Coughlin cut down by five-thousandths of a second (NHRA/JEG’S)

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA AC Delco Nationals
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, NV
Oct 23, 2005

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

Following an unfortunate yet familiar pattern, Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin was on the losing end of one of the day’s closest side-by-side races. The three-time Las Vegas winner was denied a shot at No. 4 in the quarterfinal round of the fifth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, losing to good friend Kurt Johnson by just .005 seconds.

“We did a bad job of preparing the car for that round,” Coughlin said. “Kurt was there for the taking, running a 6.870, and I had a great light (.006-second reaction time), but we still came up short of winning the round. It’s disappointing but it seems like every time we have a close race this year we’ve been on the wrong end of it.”

Coughlin started the day with a big win over longtime rival Warren Johnson. After leaving the starting line with nearly identical reaction times, Coughlin simply drove away from the six-time series champions to take the win by a 6.835- to 6.848-second margin.

“We were very encouraged after the first round,” Coughlin said. “It seemed like the guys really had a handle on this Jeg’s Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T. I’m not sure what happened between rounds. The conditions were very similar. It just didn’t work out for us and we’re all disappointed. All we can do is get back to work and get ready for Pomona.”

Coughlin remains eighth in the POWERade Drag Racing Series points standings. He can finish the year as high as sixth with a strong showing at the season-ending 41st annual Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.


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