JEGGIE'S OFF-WEEKEND PAYDAY
Sun, 2008-06-15 18:14
On a rare off-weekend from the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Pro Stock
driver Jeg Coughlin took some time to indulge in his other racing hobby, high
stakes E.T. bracket racing, and he was rewarded with a $25,000 victory at the
JEGS U.S. Open Bracket Championships at O’Reilly Raceway Park in
Indianapolis.
Racing his Team JEGS dragster instead of his more familiar JEGS.com Cobalt,
the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion made his way through a field of more than
250 of drag racing’s best sportsman racers to reach the final round, where he
defeated another four-time NHRA champion, Peter Biondo. Coughlin had to win nine
rounds of competition, more than twice as many as required to win a Pro Stock
race, in order to claim the top prize
“It’s extremely gratifying to win any race, but there is something special
about winning a big bracket race,” said Coughlin. “There are so many talented
racers at these events that you have to be on your game every single round. Due
to my busy Pro Stock schedule, I haven’t been able to attend as many bracket
races as I would have liked to this year. At first, I was afraid that I might be
a bit rusty but after a few runs, it all started to come back to me.”
Before making his Pro Stock debut in 1997, Coughlin was one of the most
successful sportsman racers in the country, winning numerous events as well as
the 1992 NHRA Super Gas championship. During his one-year hiatus from Pro Stock
in 2006, Coughlin concentrated primarily on high stakes bracket races, and
enjoyed one of the most successful year’s of his career, banking more than a
half-dozen wins at major events and banking more than $100,000 in prize money.
For Biondo, the runner-up finish marked his second final round finish of
the weekend. He also won the top prize during Thursday night’s Gambler’s Race,
collecting $10,000 after his final round win over Jeremy Bargo. Coughlin will
have an opportunity to double-up today (June 15) as the JEGS U.S. Open Bracket
Championships concludes with another $25,000 to win event.
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