When Jeg Coughlin pulls into Gateway Motorsports Park this weekend for the third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals the reigning Pro Stock world champion knows he will need a memorable performance if he hopes to extend his reign to back-to-back titles.
Coughlin struggled out of the gates in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, falling in the first round of the playoffs last weekend in Dallas to drop to eighth in points.
It will take a monumental effort to jump back in the championship mix but Coughlin has the championship pedigree to do so. He also has a proven track record at the remaining Countdown tracks, as 17 of his 58 career wins have come in St. Louis, Reading, Las Vegas and Pomona. He’s won twice at Gateway Motorsports Park, which is enough for Coughlin to believe he still has a shot to make a late-season run at defending his title.
“Realistically we probably need to go to the final of all four races and try to win a few to have a chance,” Coughlin said. “We’ve had great success in the past at all four of the remaining racetracks so that’s a big bonus for us. I’m very comfortable with the guys behind me and with the way I’ve been driving. We’ll get up on the wheel and do all we can to get back in the fight.”
Antron Brown (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN2. The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals also marks the halfway point of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and is the third of four straight race weekends.
It comes at a vital time for Coughlin, who entered the Countdown fourth in points and moved up a slot to third in Dallas when the postponed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals were completed on Saturday. But a massive shift took place the next day in the loaded Pro Stock class and Coughlin suffered the consequences in his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Dart.
His car had problems in his opening-round loss to Greg Anderson, sending him 116 points behind series leader Jason Line.
“Well certainly we’ve not started the Countdown the way we wanted to at all,” said Coughlin, who has two wins in five final round appearances in 2014. “This is the time of year to limit mistakes and we feel as though we’ve used up any cushion we may have had. At the same time, I don’t feel we need to change anything. We have a great team here, a team that’s collectively won the last two Mello Yello championships (counting teammate and 2012 world champion Allen Johnson). We have everything we need to win. We just need to continue to do what we know how to do.”
What Coughlin knows how to do is win when it counts and his championship pedigree is as impressive as anyone in the class. In earning his fifth world title a year ago Coughlin came alive in the Countdown, winning two races and advancing to three finals rounds in the six-race playoffs.
He will likely need to replicate that performance down the stretch in 2014 to stay in the championship hunt but it won’t be easy competing against a talented Pro Stock field led by Line and Dave Connolly, who jumped to second in points after winning last weekend in Dallas. Other championship contenders include Johnson, rookie Jonathan Gray, who won the Countdown opener, Enders-Stevens, who has back-to-back St. Louis victories and has won four races this season, Indy winner Shane Gray, Vincent Nobile, V Gaines and Chris McGaha.
“In Dallas, with the finishing up of the Charlotte race and then rolling into this event, we had high hopes,” Coughlin said. “The car just wasn’t where we needed it to be. It just didn’t work out this time. We’ll pick up the pieces on the Pro Stock effort and finish the year with the remaining four races real strong.”
After winning the first two events of the Countdown, Tony Schumacher has taken command of the Top Fuel class in impressive fashion and currently holds the points lead. Other championship contenders who will be looking for a victory at Gateway are reigning world champion Shawn Langdon, Antron Brown, who has won the past two years in St. Louis, Doug Kalitta, who finished the regular season as the points leader, Spencer Massey, Khalid alBalooshi, Steve Torrence, J.R. Todd, rookie Richie Crampton and Brittany Force.
In Funny Car, 16-time and reigning world champ Force used St. Louis as a springboard to his 2013 world championship and has three wins at the facility. Ron Capps also has three St. Louis wins and is among a list of challengers trying to unseat Force. Featured in that group is Robert Hight, Courtney Force, who won the most recent event in Dallas, Matt Hagan, who won the first race in the Countdown, Alexis DeJoria, Tommy Johnson Jr., Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon and Del Worsham.
Smith was victorious at this event in Pro Stock Motorcycle last season en route to his second world championship. Smith is after his first win in 2014 while chasing the two-bike team of points leader and Dallas winner Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec, who is in second after winning the Countdown opener. Hector Arana Jr., Hector Arana, Steve Johnson, Michael Ray, John Hall, Angie Smith and Scotty Pollacheck are all also in the title hunt in the two-wheel category. Also returning to competition in the bike category will be three-time world champ Angelle Sampey, who will be riding the Star Racing Buell owned by George Bryce.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and enjoy some cherished face time and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.
The event will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Sept. 26, with sessions at 2:15 and 4:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1:15 and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28.
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call Gateway Motorsports Park at (855) RACE-TIK (722-3845) or visit www.gatewaymsp.com. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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