Prerace Notes: NHRA Summernationals
Team JEGS Prerace Notes
NHRA Summernationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.
June 8-11
The JEGS Mail Order team will field four entries during this weekend’s NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J. Six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will lead the effort behind the wheel of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Camaro in Pro Stock. Third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr. will be driving the SealMaster Top Fuel dragster fielded by Kalitta Motorsports and father, Troy Coughlin Sr., will compete in the J&A Service NHRA Pro Mod Series with his turbocharged Corvette. Additionally, Al Kenny will be driving a JEGS.com Corvette in Super Gas. Alan is the father-in-law of Jeg Jr.
Jeg Jr. will continue his pursuit of a sixth NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title (and seventh overall) at this weekend’s event. Jeg Jr. will be driving a Rick Jones Race Cars-built Chevy Camaro as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.
Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Following the most recent event in Epping, N.H., Jeg. Jr. enters this week’s race as the fifth-ranked driver in the Pro Stock class. So far this year, Jeg Jr. has earned runner-up finishes in Houston and Topeka to go with three semifinal results.
Last year, Jeg Jr. raced his first full season for the Elite team and recorded the 16th top-10 finish of his career.
Jeg Jr. is teammates with two-time world champ Erica Enders, Vincent Nobile and Alex Laughlin. Veteran crew chiefs Rick Jones, Mark Ingersoll and Brian “Lump” Self are the tuners of the Elite Pro Stock cars and regularly share data.
This season, Jeg Jr. has been Pro Stock’s No. 1 qualifier in Houston and Charlotte.
Jeg Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities. The only current stops on the on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won are Norwalk, Ohio, and Epping, N.H.
Jeg Jr.’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. Earlier this season in Houston, he ran a best of 6.499 seconds, his best run in the fuel injection era.
Earlier this season in Topeka, Jeg Jr. became just the 10th NHRA racer to win 600 elimination rounds when he defeated Bo Butner in the semifinals. The other nine drivers with 600 wins are: John Force (1,274), Warren Johnson (874), Tony Schumacher (794), Greg Anderson (732), Kenny Bernstein (682), Larry Dixon (678), Ron Capps (649), Antron Brown (644), and Doug Kalitta (601).
Jeg Jr. is a five-time winner at Englishtown. He won the Super Gas title in 1997 and also claimed Pro Stock wins in 1998, 2000, 2009 and 2014. In 1998 and 2009 he defeated Mike Edwards in the final round and stopped Greg Anderson in 2000 and 2014. In addition, Jeg Jr. has two runner-up finishes in Pro Stock in 2002 and 2007.
In 16 career appearances at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Jeg Jr. has a 31-11 record in Pro Stock eliminations.
Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the field in 11 of his 16 appearances in Englishtown including a best of No. 1 in 2000. He has qualified No. 1 a total of 22 times in his career.
Jeg Jr. 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, Jeg Jr. claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.
Jeg Jr. is the only driver to win national event titles in seven different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Top Dragster.
Jeg Jr. is the only professional racer in history to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots. During his Indy win in 2000, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 16.
With 58 Pro Stock wins in his career, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time in the class. Only Warren Johnson (97), Greg Anderson (87), and Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 390 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 102 times, recording 58 wins. Including his 18 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 76 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all-time list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 126 final rounds, 102 as a professional and 24 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 390 events and has a round-win record of 600-316. He has red-lighted just 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
In 2017, Troy Coughlin Jr. carried on a longstanding family tradition when he joined his grandfather, Hall of Famer Jeg Coughlin Sr., in the Top Fuel class. Jeg Sr. raced Top Fuel from 1977-79. He finished No. 7 in the 1978 standings and recorded career bests of 5.97 seconds and 249.30 mph during his career.
Troy Coughlin Jr.
