<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/Jegs2.jpg" alt="Jeg wins ps showdown" align="left"borders="0"/>
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 2, 2008- Defending POWERade champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will head off to next weekend's NHRA season-opening 48th annual CarQuest NHRA Winternationals with an on-track victory already notched into his belt after capturing bragging rights at today's third annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"So far, we look pretty good," Coughlin said. "We spent the whole off season just trying to put this Chevy Cobalt back together. We went through everything, putting in all new wiring, all new plumbing, and Roy and Dave and everybody at Cagnazzi Racing did a fantastic job. We put a fresh coat of paint on the car, it looks great, runs better, and we couldn't think of a better way to start the year than by giving Chevrolet a win here in Las Vegas."
A three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, Coughlin entered today's eliminator with his Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 1 position after posting a 6.685 e.t. at 205.82 mph during the final session of time trials. He then made his way through the 16-car eliminator by defeating Vinnie Deceglie in round one with6.724 e.t. at 205.32 mph, and V. Gaines in round two with a 6.725 second run at 205.32 mph.
In the semifinals, Coughlin defeated Pontiac GXP driver Greg Anderson on a holeshot, running 6.730 seconds to Anderson's 6.715 e.t. Anderson's time was the quickest of the session, but the yellow-and-black Cobalt edged out the Pontiac at the finish line by .015 of a second, and that was enough to give Coughlin lane choice in the finals against Allen Johnson.
With darkness settling in and air temps dropping into the 40s, the final round of the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown was run under the bright lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the championship heat, Coughlin's Chevrolet launched first out of the blocks with a .016 reaction, and by the time the two cars passed the 60-foot marker, it was all over. Coughlin's Jegs Chevrolet pulled away from Johnson's Dodge and crossed the finish line first with a 6.711 e.t. at 204.94 mph. Johnson followed with a 6.735 second e.t. at 203.92 mph. Coughlin's margin of victory was .078 of a second.
"We put one of our good engines in the car for the Pontiac Showdown and we were very happy with it," Coughlin said. "The car's been responding to the changes we've been making all weekend. We qualified No. 1 on a great run this morning and after getting past Greg in the semis, our goal was to take this Chevrolet coast-to-coast and get the win. This was a great way to start the season and hopefully we can carry that momentum on to Pomona."
This weekend's Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown also saw the debut of the new GXP racecar. Three drivers including Greg Anderson, Greg Stanfield and Jim Yates all had their new GXPs ready to race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. All three drivers qualified for the 16-car eliminator with Anderson and Stanfield both advancing to the semifinals.
Anderson qualified the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP in the No. 5 position and defeated Bill Glidden in round one and Ron Krisher in round two before losing to Coughlin in the semifinals.
"Our Pontiac GXP picked up the pace today," Anderson said. "We're definitely gaining on it. You do all your research and your work in the shop to get a new car figured out, but it never seems to work that way. They always need a little rubbing and this car is certainly no different. This is only our second day here and we made a major step in the right direction. Now if we can keep stepping forward when we get to Pomona, we'll be happy."
Stanfield qualified his Pontiac GXP in the No. 7 position and defeated Jason Line in round one and Ron Krisher in round two before losing to Allen Johnson.
"We ran pretty good this weekend," Stanfield said. "This was a good race to see what we had and to get everybody back into the swing of things. Jerry Bickel built us a new Pontiac GXP that seems to be getting better and better with each run, and after this weekend, we're ready for Pomona."
The series now heads to Pomona, Calif., for the season-opening 48th annual CarQuest NHRA Winternationals on Feb. 7 - 10.
You can watch all four rounds of eliminations and Jeg Coughlin's post-race interview by clicking on the links below:
E1 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 1/Feb 2
E2 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 2/Feb. 2
E3 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 3/Feb. 2
E4 and Coughlin post-race interview -
YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Finals/Feb 2
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at GM General Motors Home Page.
Photo Courtesy of Dave Kommel.
