Indianapolis: Jeg's Trucks final qualifying

Jeg's Trucks are ready to shine on raceday

A total of 35 Pro Stock Trucks battled over five qualifying sessions to be among the quick sixteen and have a chance to win the most prestigious race in the sport of drag racing.

John Coughlin and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy S-10 started the final day of qualifying sitting in the No. 4 position. He launched off of the line and made a quick move to the left. John quickly returned to the center of the groove and headed for the big end.

The run was not an improvement for the oldest of the Coughlin brothers. He ran a 7.509 at 179.56 mph and dropped to the No. 7 spot.

"I short shifted second gear and that really brought the engine rpm's down. It did not kill the engine, it just slowed things down enough to cause us not to improve," commented John.

Mike Coughlin began the fourth qualifying session as the man to beat. By the time the yellow and black Jeg's machine returned to the starting line he was still in the top spot.

Mike rocketed off of the line with authority. The Chevy S-10 hooked up with the track from start to finish. Mike improved his qualifying time by posting an impressive 7.461 at 180.82 mph. This time the shot was fired and an explanation point followed.

"The only place on the track were we were not No. 1 for the session was our 60-foot time and we were fifth in 60-foot," explained Mike. "We are making really good runs and the consistency is there. This engine was fresh coming into this event and it is getting stronger with each run and that is really exciting going into raceday at the U.S. Nationals."

In the final session John led the batting order for the men in yellow and black. He took on the right lane in the heat of the day. The truck launched and was on the aggressive side. John shut it off and coasted to the finish line and remained in the No. 9 position.

"We got a little too aggressive off of the line. Our group is focused winning this race tomorrow. We were the runner up last year with my truck and we would like nothing more then to take it one step further tomorrow," said John.

Mike Coughlin rolled into the final session with all eyes firmly planted on his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy S-10. After the burnout the team noticed traces of oil behind the truck on the track and told Mike to turn it off.

"I was told over the radio to turn it off. You have to trust your team and what they see when you are in the vehicle. The last thing we wanted to do was hurt the engine. Everything is fine with the engine and we are ready for raceday," commented Mike.

Mike Coughlin and his Jeg's Mail Order Chevy S-10 stayed in the No. 1 spot. This was the second time in his career that he qualified No. 1. The first was a year ago at the U.S. Nationals.

In the opening round Mike Coughlin will face off against Scott Perin. The pairing will be a rematch of the '99 U.S. Nationals final that Coughlin won. Mike has raced Perin three times in his career and has won all three of the match ups.

John Coughlin will go head-to-head against Todd Patterson in round one. The match up will put a Chevy S-10 and a Dodge Dakota into the ring. The two drivers have faced off four times and Coughlin has won all four times.

Mike Coughlin will work on being the only two-time U.S. Nationals champion in Pro Stock Truck. Older brother John is focused on winning his first U.S. Nationals.

-Jep's