Team JEGS prerace notes for NHRA national event in Norwalk, Ohio

At this week’s NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, the JEGS Mail Order team will be well represented with Troy Coughlin Jr. racing in Pro Stock, his uncle Mike Coughlin, who is racing in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Mike’s son, Clay Coughlin, making his NHRA national event debut in Super Stock.
Troy Jr. will once again be racing as a member of the Elite Motorsports team which includes world champions Erica Enders, Bo Butner, Aaron Stanfield, and the Cuadra family. Troy’s crew chief is Mark Ingersoll, who has extensive experience as a championship-winning tuner.
Troy Jr. is in his second full season of Pro Stock competition. Last year, Troy Jr, finished No. 6 in the Camping World NHRA Pro Stock standings. In 17 events, Troy Jr. compiled an 18-17 record in elimination rounds with a runner-up finish in Gainesville to go with six semifinals.
During qualifying for the Gainesville event in March, Troy Jr. made his best run in a Pro Stock car at 6.528 seconds with a career-best speed of 211.93 mph.
After seven events this season, Troy Jr. is ranked No. 11 in the highly-competitive Pro Stock category. He is just 12 points behind No. 10 driver Fernando Cuadra Jr. and 14 points behind Deric Kramer, who is No. 8.
Earlier this year in Las Vegas, Troy Jr. debuted a new Chevy Camaro built by RJ Race Cars. During its maiden voyage, Troy Jr. ran a 6.667 to qualify No. 5 in a tough field.
Last season at the Norwalk event, Troy Jr. qualified No. 6 and dropped a tough Round 1 race against Comp Eliminator world champ Bruno Massel.
The Coughlin family have enjoyed success at the Norwalk track, which is located just a couple hours from the team’s home base in Delaware, Ohio. Troy Jr. won the Norwalk Top Alcohol Dragster title in 2019 while in 2014, Troy Sr. won in Pro Mod while Mike claimed the win in the Top Sportsman class. Troy Sr. also earned three runner-up finishes in Pro Mod in Norwalk (2012, 2015, 2017) while Troy Jr. was a Top Alcohol Dragster finalist in 2018.
Troy Jr. is an eight-time national event winner with victories in Top Alcohol Dragster (3), Super Gas (3), and Super Comp (2). He has also competed in Top Fuel and Pro Mod during his career.
Since making his Pro Stock debut in 2020, Troy Jr., has competed in 32 events and qualified for 30 of them. He qualified No. 1 at last year’s Topeka event.
Overall, Troy Jr. has a 27-30 record in Pro Stock elimination rounds. Troy Jr. is the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won the U.S. Nationals in Super Comp in 2010 and also won the Indy Super Gas title in 2014. His other wins have come in Las Vegas (2009), Gainesville (2013), Columbus (2014), Reading (2018), Norwalk (2019) and Reading (2019).
Troy Jr. was crowned the 2018 and 2019 North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion. He was also crowned the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
In 2019, Troy Jr. appeared in 10 final rounds in Top Alcohol Dragster and earned five wins, including national event titles in Norwalk and Reading. Troy Jr. has also earned victories at regional events at Atco Dragway, Beech Bend Raceway Park, and Virginia Motorsports Park.
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 at the Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia Motorsports Park. He also won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.
Mike Coughlin will be making his sixth start in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. This week, Mike is driving the injected nitro dragster run by veteran driver and team owner Robin Samsel. Mike will also have the assistance of his regular car owners and tuners, Rich McPhillips Sr. and Jr.
Mike opened the season with a victory at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona and was a runner-up at the recent NHRA Regional event held at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Earlier this season at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, Mike recorded an elapsed time of 5.155-seconds and a top speed of 285.56 mph, both of them career bests.
After previously racing in a variety of sportsman and professional classes including Pro Stock Truck, Super Gas, Super Comp, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman, Mike successfully upgraded his NHRA competition license during a test session in late 2021 at zMax Dragway near Charlotte.
Mike has won national events in five classes; Pro Stock Truck, Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman.
Mike Coughlin is a two-time Division 3 champion in the Top Sportsman class (2007-2009) and the 2019 Division 3 Top Dragster champion.
Mike is a 15-time NHRA national event winner. His first win came at the 1999 Englishtown event where he beat Tim Freeman in the Pro Stock Truck final.
Mike is also a two-time U.S. Nationals winner, having claimed Pro Stock Truck titles there in 1999 and 2001.
Mike began his career in the Super Gas and Super Comp classes in the 1980s and has extensive experience in the heads-up “super classes.”
High school student Clay Coughlin, 17, got his start in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League and won his first race at the age of 8.
Clay made his debut in the Super Stock class at the recent NHRA Lucas Oil Series event held in Norwalk. The third-generation racer reached the second round in his debut behind the wheel of his Chevy Cobalt.
Last year, four-time world champion Jeff Taylor, a longtime associate of the JEGS team, helped set-up Clay’s Chevy Cobalt Super Stock entry. Taylor will be on hand this weekend to assist Clay.
Overall, the Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 128 NHRA national event victories since 1990.
The Coughlin’s have won in 11 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
TEAM JEGS – By the Numbers
3: Wins for the Coughlin family in Norwalk
3: Team JEGS entries in action for this week’s event (Troy Jr., Mike, and Clay)
8: NHRA national event wins for Troy Jr. in 3 different classes (Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp, Super Gas).
11: Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
15: National event victories for Mike Coughlin in five different classes
128: Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
231: Combined NHRA national event final rounds for the Coughlin family