Team JEGS Prerace Notes
Dodge NHRA Nationals
Team JEGS Prerace Notes
Dodge NHRA Nationals
Reading, Pa.
Sept. 21-24
The JEGS Mail Order team will be represented at this week’s 33rd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals by six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., and his nephew, Troy Coughlin Jr. Jeg Jr. will lead the effort behind the wheel of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Camaro in Pro Stock. Troy Jr. is racing his JEGS.com dragster in Super Comp.
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.
Jeg Jr. enters the Reading event ranked No. 7 in the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock points standings. This is the second event in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoff. Jeg Jr. is just 122 points out of first place. So far this year, Jeg Jr. has earned runner-up finishes in Houston and Topeka to go with four semifinal results.
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, Charlotte and Bristol. He has been the low qualifier 23 times in his career.
Jeg Jr. has won four Pro Stock titles in Reading. In 1999, he defeated Mark Pawuk in the final round and he also won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, defeating Dave Connolly and Johnny Gray, respectively. He also won in 2014, defeating Allen Johnson in the final.
As a sportsman racer, Jeg Jr. won the Super Gas title at the 1996 Reading event. Overall, he is 5-0 in final rounds at Maple Grove Raceway.
In 16 appearances at Maple Grove Raceway, Jeg Jr. has a round-win record of 24-12 in Pro
Stock competition.
In 16 Reading starts, Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field 12 times including a best of No. 2 in 2001. His average starting position at this track is No. 6.
Jeg Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities including Maple Grove Raceway. The only stops on the on the current 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 of the fuel injection era.
Earlier this season, Jeg Jr. became just the 10th NHRA racer to win 600 elimination rounds when reached the semifinals in Topeka. He currently has 606 round wins. The other nine drivers with 600 wins are: John Force (1,281), Warren Johnson (874), Tony Schumacher (803), Greg Anderson (751), Kenny Bernstein (682), Larry Dixon (678), Antron Brown (668), Ron Capps (667) and Doug
Kalitta (615).
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 (88), and Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 400 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 400 events and has a round-win record of 606-326. He has red-lighted just 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Troy Coughlin Jr.
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 and the Gainesville event in 2013. He also won a pair of national events in 2014 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 Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. has combined for 115 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.