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MADISON, Ill. -- A week after winning his tenth career NHRA national event title at the JEG'S NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Mike Coughlin will look to keep the ball rolling as he heads for this weekend's Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis.
Last week, in just his third outing in the Top Sportsman class, Coughlin claimed a victory at his home track, National Trail Raceway when he drove his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cobalt to a final round victory over Tommy Turner of Naples, Fla., with a run of 7.43 seconds at over 184 mph.
"I knew that it would take a few races to get accustomed to this new Cobalt, but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in the car," said Coughlin. "As you might imagine, it's quite a bit different than my old Super Comp dragster, but I've made close to 100 runs in this car now, so I'm able to concentrate a bit more on actually racing the car and not just driving it. [Chassis builder] Jerry Bickel builds a great race car and hopefully, last week's win was just the start of something good. Anytime you win a race, it really helps boost your confidence."
Coughlin didn't take delivery of the new racecar until April, and he has competed in has just two Lucas Oil Series races this season. As a result of the late start, he is currently ranked 22nd in the Top Sportsman points standings, but believes that there is still time to make a run at the top spot.
"At this point, it would probably be very difficult to win the championship, but there are still a few races left so anything is possible," he said. "I'm certainly not going to raise the white flag yet and realistically, I believe that a top ten finish is very possible. I just need to continue to drive well, and hope that the car will continue to make quick, consistent runs."
In addition to his ten career NHRA national event wins, Coughlin has claimed five Lucas Oil Series victories in North Central Division competition, the most recent of which came last year at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., at the wheel of his Super Comp dragster.
Columbus winner Coughlin heads for St. Louis
MADISON, Ill. -- A week after winning his tenth career NHRA national event title at the JEG'S NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Mike Coughlin will look to keep the ball rolling as he heads for this weekend's Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis.
Last week, in just his third outing in the Top Sportsman class, Coughlin claimed a victory at his home track, National Trail Raceway when he drove his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cobalt to a final round victory over Tommy Turner of Naples, Fla., with a run of 7.43 seconds at over 184 mph.
"I knew that it would take a few races to get accustomed to this new Cobalt, but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in the car," said Coughlin. "As you might imagine, it's quite a bit different than my old Super Comp dragster, but I've made close to 100 runs in this car now, so I'm able to concentrate a bit more on actually racing the car and not just driving it. [Chassis builder] Jerry Bickel builds a great race car and hopefully, last week's win was just the start of something good. Anytime you win a race, it really helps boost your confidence."
Coughlin didn't take delivery of the new racecar until April, and he has competed in has just two Lucas Oil Series races this season. As a result of the late start, he is currently ranked 22nd in the Top Sportsman points standings, but believes that there is still time to make a run at the top spot.
"At this point, it would probably be very difficult to win the championship, but there are still a few races left so anything is possible," he said. "I'm certainly not going to raise the white flag yet and realistically, I believe that a top ten finish is very possible. I just need to continue to drive well, and hope that the car will continue to make quick, consistent runs."
In addition to his ten career NHRA national event wins, Coughlin has claimed five Lucas Oil Series victories in North Central Division competition, the most recent of which came last year at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., at the wheel of his Super Comp dragster.
