John Coughlin ready to race after successful test

ORLANDO (Mar. 7) – John Coughlin prepared for this weekend’s Lucas Oil Series Divisional event at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Orlando, Fla., by attending a successful test session with his two new race cars. Coughlin and the JEGS Mail Order team ventured to Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla., where he put the first runs on his B&B Race Cars built Super Stock Cobalt and his new Top Dragster entry, which came from Kurt Damron’s Undercover Chassis.

With the help of four time NHRA World Champion Jeff Taylor and Team JEGS crew members Rick Rossiter, Greg Cody and Tony Collier, Coughlin drove his new Cobalt to a best of 8.62-seconds, well below the current national record for the Super Stock C/Modified class. Coughlin also posted a top speed of more than 157-mph.

“Thanks to Jeff Taylor, we were able to accelerate our learning curve with this car quite a bit,” said Coughlin. “Nobody knows more about Super Stock racing than Jeff and he was able to find the right set-up very quickly. This car is not only fast, but it should also be very consistent, which is obviously a big requirement for success in Super Stock.”

At the same test, Coughlin recorded a career-best 7.25 at over 187-mph in his new JEGS.com Top Dragster entry. Reigning NHRA Super Comp champion Ron Erks made the initial runs in the car and then turned the controls over to Coughlin, who quickly got accustomed to his new surroundings.

“This dragster is quite a bit faster than my old Super Comp car but so far I really like it,” Coughlin said. “I ran in the 7's pretty often when I was racing in Pro Stock Truck but this car is even quicker. From half-track on, it really moves. We had a pretty basic tune-up on it when I ran that 7.25, but the car was built with a nitrous oxide system so I’m pretty sure I'll be able to run in the sixes if I need to.

“Overall, I’m really happy with the way our test went,” Coughlin said. “Even though these cars are new, I feel good about our chances to be successful right off the bat.”

Coughlin plans to race in Super Stock and Top Dragster during this weekend’s
Lucas event in Orlando and then will head to Gainesville, Fla., for the AC Delco Gatornationals, where he will compete in the Super Stock category.