John Coughlin: “I’ve been fortunate enough to finish in the top ten a few times in my career”
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Atco, N.J.
Sep 18, 2007
John Coughlin still has a mathematical chance to claim the Northeast Division Super Stock championship so he’s heading to this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Atco Dragway in Atco, N.J. Coughlin, who races the JEGS Chevy Cobalt, is currently ranked sixth in the Super Stock points standings but can take over the lead by winning the Atco event.
“It has been a few years since I’ve been in a position to challenge for a division championship so as long as I still have a chance to win it, I feel like I owe it to myself and to my team to go for it, ” said Coughlin. “I also have an outside chance to finish in the top ten [in the NHRA national championship standings] so that’s a goal as well. I always enjoy racing on the East Coast, especially at a place like Atco Dragway, which has some of the toughest competition in the whole sport. It won’t be easy to pull of what I’m trying to do but I really enjoy a challenge. ”
In the national Super Stock standings, Coughlin is ranked 25th out of a field of more than 800 competitors and can land a spot in the top ten with one or two more late-round finishes. Competitors who finish the season in the top ten are rewarded with a single-digit competition number for the following season and also earn a highly coveted NHRA “Silver Card” which entitles them to free entry fees for a full season.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to finish in the top ten a few times in my career and it’s quite an honor, ” Coughlin said. “When you’re able to put that single digit number on your car you realize that you’ve really done something worthwhile. ”
In the midst of one of the most successful seasons of his career, Coughlin is also the odds on favorite to claim the Division 3 Top Dragster championship with his new Undercover Chassis dragster. After winning events in Orlando, Fla., Joliet, Ill., and Bowling Green, Ky., he currently holds a sizable lead with just a handful of races left in the 2007 season.
“No matter what happens this weekend and the rest of the season, I’m really proud of our team, ” Coughlin said. “What they’ve done this year is nothing short of miraculous. We came out in March with two brand new race cars and now it’s September and we’ve got a chance to win championships with both of them. I don’t think I could ask for much more than that. ”
