Four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. surged into the Full Throttle points lead Sunday in Las Vegas with his second win of the year but rather than being content with his new ranking the team scheduled a test session.

 

Coughlin and crew will bring their five-race-old JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt to zMax Dragway in the Charlotte suburb of Concord, N.C., on April 13-15 for an intense workout that they hope will make the already reliable hot rod even better.

 

"We're not unhappy with the car at all but I think everyone on the team knows we can make it better," Coughlin said. "There is no let-up in our quest for a third straight title and we know we have a target on our backs. We can't give an inch so we're going to keep the hammer down and the pressure on as long as possible."

 

Selecting zMax Dragway was an easy choice for the group as team owner Victor Cagnazzi bases his racing operations out of nearby Mooresville, N.C. The NHRA tour's next stop also takes place April 17-19 just down the road at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.

 

"It's one of the best facilities in the world, plain and simple," Coughlin said. "Plus, it's home for the race team so we can bring everyone out to track to fine tune this Chevy. We're in a game of inches and fractions of a second so any little tweak that can pick up even a thousandth of a second is worthwhile.

 

"Of course, we'll also be racing at zMax later this year and since there's only been one national event held there so far it certainly won't hurt to get some more data on the track."

 

Coughlin won't have time to return to Ohio between testing and the Atlanta race as he's once again been invited to Coca-Cola Headquarters for a special dinner honoring the current NHRA champions. This will mark Coughlin's third time being honored at the special event. Coca-Cola owns Full Throttle Energy Drinks, which is the current sponsor of the series.

 

"That is a very special deal and it's such an honor to go and personally thank the top executives at Coca-Cola for their support of our series," Coughlin said. "Hopefully, we'll have a few more of these dinners in our future. That's why we're working so hard."