One trophy in hand, Jeg sets sights on another Wally
PHOENIX (Feb. 24) -- Even if the 23rd annual CSK Nationals ended right now, Jeg Coughlin's weekend in the Arizona desert would already be considered an unqualified success. Coughlin opened Saturday's racing action with a win over a red-lighting Pete Kost, which awarded him the Super Stock C-Modified class trophy for this event. The three-time world champion is now locked in on collecting one more trophy at Firebird International Raceway.
"One down," Coughlin said after qualifying No. 4 for the main event in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cavalier. "Super Stock takes a lot of consistency and a lot of patience. The boys have given me a very consistent car, as usual. Now I need to be patient and work my way through the elimination rounds. In the sudden-death rounds, Coughlin quickly advanced past Rich Pinoski with a 6.82-second run on a 6.81-second dial-in. Later Saturday night his ride in Super Stock ended with a loss.
The other trophy on Coughlin's to-do list will be up for grabs Sunday in the Pro Stock class where the 47-time national event winner will begin his quest for his second Phoenix pro-level title from the No. 10 position after running a best of 6.667 in qualifying his Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevrolet Cobalt.
"We made a decent run in the final qualifying session," said Coughlin. "Making a solid run in the final qualifying session always helps the confidence level of a team going into race day."
Coughlin will open Sunday's Pro Stock quest against No. 7 qualifier Kurt Johnson, who posted a 6.658 in qualifying.
Sunday's professional action begins at 11 a.m. MST.
