Prerace Notes: NHRA New England Nationals
Team JEGS Prerace Notes
NHRA New England Nationals
New England Dragway
Epping, N.H.
June 2-4
The JEGS Mail Order team will field three entries during this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H. Six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will lead the effort behind the wheel of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Camaro in Pro Stock. Troy Coughlin Jr. will be driving the SealMaster Top Fuel dragster fielded by Kalitta Motorsports. Samantha Coughlin, the wife of Jeg Jr., will race the team’s JEGS.com Corvette in Super Gas.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his wife Samantha
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.
Following a runner-up finish at the most recent event in Topeka, Kan., Jeg. Jr. enters this week’s Atlanta race as the No. 4-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 season, Jeg Jr. raced in 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 weekend’s event will mark the fifth time that NHRA has held a Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at New England Dragway and the fourth time that Jeg Jr. has raced there as a professional. In his first appearance in 2013, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 1 and drove to a semifinal finish.
In his three previous Pro Stock races at New England Dragway, Jeg Jr. has qualified No. 1, 5 and 7. All told, he has been the No. 1 qualifier 22 times in his career.
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 but has not yet scored a victory at New England Dragway. The only other current venue on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won is Norwalk Raceway Park.
Jeg Jr. behind the wheel of the
JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Camaro
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.
At the most recent event 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 (647), Antron Brown (641), and Doug Kalitta (601).
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. also 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 qualified No. 16.
With 58 Pro Stock wins in his career, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Greg Anderson (87), and Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 389 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 389 events and has a round-win record of 600-315. He has red-lighted just 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Troy Coughlin Jr.
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 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 Topeka event, Troy Jr. is the No. 9-ranked driver in the Top Fuel class. So far this year, Troy Jr. has reached the quarterfinals at three events in Pomona, Gainesville and Houston. His best elapsed time is a 3.696, recorded in Phoenix, and his best 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. also is 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.
Samantha Coughlin will pilot the JEGS.com Corvette for a second time this season.
Samantha Coughlin is making her second start of the season behind the wheel of the JEGS.com Corvette in Super Gas.
Samantha is a former NHRA national event champion, having won the Super Comp title at the 2009 Norwalk event.
Samantha is the daughter of former NHRA Super Comp national champion Al Kenny and the sister of multi-time Divisional champ Jason Kenny.
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.