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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The last time Mike Coughlin raced his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cobalt, he claimed the Top Sportsman title at the second annual JEG'S NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus. Now, Coughlin hopes to extend his winning streak as he brings his 7-second, 190-mph racer to Beech Bend Raceway Park for this weekend's NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.
"Now that I've got a few races under my belt with this car, I'm fairly comfortable in it," said Coughlin. "It is quite a bit faster than my Super Comp dragster to there was a bit of an adjustment period. Now, when I get in the car, I can focus on racing and trying to win round, rather than just driving. Winning the SPORTSnationals at my home track was also a big confidence booster for me."
The Coughlin family has a history of success at the picturesque Beech Bend Raceway, perhaps the only drag racing facility in the United States that also includes an amusement park. All four Coughlin brothers have won at least one event there, including Mike who claimed the Super Comp title at the track's 1989 Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event. Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. is also on the scoreboard at Beech Bend Raceway, having won the Pro Comp title back in 1975.
"When my brothers and I were young, this was one of our favorite places to race because we could go to the amusement park while our father was racing," said Coughlin. "Dad would just hand us kids a bunch of tickets and send us off for the day while he went out and raced. Even as I've gotten older, I still get a thrill every time I come to this track. We still have a lot of fun here."
Coughlin continues Top Sportsman assault at Beech Bend
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The last time Mike Coughlin raced his JEG'S Mail Order Chevy Cobalt, he claimed the Top Sportsman title at the second annual JEG'S NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus. Now, Coughlin hopes to extend his winning streak as he brings his 7-second, 190-mph racer to Beech Bend Raceway Park for this weekend's NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.
"Now that I've got a few races under my belt with this car, I'm fairly comfortable in it," said Coughlin. "It is quite a bit faster than my Super Comp dragster to there was a bit of an adjustment period. Now, when I get in the car, I can focus on racing and trying to win round, rather than just driving. Winning the SPORTSnationals at my home track was also a big confidence booster for me."
The Coughlin family has a history of success at the picturesque Beech Bend Raceway, perhaps the only drag racing facility in the United States that also includes an amusement park. All four Coughlin brothers have won at least one event there, including Mike who claimed the Super Comp title at the track's 1989 Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event. Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. is also on the scoreboard at Beech Bend Raceway, having won the Pro Comp title back in 1975.
"When my brothers and I were young, this was one of our favorite places to race because we could go to the amusement park while our father was racing," said Coughlin. "Dad would just hand us kids a bunch of tickets and send us off for the day while he went out and raced. Even as I've gotten older, I still get a thrill every time I come to this track. We still have a lot of fun here."
