[coverattach=1]POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 9) -- No matter what happens at this weekend's 45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Jeg Coughlin Jr. will end the 2009 Full Throttle drag racing season with more national event victories than anyone in the sport.
Coughlin's seven race wins during the regular season kept him on top of the point standings for an NHRA-leading 14 events, a span of five full months, and powered him into the playoffs as the top seed. His JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt team fell off a tad since then, and his quest for a fifth world title ended two weeks ago in Las Vegas, but he's obviously still a driver to be reckoned with in Pomona.
"We've had a great season," Coughlin said. "And we'd love to end on a high note and win another race in Pomona. I believe we have the car to get it done and I know I have a team behind me that's capable of anything. We're all a little down about giving up the champion's crown we've held for the last two years but it just motivates us that much more to get it back next year.
"The first two years of the playoffs we found a way to turn it on once the Countdown to 1 started and that was the difference. This year, the opposite happened; we had a great regular season and let it all slip away in the Countdown. We wanted that first Full Throttle title but it wasn't meant to be."
If Coughlin needs any mojo to help him earn his eighth trophy of the year and seventh overall at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, he needs to go no further than his own family. All three of his brothers have clinched world titles in the last few weeks, John in Top Dragster, Mike in Top Sportsman, and Troy in Pro Street.
"Everybody really stepped it up this year and that's been exciting," said Coughlin, who has a career record of 45-17 in Pomona. "We're up to 21 championships for Team JEGS and I'm very proud of that stat.
"We're certainly not going to hang our heads about our performance with the Pro Stock car. The fact we have more wins than anyone in the sport this year speaks volumes about our capabilities. This is a team full of champions and I have every confidence we'll contend for the 2010 title from the start.
"Right now we'll focus on closing the year strong and beginning our preparation for next year. I'll be up for this race, for sure. It's Pomona!"
Coughlin's seven race wins during the regular season kept him on top of the point standings for an NHRA-leading 14 events, a span of five full months, and powered him into the playoffs as the top seed. His JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt team fell off a tad since then, and his quest for a fifth world title ended two weeks ago in Las Vegas, but he's obviously still a driver to be reckoned with in Pomona.
"We've had a great season," Coughlin said. "And we'd love to end on a high note and win another race in Pomona. I believe we have the car to get it done and I know I have a team behind me that's capable of anything. We're all a little down about giving up the champion's crown we've held for the last two years but it just motivates us that much more to get it back next year.
"The first two years of the playoffs we found a way to turn it on once the Countdown to 1 started and that was the difference. This year, the opposite happened; we had a great regular season and let it all slip away in the Countdown. We wanted that first Full Throttle title but it wasn't meant to be."
If Coughlin needs any mojo to help him earn his eighth trophy of the year and seventh overall at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, he needs to go no further than his own family. All three of his brothers have clinched world titles in the last few weeks, John in Top Dragster, Mike in Top Sportsman, and Troy in Pro Street.
"Everybody really stepped it up this year and that's been exciting," said Coughlin, who has a career record of 45-17 in Pomona. "We're up to 21 championships for Team JEGS and I'm very proud of that stat.
"We're certainly not going to hang our heads about our performance with the Pro Stock car. The fact we have more wins than anyone in the sport this year speaks volumes about our capabilities. This is a team full of champions and I have every confidence we'll contend for the 2010 title from the start.
"Right now we'll focus on closing the year strong and beginning our preparation for next year. I'll be up for this race, for sure. It's Pomona!"
