“We ve really come together as a team and I think that showed at the last race especially, ” Coughlin said from his home in Delaware, Ohio. “To qualify No. 1 in this day and age is quite an accomplishment in itself and to go on to reach the semis and come within a fraction of a second of reaching the finals again is special. The only thing stopping us was the guy that went on to win the race and he s the champ right now so we re pretty pleased. The most you can ask for is a chance, and we definitely had that.
“The next thing to do is give Victor his first win out here. We re so close but we also know there are no provisionals. Every race you start from zero and have to prove yourself all over again. We re ready for that challenge. “
Coughlin has three wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, having won in consecutive years from 2000-2002.
“This is our eighth race with this team so it s probably time, right? ” Coughlin said. “Maybe our luck from the past at this racetrack will carry over. I certainly love this facility. Bruton Smith does things right and his tracks are first-rate.
“Vegas always has that special feeling around it because it s such a vacation destination. People go there to have a good time and we love the fact they spend some of their time with us at the races. We re ready for a big time. ”
| 
|