of the NHRA Midwest Nationals two weekends ago, breakage prevented Coughlin from achieving another rare milestone. He could have been the second driver in NHRA drag racing history to win both a pro and sportsman division during the same event.
Sunday’s victory takes away some of the sting with the shortcoming.
“It helps,” Coughlin said. “St. Louis was working its way into becoming a special event. I had won in my brother John’s Top Dragster which is no easy feat. I had only driven the car last year in testing. I enjoy bracket racing. If I had my choice, then I won with the right car.”
There have been times in 2010 when Coughlin’s Pro Stock has seemed like anything but the right car for him. Just finding a car capable of repeating has been a challenge as daunting as the competition presents.
“We’ve had a car which resembled a soldier, it went left, went right and then went left. I would tell it to go left and it would go right. There were times when I had my hands full with it. In the meantime, we’ve been able to reel off round wins. I really think my dad, Roy Simmons and Victor Cagnazzi have come up with a good combination now. The car went as straight as it ever has for the last three years.”
With one problem at least resolved for the weekend, Coughlin faced another challenge in Jones, a driver who was determined to use his quick starting line reactions to knock off the hitters of the class. When you’re on the verge of 50 national event wins in Pro Stock, you are also a hitter.
“I felt like I was driving my heart out with .030s and .040s and headed into the final I felt like I needed to do something,” Coughlin said. “I was up on the wheel going into that final. I just wanted to make a solid run and be .030 or .040. I didn’t want to take ourselves out of it.”
Coughlin admitted a measure of nervousness after the final round burnout. This is the point when he realized a problem with his engine in St. Louis. There was no indication of a problem this time.
“I was backing up and hoping nothing was going to go wrong,” admitted Coughlin. “In this sport we are measured by thousandths of a second or nickel parts.”
and humid Sunday in Commerce, Georgia. Coughlin grabbed the elusive victory after beating an upset-minded Rickie Jones in the final round of the NHRA Southern Nationals.
“I was fortunate years ago to eclipse 50 wins with my Lucas Oil events, but I just can’t seem to get away from the number 50,” joked Coughlin, whose family’s mail order parts business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “Winning fifty times in Pro Stock was my next plateau. I am very blessed to do what I do.”
One race after missing out on his 50th Pro Stock win, Jeg Coughlin Jr. sealed the deal on a hot
and humid Sunday in Commerce, Georgia. Coughlin grabbed the elusive victory after beating an upset-minded Rickie Jones in the final round of the NHRA Southern Nationals.
“I was fortunate years ago to eclipse 50 wins with my Lucas Oil events, but I just can’t seem to get away from the number 50,” joked Coughlin, whose family’s mail order parts business is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “Winning fifty times in Pro Stock was my next plateau. I am very blessed to do what I do.”
Against Warren Johnson in the final round of the NHRA Midwest Nationals two weekends ago, breakage prevented Coughlin from achieving another rare milestone. He could have been the second driver in NHRA drag racing history to win both a pro and sportsman division during the same event.
Sunday’s victory takes away some of the sting with the shortcoming.
“It helps,” Coughlin said. “St. Louis was working its way into becoming a special event. I had won in my brother John’s Top Dragster which is no easy feat. I had only driven the car last year in testing. I enjoy bracket racing. If I had my choice, then I won with the right car.”
There have been times in 2010 when Coughlin’s Pro Stock has seemed like anything but the right car for him. Just finding a car capable of repeating has been a challenge as daunting as the competition presents.
“We’ve had a car which resembled a soldier, it went left, went right and then went left. I would tell it to go left and it would go right. There were times when I had my hands full with it. In the meantime, we’ve been able to reel off round wins. I really think my dad, Roy Simmons and Victor Cagnazzi have come up with a good combination now. The car went as straight as it ever has for the last three years.”
With one problem at least resolved for the weekend, Coughlin faced another challenge in Jones, a driver who was determined to use his quick starting line reactions to knock off the hitters of the class. When you’re on the verge of 50 national event wins in Pro Stock, you are also a hitter.
“I felt like I was driving my heart out with .030s and .040s and headed into the final I felt like I needed to do something,” Coughlin said. “I was up on the wheel going into that final. I just wanted to make a solid run and be .030 or .040. I didn’t want to take ourselves out of it.”
Coughlin admitted a measure of nervousness after the final round burnout. This is the point when he realized a problem with his engine in St. Louis. There was no indication of a problem this time.
“I was backing up and hoping nothing was going to go wrong,” admitted Coughlin. “In this sport we are measured by thousandths of a second or nickel parts.”
Categories:
