Team JEGS Pre-race Notes:
NHRA Southern Nationals
Team JEGS Pre-race Notes
NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Ga. (May 13-15)
Six-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has returned to the Pro Stock class on a full-time basis in 2016. He is racing a new 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 Elite Motorsports. 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, and 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 regularly share data and tuning advice. Continue reading Team JEGS Pre-race Notes: NHRA Southern Nationals →

Troy Coughlin, JEGS.com Pro Mod team trending up heading to Atlanta
ATLANTA (May 10) — Pro Mod champion Troy Coughlin Sr. is excited about continuing an early-season surge when he races the JEGS.com Corvette at this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

While the season opener in Gainesville, Fla., didn’t go as expected for Coughlin and the JEGS.com team, he bounced back with a No. 2 qualifying effort and a spot in the semifinals in Houston.

Now, the runner-up from the 2015 Atlanta race is ready to win one more round here.

“Atlanta will be interesting,” Coughlin said. “We’ll have to try and read the weather as we get closer to the race, but the JEGS.com car is on a mission. We’re jumping in with both feet, like we did in Houston. It’s a fast hot rod, and we’re excited to get to Atlanta and put it back in line. It’s running really good.”

A test before the Houston race did wonders for the JEGS.com team. With crewmember Mike Rees driving, crew chief Steve Petty was able to tune the Corvette to some quick elapsed times. When Coughlin, who couldn’t attend the test, got behind the wheel in Houston, that upward trend continued.

“Steve and the guys (including crewmember Kyle Pettis) are doing an excellent job with this thing,” Coughlin said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a little bit more power when we get there because we’re constantly working on that with the rules changes that were made over the winter. It has put us in a mode where we say, ‘Hey, let’s keep kicking this thing and make as much power as we can and make this thing a beast on every run.’ ”

When Coughlin knows he has a fast race car, he’s able to do a better job on the Christmas Tree. He won one round in Houston on a holeshot and is one of the better leavers in the Pro Mod class.

“It gives you a ton of confidence,” Coughlin said. “Steve, Mike, and Kyle have given me a great race car, so all I need to focus on is my driving. It’s a big help, for sure.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. relying on 26 years of experience to weather early-season storm
ATLANTA (May 10) — As the NHRA tour heads to Atlanta Dragway for the seventh race of the 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. remains bullish on the potential of his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart and the entire Elite Motorsports team, which he joined in the offseason.

While admitting his ninth-place ranking is below the team’s standards, Coughlin says his 26 years of experience have taught him how to weather the peaks and valleys of long and grueling race seasons. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. relying on 26 years of experience to weather early-season storm →

Troy Coughlin Sr. races to Houston semifinals in JEGS.com Pro Mod
HOUSTON (May 1) — Troy Coughlin Sr. and the JEGS.com Pro Mod team stepped up with a semifinal finish in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Racing Series race as part of the 29th annual SpringNationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway.

Coughlin rebounded from a tough season-opener in Gainesville, Fla., to qualify No. 2 and race to the semifinals in Houston. Continue reading Troy Coughlin Sr. races to Houston semifinals in JEGS.com Pro Mod →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. sees red in
first-round defeat in Houston
HOUSTON (May 1) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. said the magic words after a first-round defeat with his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals on Sunday at Royal Purple Raceway: “When it rains, it pours.”

Coughlin wasn’t referring to rain that plagued Sunday’s eliminations but instead to a recent turn of fortunes for his Elite Motorsports.

“Something’s made a turn in our program starting in Vegas,” Coughlin said. “We weren’t the fastest cars out there, but we’ve slowed down some. We’ve got a great team and good bunch of guys. We’re struggling to figure it out.” Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. sees red in first-round defeat in Houston →

Troy Coughlin Sr., JEGS.com Pro Mod team heating up Houston
HOUSTON (April 30) — The best way for JEGS.com Pro Mod driver Troy Coughlin Sr. to beat the Texas heat is to keep winning rounds.

