Coughlin carries consistency into race day (NHRA/JEG’S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, TX
Oct 8, 2005

Jeg Coughlin – JEG’S Mail Order / Mopar – Dodge Stratus RT (Pro Stock)
Saturday Qualifying Summary

Jeg Coughlin doesn’t have the quickest car at the Texas Motorplex, but he does
have one of the most consistent machines in the Pro Stock class. The three-time
series champion and former Dallas winner shrugged off drastically different
weather conditions and wildly varying track temperatures Friday and Saturday to
post four nearly identical passes that were all within one thousandth of a
second.

“Having a consistent racecar is key in drag racing,” Coughlin said. “Of course
you strive to have the quickest car on the property and it’s great when you have
one moon shot run because it puts you higher on the qualifying sheet, but when
you’re car repeats what it’s doing every pass, regardless of deteriorating
conditions, it’s encouraging.

“You know what you need to do as a driver and the crew knows what they need to
do with this Jeg’s Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T.”

Coughlin’s runs spanned from 6.700 seconds to 6.710 seconds. His two Saturday
passes, both performed under direct sunshine, showed a 6.702 and a 6.707.

“We improved in relation to the field today,” Coughlin said. “That’s exciting
because it’s much more likely that we’ll see sunshine again tomorrow rather than
the cold overcast skies we had here Friday.”

For the fifth time this year Coughlin will face his Don Schumacher Racing
teammate Richie Stevens in eliminations, this time in Round 1. So far, Coughlin
holds a 3-1 edge over his good friend, but Stevens will carry lane choice into
this battle as his 6.688 at 205.79 mph was slightly quicker than Coughlin’s run
of record.

“I guess the good news is that one of us will advance to the second round,”
Coughlin said. “We always have fun when we race. I know Richie’s a great driver
and he’s tough to beat. We keep saying we need to meet in the final round and
duke it out for the trophy. I’m sure that will happen soon. For now, we’ll get
after it and may the best driver win.”

Additional information found at: www.teamjegs.com

Media Contact:

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Office: 800.345.4545 (3.412)
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