Troy Jr. is driving the SealMaster Top Fuel dragster, which is owned by drag racing and aviation legend Connie Kalitta. The car is tuned by veteran crew chief Jim Oberhofer. Troy Jr. is racing as a teammate to 42-time national event winner Doug Kalitta and 2013 Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon. Troy Jr.’s teammates also include Funny Car drivers J.R. Todd and
Alexis DeJoria.
Following the Epping event, Troy Jr. is the No. 8-ranked driver in the Top Fuel class. So far, Troy Jr. has reached the quarterfinals at four events in Pomona, Gainesville, Houston and Epping. His best elapsed time is a 3.696, recorded in Phoenix, and his top speed is 328.86 mph, recorded in Gainesville.
Troy Jr. is one of the leading contenders for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award that honors NHRA’s top professional rookie. Troy Jr.’s uncle, Jeg Jr., was named NHRA rookie of the year in 1998 after a second-place finish in the Pro Stock class.
Troy Jr. is a five-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won Super Comp titles at the 2009 Las Vegas race and the 2010 U.S. Nationals. He won a pair of national events last season at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals.
Troy Jr. was the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
During his career, Troy Jr. has appeared in nine Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional final rounds and has claimed three victories.
In addition to his success in NHRA events, Troy Jr. also is regarded as one of the sport’s best E.T. bracket racers. He has accumulated several major victories including a $25,000 payday at the Atco Dragway Superbucks event and a $10,000 win the Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia
Motorsports Park.
The Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals will mark the halfway point in the 12-event 2017 J&A Services Pro Mod Series. Two-time series champion Troy Coughlin will continue his quest for a third title behind the wheel of his turbocharged JEGS.com C7 Corvette.
At the most recent event in Topeka, Troy was the No. 13 qualifier and lost in Round 1 to Sidnei Frigo. Troy is currently ranked No. 5 in the championship standings. He trails leader Mike Castellana by 234 points. In addition to his semifinal finish in Charlotte, Troy was also a semifinalist at the Pro Mod season-opener in Gainesville.
The JEGS.com Pro Mod Corvette is tuned by noted turbocharger expert Steve Petty. With a top speed in excess of 260 mph, Troy is one of the fastest drivers in the Pro Mod class. He has also recorded a personal best elapsed time of 5.766-seconds.
Last year, Troy battled for the title until the final event of the season before finishing a close second to eventual champ Rickie Smith. He claimed three wins in Englishtown, St. Louis, and the season-ending event in Las Vegas.
Troy Coughlin
Last season, Troy was one of just four Pro Mod racers, along with Michael Biehle, Steven Whiteley, and Rickie Smith, who qualified for all 10 events. In 2015-16, Coughlin is the only driver to qualify for all 20 races.
Troy won his first NHRA national event title at the U.S. Nationals in 1991 when he drove his Pro Stock-style Olds to the win in Super Gas. Troy defeated Mary Ann Jackson in the final. Troy’s first Pro Mod victory came at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey in 2005 when as he drove his supercharged Mustang to as win over Zack Barkledge in the final round.
Troy is one of the few Pro Mod competitors who have raced all three current engine combinations; turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous oxide-assisted.
Before moving to the Pro Mod class, Troy enjoyed success in the NHRA Pro Stock class, recording two wins in 12 final round appearances. He also won the $50,000 top prize at the 2000 Winston No Bull Showdown at Bristol Dragway, a special non-points event for Pro Stock competitors.
All told, Troy has 10 NHRA national event wins in 25 final-round appearances in Pro Mod, Pro Stock and Super Gas competition.
Troy is a former National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Pro Street champion. While racing his Pro Street car, he also won the $50,000 Big Dog event at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.
Al Kenny, the father of Jeg Coughlin Jr’s wife Samantha, is a former NHRA national champion in the Super Comp class. He will be driving the JEGS.com Super Gas Corvette roadster for the first time in Englishtown.
Al Kenny also is a seven-time NHRA national event winner in the Super Comp and Super
Gas classes.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. has combined for 113 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in nine different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.