Team JEGS Pre-race Notes
NHRA Toyota Nationals
Team JEGS
Pre-race Notes
NHRA Toyota Nationals (Las Vegas)
Oct. 27-29
The JEGS Mail Order team will be represented at this week’s NHRA Toyota Nationals by six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Pro Stock Camaro, and by two-time Pro Mod champ Troy Coughlin in his twin-turbo JEGS.com Chevrolet Corvette C7.
Jeg Jr’s Camaro and Troy’s Corvette will once again be adorned in pink as part of breast cancer awareness month.
JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Jeg Jr. will be driving a Rick Jones Race Cars-built Chevy Camaro as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.
Jeg Jr. enters the Las Vegas event ranked No. 8 in the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock points standings. This is the fifth event in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoff. 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, Brian “Lump” Self and Alex Laughlin. Veteran crew chiefs Rick Jones, Mark Ingersoll and 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 low qualifier 23 times in his career.
During his career, Jeg Jr. has won the Pro Stock class five times in Las Vegas. He claimed a win at the inaugural event in 2000 by beating Warren Johnson and returned in 2001 and 2002 to post final round wins over Jim Yates and Johnson, respectively. Jeg Jr. also won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, beating Greg Stanfield in both final rounds.
In addition to his five Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. has also posted three runner-up finishes in Las Vegas. He reached the final round at both the spring and fall events in 2001 and the fall race in 2014.
Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field 15 times in Las Vegas including a best of No.1 in 2007, 2008 and 2014. During his career, Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top spot 23 times.
In 29 appearances at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the Spring event, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 48-22 in Pro Stock competition.
In addition to his Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. also won the Super Comp title at the Spring Las Vegas race in 2012.
Jeg Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities including the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 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 in the fuel injection era.
Jeg Coughlin Jr.
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 (1,284), Warren Johnson (874), Tony Schumacher (805), Greg Anderson (760), Kenny Bernstein (682), Larry Dixon (678), Ron Capps (678), Antron Brown (674) and Doug Kalitta (620).
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 (89) and Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 403 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 403 events and has a round-win record of 606-329. He has red-lighted just 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Troy Coughlin
The Las Vegas race will mark the 12th and final event in the 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 St. Louis, Troy defeated Khalid alBalooshi in the final to take over the series points lead. It was Troy’s second win of the season.
Troy currently leads second-ranked Mike Castellana by 26 points. He can clinch his third title by reaching the semifinal round.
Troy was won the Pro Mod class in three of the last five years in Las Vegas. In 2012, he defeated Don Walsh Jr. in the final. In 2013, he beat Danny Rowe in the final and last year, Troy beat Todd Tutterow.
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 Las Vegas.
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 was 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 15 NHRA national event wins in Pro Mod, Pro Stock and Super Gas competition.
Troy is a past 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.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. has combined for 116 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.
TEAM JEGS – By the Numbers (NHRA Las Vegas Edition)
3 Wins for Troy Coughlin at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (all in Pro Mod)
6 Wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (5 in Pro Stock and 1 in Super Comp)
7: Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver in history to do so)
10: Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
16: Top-10 finishes for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class since 1998
26: Troy Coughlin’s lead in the J&A Service Pro Mod points standings heading into the final event of the season
116: Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
606: Professional round wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr., one of just 10 NHRA pros to reach that milestone