[coverattach=1]Reigning Pro Stock Champ to Join Elite Group with Fourth Career Crown
POMONA, Calif., November 11, 2008 - The arduous 24-race NHRA POWERade Drag Series comes to an exciting close this weekend as four world champions will be crowned in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes at the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway. Jeg Coughlin Jr., coming off his Las Vegas victory two weeks ago in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt, has a 123-point cushion on second-place Greg Anderson, and the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champ essentially just has to qualify to close him out and clinch his fourth (2007, 2002, 2000) NHRA POWERade championship. The Columbus, Ohio, native would join Bob Glidden (10), Warren Johnson (6), and Lee Shepherd (4) as the only drivers with at least four NHRA Pro Stock championships in their career.
"(The Las Vegas win) definitely took a ton of pressure of our shoulders," Coughlin said. "Nearly a four-round lead is awesome. This Pro Stock championship isn't 100% sealed, but I like our chances. Congratulations to the whole JEGS.com team; they've done just a flawless job."
In Funny Car, regular-season points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS has a class-leading six wins on the season and will be looking to make up a 12-point deficit to Cruz Pedregon in the season-ending race in order to claim his first career NHRA Funny Car crown.
44th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Team Chevy's Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt captured his third Pro Stock victory of the season at the 8th annual Las Vegas NHRA Nationals on Nov. 2, Chevrolet's 11th on the season and 158th all time in the Pro Stock category.
* Of Chevrolet's 11 Pro Stock wins this year, Dave Connolly has the most with four (Bristol, Sonoma, Indianapolis, Richmond), Kurt Johnson has three victories in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt (St. Louis, Chicago, Brainerd), Jeg Coughlin has three (Gainesville, Reading, Las Vegas) and Ron Krisher has one (Topeka). Johnson became Chevy's all-time winningest Pro Stock driver with his victory earlier this year at St. Louis in May and now has 29 of his 39 career wins behind the wheel of a Chevy.
* The most recent tabulation for the 2008 NHRA Manufacturers Cup shows Chevrolet in first place with 6,260 points. Chevrolet won its 16th NHRA Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any automobile manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* Mike Edwards is Pontiac's most recent winner in the NHRA Pro Stock category. Edwards drove the Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP to his second national-event victory of the year at Memphis on Sept. 28 with an all-Pontiac final-round win over Jason Line.
* Edwards' victory was Pontiac's 11th in 2008 and its 191st all time in the factory hot-rod category. Greg Anderson has the most wins for Pontiac this year with five (Pomona, Houston, Englishtown, Norwalk, Denver), Edwards has two (Atlanta, Memphis), Jason Line has two (Las Vegas 1, Seattle), Justin Humphreys has one (Charlotte) and Greg Stanfield has one (Dallas).
* Anderson, driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, has a class-leading five wins on the season including back-to-back-to-back wins at Englishtown (N.J.), Norwalk (Ohio) and Denver.
* Anderson set both ends of the Auto Club Raceway Pro Stock track records earlier this year at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in February. Anderson had an elapsed time of 6.616 seconds at 209.39 mph en route to his first win of the season.
* Warren Johnson in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP has the most career Pro Stock wins for a GM-backed driver at Auto Club Raceway with nine, including four wins in the NHRA Finals (1995, 1993, 1992, 1988) and five more wins in the Winternationals (2003, 1997, 1994, 1993, 1987). Greg Anderson has seven career wins at Pomona including sweeps of both races in 2006 and 2004 to go along with Winternationals wins in 2008-07 and a Finals win in 2003. Current Pontiac drivers also with wins at Pomona include Jim Yates (1998 & 1996 Winternationals) and Mike Edwards with a Finals victory in 1996.
* Coughlin leads the way for Team Chevy with six career wins at Pomona. The defending Finals champion won this race in 2007, 2005, and 1999, won back-to-back Winternationals in 1999-2000, and also won the one-time 50th Anniversary race in 2001. Kurt Johnson has won four Pomona races including three Finals wins (2002, 2000, 1997) and the 2001 Winternationals. Dave Connolly won the 2005 Winternationals.
* After 23 of 24 races on the schedule completed, and the fifth of six events in the Countdown to 1, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt leads the standings with 2,492 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac) is 123 points behind Coughlin in second place with 2,369 points, Kurt Johnson in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt is third with 2,354 points, Coughlin's teammate, Dave Connolly (Chevy Cobalt), is fourth with 2,349 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is fifth with 2,314 points, and Jason Line (Pontiac) is in sixth place with 2,311 points. Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) with 2,276 points in eighth and Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) with 2,125 points in 10th round out the top 10.
* Tim Wilkerson's win at Memphis in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS was the Springfield, Ill., native's sixth win of the season and Chevrolet's 100th all time in the nitro Funny Car category. Chevy Funny Car drivers have combined for a class-leading 12 victories so far this year to break the mark set in 1998 for most Chevy Funny Car wins in a season.
* Wilkerson leads the way for Team Chevy in Funny Car with a class-leading six victories followed by fellow Chevy driver Tony Pedregon with four. Del Worsham also drove the CSK Chevrolet to a win in April at Houston, and Tony Bartone recorded his first career Funny Car victory at Seattle.
* After 23 of 24 races, and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to 1, three Chevy Impala drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings. Regular season points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS is now in second place with 2,235 points, 12 points behind points-leader Cruz Pedregon. Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS is fourth with 2,224 points, 62 points behind his brother, Cruz, and Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is 10th with 2,186 points.
A two-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the Auto Club NHRA Finals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday, Nov. 15, beginning at 11:00 p.m. (ET). Coverage on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, Nov. 16, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET), and concludes with three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
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.
