Team JEGS Pre-race Notes:
NHRA New England Nationals
Team JEGS Pre-race Notes
NHRA New England Nationals
New England Dragway, Epping, N.H. (June 3-5)

After a weekend off to honor American veterans on Memorial Day, six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his pursuit of the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. He will be driving a Rick Jones Race Cars-built Dodge Dart as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.

Last season, Coughlin took a breather from the Pro Stock class but returned at midseason for a brief stint with the Elite Motorsports team. In three events, he raced to a runner-up and a semifinal.
Coughlin is racing as a teammate to two-time world champ Erica Enders. The Elite team also includes the Pro Stock entries of Drew Skillman and Vincent Nobile. Rickie Jones is the crew chief for Coughlin’s HEMI-powered Dodge while his father, Rick, is the crew chief for Enders. Veteran crew chiefs Mark Ingersoll and Brian “Lump” Self round out the Elite roster as the crew chiefs for Skillman and Nobile, respectively. All four Elite teams and their crew chiefs share data and tuning advice.
The NHRA Pro Stock class has an entirely different look this season thanks to a number of major rules revisions. Electronic fuel injection has replaced carburetors and as a result the cars no longer have big hood scoops. Pro Stock engines are limited to a maximum of 10,500 rpm, and the wheelie-bar length has been shortened.
After the first eight events of the season, Coughlin enters the Epping event ranked No. 9 in the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock points standings.
During his professional career, which began in 1997, Coughlin has earned 15 top-10 finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Coughlin is a five-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, and 2013. As a Sportsman driver, he also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.
Coughlin’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484 seconds and his best speed is 214.62 mph, both recorded in Gainesville in 2014.
This weekend’s event will mark the fourth time that NHRA has held a Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at New England Dragway and the third time that Coughlin has raced there as a professional. In his first appearance in 2013, he qualified No. 1 and drove to a semifinal finish.
In two previous appearances at New England Dragway, Coughlin has a round-win record of 2-2 in Pro Stock competition.
In his two Pro Stock races at New England Dragway, Coughlin has qualified No. 1 and No. 5. All told, he has been the No. 1 qualifier 20 times in his career.
Last season, Coughlin accomplished a longtime goal with his first national event double. Racing at the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, he won the Super Gas and Stock titles. In Stock, he drove his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to the title.
Coughlin has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities but has yet to win at New England Dragway. The only other current venue on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won is the track in Norwalk, Ohio.
Coughlin is one of just 17 professional racers to win 500 elimination rounds in NHRA competition, a feat he accomplished at the 2013 Topeka race. The only other Pro Stock drivers with 500 wins are Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, and Greg Anderson.
With 580 round-wins, Coughlin is on the verge of catching 10-time champion Bob Glidden, who registered 597 wins during his career.
Coughlin is the only driver to win national event titles in seven different categories: Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster.
Coughlin is the only professional racer in history to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots. During his Indy win in 2000, he qualified No. 16.
With 58 Pro Stock wins in his career, Coughlin ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Bob Glidden (85), and Greg Anderson (81) have more titles.
In 365 career Pro Stock races, Coughlin has reached the final round 100 times, recording 58 wins. Including his 18 Sportsman victories, he has won a total of 76 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Coughlin has appeared in 124 final rounds, 100 as a professional and 24 as a Sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Coughlin has competed in 365 events and recorded 580 round-wins while incurring just 291 losses. He has red-lighted 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr., has combined for 109 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlins have won in 10 different eliminators: Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.