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees, Coughlin raced to the second round of the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals on Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway. The No. 2 qualifier, Coughlin hopes to go some more rounds Sunday when the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Racing Series event is slated to conclude.

“(Crew chief) Steve, Mike (Rees), and Kyle (Pettis) went down to Dallas and tested for a couple days and figured out a couple of things on the car,” Coughlin said. “We’re just trying to get a little closer than we were going into Gainesville. The test session was pretty good for the JEGS.com car. We’re coming in here swinging hard.”

Coughlin was one of only two drivers to qualify better than 5.8 seconds when he snared the No. 2 spot with a pass of 5.798 seconds at 255.92 mph. In the final qualifying session, Coughlin and the JEGS.com team made some adjustments for the heat, but the car shook the tires and Coughlin lifted early.

“Q3, we tried to run it pretty hard to see what it would run in the heat,” Coughlin said. “We saw it didn’t like it, so we kinda put it back to try and calm things down, but the track stayed the same. We’ll take it. It’s a round-win, and we’ll have her tuned up for tomorrow.”

Facing alternate Jeff Naiser in the first round of eliminations on Saturday, Coughlin left first and made a pass of 5.917 seconds at 254.28 mph to get the win. Naiser’s run was 6.465 seconds at 239.65 mph.

Coughlin will race No. 7 qualifier Khalid alBalooshi, who beat Danny Rowe in E1, in the second round on Sunday.

Coughlin and his crew will be ready, thanks to “a lot of hydration” this weekend.

“We’re staying back in the pit area instead of going out and about,” Coughlin said. “We’re trying to stay focused and tuned in on what’s going on to try and win the race.

“They work pretty hard. They’re a five-star army over here, for sure. Everyone wants to win, and we’re trying to put our best foot forward. It’s showing.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. hoping a fifth Houston title is in the cards at this year’s SpringNationals
HOUSTON (April 30) — Five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. secured the No. 11 starting spot for Sunday’s elimination action at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals with a best pass of 6.655 at 207.91 mph on a challenging Royal Purple Raceway.

Battling humidity and overnight rain storms that only exacerbated issues with the track surface, Coughlin and his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart race team are doing their best to prepare a race car capable of scoring what would be Coughlin’s fifth Pro Stock trophy at this facility. He previously won here in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2010. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. hoping a fifth Houston title is in the cards at this year’s SpringNationals →

Reigning Pro Mod world champ Troy Coughlin Sr. ready to saddle up in Houston
HOUSTON (April 27) — Fresh off his second world championship campaign in the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Troy Coughlin Sr. is excited to return to Southeast Texas for this weekend’s 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

“Our JEGS.com Chevrolet Stingray is ready to roll,” Coughlin said. “The car ran exceptionally well at the Pro Mod season opener in Gainesville (Fla.) and we didn’t feel the need to change much, so the boys just went over everything and performed normal maintenance. Continue reading Reigning Pro Mod world champ Troy Coughlin Sr. ready to saddle up in Houston →

With most wins among active Pro Stock drivers, Houston race a favorite for Jeg Coughlin Jr.
HOUSTON (April 26) — Five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has collected five of his 76 national event victories at Royal Purple Raceway, making it one of his favorite tracks on the NHRA Mello Yello tour. That’s one of the main reasons he’s pumped up to return for this weekend’s 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals, but it’s not the only one.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been more excited to get to Houston,” Coughlin said. “Elite Motorsports has a special relationship with Stan and Sheila Holt and Stan’s sons and their business, Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurants. They are jumping on board with us once again with my teammate Erica Enders’ race car, and I know we’ll be eating the best Tex-Mex food in the world all weekend. Not to mention the fact we get to hang out and race with Stan and Sheila, who run Stock, so I know we’re going to have some fun no matter what. Continue reading With most wins among active Pro Stock drivers, Houston race a favorite for Jeg Coughlin Jr. →

