Team Chevy's Coughlin Holds on to Top Spot in Pro Stock Qualifying at Las Vegas
Points Leader Powers JEGS.com Chevy to Third No. 1 Qualifier on the Season
LAS VEGAS, November 1, 2008 - Jeg Coughlin Jr. apparently has no problem with a bull's-eye on his back as the current NHRA Pro Stock points leader held on to the top spot after final qualifying for tomorrow's eliminations at the 8th annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coughlin drove the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to a track-record elapsed time of 6.703 seconds at 205.47 mph for his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 15th of his career.
"We've had a great start thus far," Coughlin said. "Our first two shots yesterday with our JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt were 6.70s both times and we were No. 1 qualifier. We got a little aggressive in the left lane this morning. We thought maybe we could tickle a .60 out of this thing but just didn't get away with it and had to abort the run. But we came back and ran a nice 6.73 and tied Jason Line for low of the round. The momentum we were looking for and the consistency we were looking for is exactly what we accomplished. We didn't plan on aborting that run this morning, but we've got that behind us and really feel confident going into race day. My father, Jeg Sr., and Roy Simmons, my crew chief, are doing an excellent job putting this car to the track and I'm having a ball driving it."
Coughlin holds a 74-point lead over second-place Kurt Johnson with two races remaining (Las Vegas, Pomona) in this year's Countdown to the Championship as the 38-year-old defending NHRA POWERade champion looks for his fourth career Pro Stock title (2000, 2002, 2007). He will face the Dodge of Rickie Jones in tomorrow's first round of eliminations.
"Typically here at Las Vegas, The Strip is known for having two very competitive lanes," Coughlin said. "We ran a great 6.73 down that right lane, and we thought we could get away with something better this morning down the better of the two lanes, the left, and we didn't. I don't think lane choice is going to play a big factor. The sun can play more havoc on the Christmas Tree itself for the drivers if we have some sun tomorrow. It should be a little bit cooler with maybe some overcast, so we could see performances even get a little better. One thing's for sure and that's in Pro Stock, you're going to see some door-handle-to-door-handle racing, and that's exciting for the fans. For the drivers, that makes us pull our hair out, but we love it as well."
Three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson and teammate Jason Line have their Summit Racing Pontiacs qualified second and third, respectively, and look to put some pressure on Coughlin this weekend before the season-ending race in two weeks at Pomona (Calif.). Anderson had an elapsed time of 6.709 seconds at 205.85 mph and Line had a 6.716 e.t. at 205.13 mph. Anderson was also quickest in this morning's third-round qualifying session and Line matched Coughlin for quickest in the fourth and final qualifying session today.
"We're fairly happy," Anderson said. "We've definitely got two good cars; either one could win the race tomorrow. Now that they could win, they need to win. One of us has to win or we're both out of the championship hunt. One of us is going to have to win and we're going to have to have some misfortune happen to Jeg or he's going to run away with it. As I I've said before, I don't wish misfortune on anyone, and I wish Jeg the best and hopes he has a great race. I hope I can race him heads-up for the final round and get the win, but that probably won't make up enough points to matter.
"We'll just see how it turns out. The best that I can do is go out there and try to win the race and see where the chips fall. I feel if I don't win the race tomorrow then my Pomona is going to be kind of uneventful for me and not a lot of suspense for everybody else. That's the bottom line and I'm thinking the same way that Kurt Johnson (second in points) and Dave Connolly are thinking (third in points). They need to win the race, too, and have Jeg have some misfortune. They're looking at it the same way I am. Like I said, I'm not wishing Jeg any misfortune, but that's the plain truth. If he doesn't have any and we don't win the race, we're probably in a heap of trouble. The time is now and it has to happen this weekend or it's going to be too late for all of us and Jeg Coughlin will be the champion. The good news is we do have a hot rod that can win tomorrow, so we just have to come out as tough as we possibly can and hopefully have the race of our year, win the thing and put some pressure on him when we go to Pomona."
Kurt Johnson, second in points in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, qualified sixth with an elapsed time of 6.719 seconds at 204.66 mph and will face the Dodge of Richie Stevens in the first round.
"Our ACDelco Cobalt was consistent throughout the two days, with our last run this afternoon actually being our best, putting us in pretty good shape heading into race day," Johnson said. "We're still off just a little bit, but it's all going to come down to whoever has the sharpest chainsaw and can mow down the tree tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty good, with a .025 and a .030 (reaction time) during qualifying. Of course, we also have to make the right calls in the pits, with everyone on the team doing their jobs. Tomorrow is a very important day in our chase for the championship, and we're ready to do whatever it takes to shine on the racetrack."
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 266,000 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 General Motors | Corporate Website | GM.
