INDIANAPOLIS (May 19) – A firm believer in the theory of striking while the iron is hot, John Coughlin will return to the seat of his Chevy Cobalt at this weekend’s rescheduled Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, just one week after reaching the final round in his debut in the Comp Eliminator class. At the most recent North Central Division event in Norwalk, Ohio, Coughlin qualified No. 4 in the tough Comp class, and reached the final round before losing a close race against Rick Brown. Using the experience he gained in Norwalk, Coughlin is looking for additional success at this weekend’s race in Indianapolis.
           
“I had a blast racing my Comp car last weekend and just came up a little shy in a good side-by-side race,” said Coughlin. “Fortunately, I only have to wait a week to get back in the car and see if I can do a little bit better job of driving and put this JEGS.com Cobalt in the winner’s circle. My crew, Jeff Taylor and Rick Rossiter, have worked hard this year to give me a very competitive car so I’m super excited to go to the races.”
           
As usual, Coughlin will be doing double duty in Indianapolis as he will also be racing his six-second, 200-mph JEGS.com entry in the Top Dragster class. Last weekend in Norwalk, Coughlin qualified No. 7 with a 6.53, on of the quickest runs of his career, and reached the second round of eliminations before losing by a microscopic .0001-second against opponent Lynn Ellison. Coughlin has won the North Central Division Top Dragster series championship in two of the last three seasons and with a successful outing this weekend, he could qualify for the prestigious JEGS Allstars event coming up in Joliet, Ill., June 5.
           
“We’ve been busy with our Comp car but that doesn’t mean we aren’t focused on Top Dragster as well,” said Coughlin. “I need to pick up a couple of rounds but I haven’t given up hope of qualifying for the JEGS Allstars. This is the first year that Top Dragster and Top Sportsman have been included in that race and I’d be honored to be a part of it.” 
           
The JEGS Mail Order team will also be represented in Indy by third-generation racer Troy “T.J.” Coughlin Jr., who will be racing his JEGS.com dragsters in the Super Comp class. Coughlin had a moderately successful outing in Norwalk, reaching the fourth round of eliminations.
            
“I’m definitely ready to get back out there and try again,” said T.J. “I made a mistake in Norwalk and now I know how to fix it. The short version is that I wasn’t aggressive enough at the finish line and lost a race that I could have won. In Super Comp, you have to know your car and you have to know how to drive the finish line. I know my car pretty well but I’m still working on last part. My uncle, Jeg and [crew chief] Kenny Underwood have helped me a lot. I’m getting better at it. I just need to make more runs.”
 
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Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at www.jegs.com and for media/fan resources checkout www.teamjegs.com .
 
Media Contact:
Scott “Woody” Woodruff
JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports
Office: 800.345.4545 (#3, ext 412)
Mobile: 614.595.1820
Fax: 740.362.5507
Email:
jegspr@aol.com -or- scott.woodruff@jegs.com

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