Glory at Four-Wide NHRA Nationals will have to wait for Jeg Coughlin Jr.
CHARLOTTE (April 24) — After qualifying 12th at this weekend’s seventh annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods, five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. knew he needed to squeeze everything he could out of his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart to have a chance at advancing. Continue reading Glory at Four-Wide NHRA Nationals will have to wait for Jeg Coughlin Jr. →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. asking for more from
his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart
CHARLOTTE (April 23) — Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s bid for his first NHRA Four-Wide Nationals trophy will begin from the bottom half of the qualifying ladder after the five-time Pro Stock world champion posted a 12th-best 6.660 at 207.62 mph in his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart.

The result was a bit of a disappointment for the 58-time national event winner, who was hoping for a loftier starting slot after seeing the progress the team made between races.

“Coming into the event we certainly felt like we were making more in the horsepower department, and Erica’s car was tested and ran well last week in Tulsa (Okla.), but something still appears to be holding us back,” said Coughlin, who won the fall race here in 2013. “We’re not quite scratching our heads but we’re close to that. We know we’re capable of running within a few hundredths of the front teams, which would be a low 6.60 here, but we weren’t able to do that this weekend.

“Typically, when you’re as far off as we are here it’s something pretty obvious, but that’s not the case. The boys are already hard at it trying to find a way. It’ll be a busy 18 hours until we run the first round of eliminations. Hopefully, we get some things figured out.”

As the No. 12 qualifier, Coughlin will be the third of his foursome of drivers to select which lane he will race down. His opponents will be No. 4 qualifier Bo Butner (6.584), No. 5 qualifier Shane Gray (6.602), and No. 13 qualifier Deric Kramer (6.663). Under the rules of the Four-Wide Nationals, the two quickest cars in each foursome advance to the next round.

“I have complete faith in the team,” Coughlin said. “They won the last two championships over here, so it’s just a case of putting our heads together and see if we can’t work some sort of miracle tomorrow at this famous Four-Wide race.

“The car’s driving pretty well, but we’re still in the start-up phase in some regards as far as running with Mopar and the Hemis. We’ll continue to narrow it down and find something we can race with.”

Pro Stock eliminations begin around 1 p.m., Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air qualifying action from 10 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, and elimination racing from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sunday. All times are listed in Eastern time zone.

Productive week at Vegas bracket race has Jeg Coughlin Jr. prepped for Four-Wides
CHARLOTTE (April 18) — The unique format of the seventh annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods presents the best drag racers in the world with a variety of challenges, all of which require extra intensity and laser-sharp attention to detail. Even the way drivers prepare for the one-of-a-kind event is different, and five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has taken his pre-race routine to a different level.

“We just left Las Vegas after four full days of high-pressure bracket racing at the K&N Filters Spring Fling,” Coughlin said. “I ran two cars, my JEGS.com Chevy II wagon and my JEGS.com dragster, and added up 41 rounds of racing from Wednesday through Saturday. It was intense but a fantastic experience. Continue reading Productive week at Vegas bracket race has Jeg Coughlin Jr. prepped for Four-Wides →

Million-dollar drag race in Vegas has Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr.’s attention
LAS VEGAS (April 10) — Perhaps there is no more apropos place to cash in on a million-dollar jackpot than Las Vegas. That’s exactly what JEGS.com racers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. will be chasing during the K&N Spring Fling Million presented by Optima Batteries this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.

In addition to winning payouts of $10,000 on Wednesday and $20,000 on Thursday and Saturday, a special race Friday will pay a guaranteed winner’s purse of $100,000, but if more than 550 cars are entered, that number goes up to $1 million.