Points Leader Powers JEGS.com Chevy to Third No. 1 Qualifier on the Season
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/GMLogo_99390.jpg" alt="GMLogo_99390" />
LAS VEGAS, November 1, 2008 - Jeg Coughlin Jr. apparently has no problem with a bull's-eye on his back as the current NHRA Pro Stock points leader held on to the top spot after final qualifying for tomorrow's eliminations at the 8th annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coughlin drove the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to a track-record elapsed time of 6.703 seconds at 205.47 mph for his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 15th of his career.
"We've had a great start thus far," Coughlin said. "Our first two shots yesterday with our JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt were 6.70s both times and we were No. 1 qualifier. We got a little aggressive in the left lane this morning. We thought maybe we could tickle a .60 out of this thing but just didn't get away with it and had to abort the run. But we came back and ran a nice 6.73 and tied Jason Line for low of the round. The momentum we were looking for and the consistency we were looking for is exactly what we accomplished. We didn't plan on aborting that run this morning, but we've got that behind us and really feel confident going into race day. My father, Jeg Sr., and Roy Simmons, my crew chief, are doing an excellent job putting this car to the track and I'm having a ball driving it."
Coughlin holds a 74-point lead over second-place Kurt Johnson with two races remaining (Las Vegas, Pomona) in this year's Countdown to the Championship as the 38-year-old defending NHRA POWERade champion looks for his fourth career Pro Stock title (2000, 2002, 2007). He will face the Dodge of Rickie Jones in tomorrow's first round of eliminations.
"Typically here at Las Vegas, The Strip is known for having two very competitive lanes," Coughlin said. "We ran a great 6.73 down that right lane, and we thought we could get away with something better this morning down the better of the two lanes, the left, and we didn't. I don't think lane choice is going to play a big factor. The sun can play more havoc on the Christmas Tree itself for the drivers if we have some sun tomorrow. It should be a little bit cooler with maybe some overcast, so we could see performances even get a little better. One thing's for sure and that's in Pro Stock, you're going to see some door-handle-to-door-handle racing, and that's exciting for the fans. For the drivers, that makes us pull our hair out, but we love it as well."
Three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson and teammate Jason Line have their Summit Racing Pontiacs qualified second and third, respectively, and look to put some pressure on Coughlin this weekend before the season-ending race in two weeks at Pomona (Calif.). Anderson had an elapsed time of 6.709 seconds at 205.85 mph and Line had a 6.716 e.t. at 205.13 mph. Anderson was also quickest in this morning's third-round qualifying session and Line matched Coughlin for quickest in the fourth and final qualifying session today.
"We're fairly happy," Anderson said. "We've definitely got two good cars; either one could win the race tomorrow. Now that they could win, they need to win. One of us has to win or we're both out of the championship hunt. One of us is going to have to win and we're going to have to have some misfortune happen to Jeg or he's going to run away with it. As I I've said before, I don't wish misfortune on anyone, and I wish Jeg the best and hopes he has a great race. I hope I can race him heads-up for the final round and get the win, but that probably won't make up enough points to matter.
"We'll just see how it turns out. The best that I can do is go out there and try to win the race and see where the chips fall. I feel if I don't win the race tomorrow then my Pomona is going to be kind of uneventful for me and not a lot of suspense for everybody else. That's the bottom line and I'm thinking the same way that Kurt Johnson (second in points) and Dave Connolly are thinking (third in points). They need to win the race, too, and have Jeg have some misfortune. They're looking at it the same way I am. Like I said, I'm not wishing Jeg any misfortune, but that's the plain truth. If he doesn't have any and we don't win the race, we're probably in a heap of trouble. The time is now and it has to happen this weekend or it's going to be too late for all of us and Jeg Coughlin will be the champion. The good news is we do have a hot rod that can win tomorrow, so we just have to come out as tough as we possibly can and hopefully have the race of our year, win the thing and put some pressure on him when we go to Pomona."
Kurt Johnson, second in points in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, qualified sixth with an elapsed time of 6.719 seconds at 204.66 mph and will face the Dodge of Richie Stevens in the first round.
"Our ACDelco Cobalt was consistent throughout the two days, with our last run this afternoon actually being our best, putting us in pretty good shape heading into race day," Johnson said. "We're still off just a little bit, but it's all going to come down to whoever has the sharpest chainsaw and can mow down the tree tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty good, with a .025 and a .030 (reaction time) during qualifying. Of course, we also have to make the right calls in the pits, with everyone on the team doing their jobs. Tomorrow is a very important day in our chase for the championship, and we're ready to do whatever it takes to shine on the racetrack."
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 266,000 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 General Motors | Corporate Website | GM.
