Mike Coughlin – Going Forward

For the entire Coughlin clan, the only thing more important than racing is family. In August, Mike and his wife, Kriss, celebrated the birth of their second child, Clayton John who joined older brother Jack.

“I was very busy at home this past year so I guess it’s understandable that I didn’t have the kind of year I was looking for,” said Mike. “I really didn’t have a highlight. I had a lot of good late round finishes, but I didn’t win that’s pretty disappointing. I guess the only bright spot is that I finished second to Alan Bush in the Division 3 Super Gas standings and was 35th in the national standings. That’s actually encouraging because if a few of the rounds I lost had gone the other way, I could have finished much higher.”

In 2004, Mike elected to concentrate primarily on Super Gas and ran just a few events in his Jeg’s Mail Order Super Comp dragster. In 2005, he also plans on running both cars, but would like to focus primarily on Super Comp. Like the rest of the vehicles in the Jeg’s Mail Order fleet, Mike’s Undercover Chassis dragster has received a facelift, with the addition of a new modern paint scheme.

“We had some mechanical problems with the Super Comp car last year and didn’t really get them sorted out,” Mike noted. “Now that we’ve got it fixed since, I plan on testing and making a better effort in Super Comp this year. Sometimes running two cars is too much. I think it’s better to focus on one, instead of two. I have a lot of other things going on between my family and the business, so I think I have a plan that works.”

Like his older brother, John, Mike’s plan for the upcoming season includes an ambitious schedule that includes approximately ten NHRA national events and eight Lucas Oil Series divisional races. His first race will be the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville.

“One race that I’m really looking forward to is the new Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus,” said Mike. “I’ve always loved the SPORTSnationals and to have one at our home track is awesome. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of our friends and customers there.

“At his point in my career, I’m very comfortable as a sportsman racer. I had a lot of fun when I was racing a Pro Stock Truck a few years ago, but I don’t miss being gone from home 25-30 weekends a year.

“I’ve also had some success in Super Comp and Super Gas and hopefully, that will continue in 2005. Last year, was a bit of a downer for us, but our whole team is really excited about this year. We’re all ready to go.”


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