POMONA, Calif., November 11, 2008 - The arduous 24-race NHRA POWERade Drag Series comes to an exciting close this weekend as four world champions will be crowned in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes at the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway. Jeg Coughlin Jr., coming off his Las Vegas victory two weeks ago in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt, has a 123-point cushion on second-place Greg Anderson, and the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champ essentially just has to qualify to close him out and clinch his fourth (2007, 2002, 2000) NHRA POWERade championship. The Columbus, Ohio, native would join Bob Glidden (10), Warren Johnson (6), and Lee Shepherd (4) as the only drivers with at least four NHRA Pro Stock championships in their career.
"(The Las Vegas win) definitely took a ton of pressure of our shoulders," Coughlin said. "Nearly a four-round lead is awesome. This Pro Stock championship isn't 100% sealed, but I like our chances. Congratulations to the whole JEGS.com team; they've done just a flawless job."
In Funny Car, regular-season points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS has a class-leading six wins on the season and will be looking to make up a 12-point deficit to Cruz Pedregon in the season-ending race in order to claim his first career NHRA Funny Car crown.
44th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Team Chevy's Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt captured his third Pro Stock victory of the season at the 8th annual Las Vegas NHRA Nationals on Nov. 2, Chevrolet's 11th on the season and 158th all time in the Pro Stock category.
* Of Chevrolet's 11 Pro Stock wins this year, Dave Connolly has the most with four (Bristol, Sonoma, Indianapolis, Richmond), Kurt Johnson has three victories in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt (St. Louis, Chicago, Brainerd), Jeg Coughlin has three (Gainesville, Reading, Las Vegas) and Ron Krisher has one (Topeka). Johnson became Chevy's all-time winningest Pro Stock driver with his victory earlier this year at St. Louis in May and now has 29 of his 39 career wins behind the wheel of a Chevy.
* The most recent tabulation for the 2008 NHRA Manufacturers Cup shows Chevrolet in first place with 6,260 points. Chevrolet won its 16th NHRA Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any automobile manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* Mike Edwards is Pontiac's most recent winner in the NHRA Pro Stock category. Edwards drove the Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP to his second national-event victory of the year at Memphis on Sept. 28 with an all-Pontiac final-round win over Jason Line.
* Edwards' victory was Pontiac's 11th in 2008 and its 191st all time in the factory hot-rod category. Greg Anderson has the most wins for Pontiac this year with five (Pomona, Houston, Englishtown, Norwalk, Denver), Edwards has two (Atlanta, Memphis), Jason Line has two (Las Vegas 1, Seattle), Justin Humphreys has one (Charlotte) and Greg Stanfield has one (Dallas).
* Anderson, driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, has a class-leading five wins on the season including back-to-back-to-back wins at Englishtown (N.J.), Norwalk (Ohio) and Denver.
* Anderson set both ends of the Auto Club Raceway Pro Stock track records earlier this year at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in February. Anderson had an elapsed time of 6.616 seconds at 209.39 mph en route to his first win of the season.
* Warren Johnson in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP has the most career Pro Stock wins for a GM-backed driver at Auto Club Raceway with nine, including four wins in the NHRA Finals (1995, 1993, 1992, 1988) and five more wins in the Winternationals (2003, 1997, 1994, 1993, 1987). Greg Anderson has seven career wins at Pomona including sweeps of both races in 2006 and 2004 to go along with Winternationals wins in 2008-07 and a Finals win in 2003. Current Pontiac drivers also with wins at Pomona include Jim Yates (1998 & 1996 Winternationals) and Mike Edwards with a Finals victory in 1996.
* Coughlin leads the way for Team Chevy with six career wins at Pomona. The defending Finals champion won this race in 2007, 2005, and 1999, won back-to-back Winternationals in 1999-2000, and also won the one-time 50th Anniversary race in 2001. Kurt Johnson has won four Pomona races including three Finals wins (2002, 2000, 1997) and the 2001 Winternationals. Dave Connolly won the 2005 Winternationals.
* After 23 of 24 races on the schedule completed, and the fifth of six events in the Countdown to 1, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt leads the standings with 2,492 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac) is 123 points behind Coughlin in second place with 2,369 points, Kurt Johnson in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt is third with 2,354 points, Coughlin's teammate, Dave Connolly (Chevy Cobalt), is fourth with 2,349 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is fifth with 2,314 points, and Jason Line (Pontiac) is in sixth place with 2,311 points. Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) with 2,276 points in eighth and Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) with 2,125 points in 10th round out the top 10.
* Tim Wilkerson's win at Memphis in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS was the Springfield, Ill., native's sixth win of the season and Chevrolet's 100th all time in the nitro Funny Car category. Chevy Funny Car drivers have combined for a class-leading 12 victories so far this year to break the mark set in 1998 for most Chevy Funny Car wins in a season.
* Wilkerson leads the way for Team Chevy in Funny Car with a class-leading six victories followed by fellow Chevy driver Tony Pedregon with four. Del Worsham also drove the CSK Chevrolet to a win in April at Houston, and Tony Bartone recorded his first career Funny Car victory at Seattle.
* After 23 of 24 races, and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to 1, three Chevy Impala drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings. Regular season points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS is now in second place with 2,235 points, 12 points behind points-leader Cruz Pedregon. Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS is fourth with 2,224 points, 62 points behind his brother, Cruz, and Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is 10th with 2,186 points.
A two-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the Auto Club NHRA Finals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday, Nov. 15, beginning at 11:00 p.m. (ET). Coverage on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, Nov. 16, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET), and concludes with three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
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.