Defending POWERade Champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. Wins the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 2, 2008- Defending POWERade champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will head off to next weekend's NHRA season-opening 48th annual CarQuest NHRA Winternationals with an on-track victory already notched into his belt after capturing bragging rights at today's third annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"So far, we look pretty good," Coughlin said. "We spent the whole off season just trying to put this Chevy Cobalt back together. We went through everything, putting in all new wiring, all new plumbing, and Roy and Dave and everybody at Cagnazzi Racing did a fantastic job. We put a fresh coat of paint on the car, it looks great, runs better, and we couldn't think of a better way to start the year than by giving Chevrolet a win here in Las Vegas."
A three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, Coughlin entered today's eliminator with his Chevy Cobalt qualified in the No. 1 position after posting a 6.685 e.t. at 205.82 mph during the final session of time trials. He then made his way through the 16-car eliminator by defeating Vinnie Deceglie in round one with6.724 e.t. at 205.32 mph, and V. Gaines in round two with a 6.725 second run at 205.32 mph.
In the semifinals, Coughlin defeated Pontiac GXP driver Greg Anderson on a holeshot, running 6.730 seconds to Anderson's 6.715 e.t. Anderson's time was the quickest of the session, but the yellow-and-black Cobalt edged out the Pontiac at the finish line by .015 of a second, and that was enough to give Coughlin lane choice in the finals against Allen Johnson.
With darkness settling in and air temps dropping into the 40s, the final round of the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown was run under the bright lights of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the championship heat, Coughlin's Chevrolet launched first out of the blocks with a .016 reaction, and by the time the two cars passed the 60-foot marker, it was all over. Coughlin's Jegs Chevrolet pulled away from Johnson's Dodge and crossed the finish line first with a 6.711 e.t. at 204.94 mph. Johnson followed with a 6.735 second e.t. at 203.92 mph. Coughlin's margin of victory was .078 of a second.
"We put one of our good engines in the car for the Pontiac Showdown and we were very happy with it," Coughlin said. "The car's been responding to the changes we've been making all weekend. We qualified No. 1 on a great run this morning and after getting past Greg in the semis, our goal was to take this Chevrolet coast-to-coast and get the win. This was a great way to start the season and hopefully we can carry that momentum on to Pomona."
This weekend's Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown also saw the debut of the new GXP racecar. Three drivers including Greg Anderson, Greg Stanfield and Jim Yates all had their new GXPs ready to race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. All three drivers qualified for the 16-car eliminator with Anderson and Stanfield both advancing to the semifinals.
Anderson qualified the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP in the No. 5 position and defeated Bill Glidden in round one and Ron Krisher in round two before losing to Coughlin in the semifinals.
"Our Pontiac GXP picked up the pace today," Anderson said. "We're definitely gaining on it. You do all your research and your work in the shop to get a new car figured out, but it never seems to work that way. They always need a little rubbing and this car is certainly no different. This is only our second day here and we made a major step in the right direction. Now if we can keep stepping forward when we get to Pomona, we'll be happy."
Stanfield qualified his Pontiac GXP in the No. 7 position and defeated Jason Line in round one and Ron Krisher in round two before losing to Allen Johnson.
"We ran pretty good this weekend," Stanfield said. "This was a good race to see what we had and to get everybody back into the swing of things. Jerry Bickel built us a new Pontiac GXP that seems to be getting better and better with each run, and after this weekend, we're ready for Pomona."
The series now heads to Pomona, Calif., for the season-opening 48th annual CarQuest NHRA Winternationals on Feb. 7 - 10.
You can watch all four rounds of eliminations and Jeg Coughlin's post-race interview by clicking on the links below:
E1 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 1/Feb 2
E2 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 2/Feb. 2
E3 - YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Round 3/Feb. 2
E4 and Coughlin post-race interview -
YouTube - Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown/Raceday/Finals/Feb 2
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at GM General Motors Home Page.
Photo Courtesy of Dave Kommel.
