JEGS.com Pro Mod ace Troy Coughlin Sr. riding wave of momentum into Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 14) — Fresh off a victory in Englishtown, NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series champion Troy Coughlin Sr. looks to make it two in a row when he races the JEGS.com Corvette at this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Coughlin won the Pro Mod race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on Sunday, dispatching some of the best in the class along the way. He climbed to second in the points standings in the process and is looking to cut some more into Rickie Smith’s lead in Bristol.
“To win that race would be the icing on the cake,” Coughlin said. “Especially to do it for my dad because of what he’s done for us and the way he’s paved the way for all of us and given us direction. It would be a pretty big deal.”
Jeg Coughlin Sr. is the patriarch of one of drag racing’s first families, building a successful business while paving the way for his four sons — and multiple grandchildren — to become successful drag racers.
“Father’s Day is awesome,” Coughlin said. “I’m a father and I get to be with my dad a lot. He might even come down to Bristol this weekend, which would be great. I know some of my kids are coming, (brother) Jeg will be there, and brother Mike is working on being there, too. We might be able to get about 80 percent of the family down there.”
Family is clearly important to the Coughlins, and the racing tradition started with Jeg Sr. Troy Coughlin Sr. followed in his dad’s footsteps, winning multiple national events and two Pro Mod championships. Now, his son, Troy Jr., is on the way to a successful career in drag racing, too, winning races and championships in the Sportsman classes.
Troy Sr. won the 2015 Pro Mod title without the benefit of a victory, but that won’t happen this season after Troy Sr. won in Englishtown, and he’d like to add some more Wallys to trophy case.
“I’m absolutely a believer in momentum,” Coughlin said. “You’ve got to keep telling yourself that we’re going to go rounds today.”