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ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 21) -- Reigning series champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. woke up Saturday morning, saw clear skies and plenty of sunshine, and knew he wouldn't be able to run any quicker than the 6.637 at 207.82 mph he posted Friday night under the lights at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. So the 52-time national event winner simply changed his strategy and elected to strive for the consistency that wins rounds on race day.
The effort paid off as Coughlin shrugged off the heat of the first official day of summer and carded nearly identical passes of 6.652 at 207.59 mph and 6.656 at 207.85 mph.
"I'm pretty happy with the day," said Coughlin, a three-time winner of this event. "We made two really decent hits for as hot as it was and I feel as though we made a big stride in the right direction. It would have been nice to get into the top half of the field but it just wasn't out there today so we worked on our race day set-up instead.
"We were having issues down low in first gear but I think we cleared that up because the second run today felt much better. It was extreme conditions and the JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt really handled the track well. These guys at Victor Cagnazzi Racing are professionals and they did a great job."
Coughlin will open Sunday's eliminations against pseudo teammate Ron Krisher, who uses horsepower from Victor Cagnazzi Racing. Krisher qualified fourth with a 6.607 at 208.23 mph and will have lane choice in Round 1. Coughlin has beaten Krisher three times this year.
"I am optimistic about tomorrow, especially with the change in weather we're supposed to get," Coughlin said, referencing the expected overnight storm system and slight cooling trend forecasted for this area. "We are expecting more cloud cover and possible rain, so all of the crew chiefs are going to have to mix it up and prepare for that. I am confident this team will be ready."
JEGS.com Cobalt a consistent ride for Coughlin
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 21) -- Reigning series champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. woke up Saturday morning, saw clear skies and plenty of sunshine, and knew he wouldn't be able to run any quicker than the 6.637 at 207.82 mph he posted Friday night under the lights at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. So the 52-time national event winner simply changed his strategy and elected to strive for the consistency that wins rounds on race day.
The effort paid off as Coughlin shrugged off the heat of the first official day of summer and carded nearly identical passes of 6.652 at 207.59 mph and 6.656 at 207.85 mph.
"I'm pretty happy with the day," said Coughlin, a three-time winner of this event. "We made two really decent hits for as hot as it was and I feel as though we made a big stride in the right direction. It would have been nice to get into the top half of the field but it just wasn't out there today so we worked on our race day set-up instead.
"We were having issues down low in first gear but I think we cleared that up because the second run today felt much better. It was extreme conditions and the JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt really handled the track well. These guys at Victor Cagnazzi Racing are professionals and they did a great job."
Coughlin will open Sunday's eliminations against pseudo teammate Ron Krisher, who uses horsepower from Victor Cagnazzi Racing. Krisher qualified fourth with a 6.607 at 208.23 mph and will have lane choice in Round 1. Coughlin has beaten Krisher three times this year.
"I am optimistic about tomorrow, especially with the change in weather we're supposed to get," Coughlin said, referencing the expected overnight storm system and slight cooling trend forecasted for this area. "We are expecting more cloud cover and possible rain, so all of the crew chiefs are going to have to mix it up and prepare for that. I am confident this team will be ready."