“This is going to be a fun week of racing,” said Jeg Jr., a six-time NHRA world champion. “They’re rolling out a new format with the usual $10K-to-win and $20K-to-win races on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but the big one Friday is going to be a progressive jackpot that will grow accordingly to how many cars are in the field. It could be a huge payout, maybe even a $1 million.”
Continue reading Million-dollar drag race in Vegas has Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr.’s attention LAS VEGAS (April 10) — Perhaps there is no more apropos place to cash in on a million-dollar jackpot than Las Vegas. That’s exactly what JEGS.com racers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. will be chasing during the K&N Spring Fling Million presented by Optima Batteries this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. →

Despite tough Vegas weekend,
Jeg Coughlin Jr. remains optimistic
LAS VEGAS (April 3) — A difficult weekend, finished off by an early exit on race day, hasn’t dampened Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s enthusiasm in his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart team.

Coughlin qualified No. 13 and fell in the first round of the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Elite Motorsports teammate Drew Skillman, but the five-time Pro Stock champion remains optimistic about the rest of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

“We know it’s all here,” Coughlin said. “I’ve got faith in the Elite Performance group. We’ve got a pile of parts we’ll take back with us to the shop in Oklahoma, and they’ll be like CSI investigators, taking a look at this stuff piece by piece and part by part. They’re very intimate with it, and I know they’ll come up with a solution.”

Coughlin’s Dodge took a sharp right turn at the hit against Skillman, and though he steered it back into the groove, Coughlin’s run of 6.795 at 204.01 mph wasn’t enough. Skillman, the No. 4 qualifier, made a pass of 6.729 at 204.88 mph to get the win.

That pass came after a weekend where Coughlin was unable to make full passes in two of the four qualifying sessions.

“We hustled from the time we showed up here on Friday until right now,” Coughlin said. “The team was behind the eight ball as we struggled with some engine issues. We just couldn’t quite overcome them. It put us in a tough spot in the ladder across from our teammate, Drew Skillman.”

Coughlin now becomes a cheerleader for Elite teammate Erica Enders.

“She was fortunate to get by Round 1 at this point,” Coughlin said. “Hopefully, she’ll go some more rounds. It really could be anyone’s race today. The track is going to get tricky, and we’ve got a crafty bunch in the crew and in the crew chief roles, so we’ll see if we can’t cheer her into the winner’s circle.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is hoping 13 is his lucky number in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (April 2) — Five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. is hoping 13 is his lucky number at this weekend’s Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Coughlin and his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart qualified in the No. 13 spot on Saturday.

“Lucky 13 is gonna have to be,” Coughlin said. “Let’s just start there. Nothing has been lucky to this point for us, but as we all know, that can change quickly here in Las Vegas.” Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. is hoping 13 is his lucky number in Las Vegas →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. ready to take ‘chunk’
out of Pro Stock competition
LAS VEGAS (March 29) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart team are ready to take another step toward the top of the Pro Stock rankings at this weekend’s Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The five-time Pro Stock champion has won an elimination round at each of the first three NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events, but Coughlin and his Elite Motorsports team want more.
Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. ready to take ‘chunk’ out of Pro Stock competition →

Team JEGS Pre-race Notes:
Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals
Team JEGS Pre-race Notes
Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev. (April 1-3)
Six-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has returned to the Pro Stock class on a full-time basis in 2016. He is racing a new Rick Jones Race Cars-built Dodge Dart as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Last season, Jeg took a breather from the Pro Stock class but returned at midseason for a brief stint with Elite Motorsports. In three events, he recorded a runner-up and semifinal finish.
Jeg 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 Jeg’s Hemi-powered Dodge, and 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 now limited to a maximum of 10,500 rpm, and the wheelie-bar length has been shortened.
After the first three events of the season, Jeg enters the Las Vegas event ranked No. 6 in the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock points standings.
In Las Vegas, Jeg will take part in the 32nd annual K&N Horsepower Challenge, a special event that features the top eight drivers in the Pro Stock class. The winner of the K&N Challenge will receive $50,000. After sitting out most of the 2015 season, Jeg was able to enter the event as the No. 8 seed by winning a special fan vote. He will race against Greg Anderson in Round 1. Continue reading Team JEGS Pre-race Notes: Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals →