Jeg adds anxiety to Gatornationals equation

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, FL
March 19th

Jeg Coughlin Jr – Pro Stock
Saturday Qualifying Summary

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By late Saturday afternoon, Jeg Coughlin found himself in one of the worst
positions a competitor can be in at a drag race. The three-time NHRA champion
and former Gatornationals winner entered the last session of qualifying outside
the field of cars that had earned a spot in Sunday’s elimination field.
Coughlin’s entire race weekend quickly into a black and white situation — make
the field or go home.

With a capacity crowd at Gainesville Raceway cheering him on, Coughlin coolly
showed why he’s collected 45 national event trophies in his career as he
shrugged off the worst weather and track conditions of the weekend to make the
field with air to spare in a session that ultimately saw little other change on
the elimination grid.

“We got wildly out of shape in the first round today, which forced me to abort
our second run in a row, so we took the car back to the pits and decided to make
some pretty drastic changes,” Coughlin said. “We went back to some old baseline
numbers we had gained earlier this year and the car responded.

“It’s always a little nerve-wracking when you hear the announcers on the P.A.
system saying you’re not in the show and you know you only have one shot left.
But this team is so talented that I had confidence we could make a pass that
would get us in there. Naturally, I’m very pleased with the number we put up,
especially in the heat.”

Coughlin’s opportune 6.686 at 207.13 mph placed his Jeg’s Mail Order Dodge
Stratus R/T into the No. 10 position and sets up an interesting first-round
showdown with fellow two-time Pro Stock champion Jim Yates. Coughlin’s run was
the fastest of his career, while Yates posted both the quickest and fastest run
of his life.

“All the cars in the field are right on the edge of making career best runs so
it’ll be tough no matter who is in the other lane,” Coughlin said. “If we can
find a way to maximize the potential of this Jeg’s Mail Order Dodge we should be
able to make a mark tomorrow.”

Considered one of the most prestigious races on the circuit, the 36th annual Mac
Tools NHRA Gatornationals will begin promptly at 11 a.m. ET Sunday. The first
round of Pro Stock should take place somewhere around noon. ESPN2 will carry the
event.

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