Denver: Jeg Coughlin Jr. Saturday report

Coughlin taming tricky Bandimere track with ease

DENVER (July 24) -- With only one drag race a year at altitude, tuning a racecar for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway can be a bit of a guessing game. But four-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his crew from Victor Cagnazzi Racing are making it look easy, at least through qualifying, as the talented team successfully earned the No. 2 starting slot with an impressive 6.981 at 197.19 mph.

"We came into the race without any testing time up here on the mountain so we leaned heavily on last year's data, and really one run in particular that we thought we could work from," Coughlin said. "The first pass yesterday wasn't as good as it could have been but we stayed with the tune-up and it paid off last night where we knocked a full tenth of a second off that first run. That told us we had a good car.

"Mother Nature was calling for cooler weather today and she kept her promise so we saw some more improvements today. Even a little drop in temperature means a lot to these Pro Stock cars, especially when they're gasping for breath. It was exciting to take advantage of the situation and to be the first one this weekend to run a six-second pass. It stuck for second place so we're really pleased."

Coughlin's JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt race team is brimming with confidence after winning last Sunday's race in Sonoma, Calif. The 51-time national winner could tie Top Fuel legend Joe Amato should he extend his winning streak and claim another trophy Sunday.

The 40-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, will begin his quest against No. 15 qualifier Erica Enders, who posted a best of 7.042 at 195.19 mph. Enders has qualified for just three events and is 0-1 versus Coughlin this year.

-source: team jegs/vcr