Team JEGS, a Family Affair

The family that races together…always has a lot of fun together. That's been the case with Coughlin racing clan for the better part of four decades, and by all indications, as a third generation hits the track, there will be no slowing down any time soon.

Beginning with family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr.'s first foray into quarter-mile competition in the late 1950s, when the sport was in its infancy, there has always been a Coughlin in the cockpit. That trend continues to this day with several of Jeg Sr.'s grandkids getting their start.

But everyone knows it all started with "Pops." With his ever-growing family by his side, Jeg Sr. found plenty of success in his early days, winning four Division 3 championships and a mantel full of trophies in Top Fuel, Pro Comp, and Super Eliminator just to name a few.

His four boys -- John, Troy, Mike, and Jeg Jr. -- naturally followed in their famous father's footsteps and went from "crewmen" on Dad's hot rods to racecar drivers themselves. Not surprisingly, all four have risen to the top of the sport, painting winner's circles and championship podiums yellow and black for years.

Oldest brother John is a champion racer himself, having won the Top Dragster title in Div. 3 in 2007 as well as two Div. 3 Super Gas crowns on back-to-back years in 1994-'95. Like Jeg Jr., John has raced, and won, in a variety of classes, including Pro Stock Truck, Top Dragster, Super Gas, and Super Stock.

Jeg Jr. has found the most success, winning five world championships -- four in Pro Stock and one in Super Gas -- while racing to 54 national event victories. Although most of his time has been spent in the professional ranks, Jeg Jr. has also proven to be one of the top sportsman racers in the country, winning bracket races and big-dollar shootouts on numerous occasions. So far, Jeg Jr. has claimed trophies in Pro Stock, Competition Eliminator, Super Gas, Super Stock, Top Dragster, and Super Pro during his career.

Mike joined John at the champion's table at the end of the '07 season after he dominated the Div. 3 Top Sportsman class. He also has a variety of race wins on his resume, including six victories in Pro Stock Truck -- two coming at the biggest drag race of them all, the U.S. Nationals -- as well as victories in Top Sportsman and
Super Comp.



Troy raced for many with his brother Jeg Jr. in Pro Stock, but made the change to a 2,500-horsepower Pro Modified racecar a few years ago, handling the transition with ease. In two decades of racing, Troy has won races in Pro Stock, Pro Mod, Super Gas, and Super Comp, not to mention a wide variety of Outlaw hot rods, in which he's claimed some of the biggest purses in Big Dog drag racing.

When the third generation of Coughlins are off at the races they can rest easy knowing that Troy Coughlin Sr.'s oldest daughter Meghan will one day help helm the mighty JEGS Automotive empire. After studying business at Columbus State University, Meghan has thrown herself into the daily business of JEGS Mail Order, working her way through the Accounts Payable, Human Resources, Purchasing, Customer Service, and Sales departments to learn first-hand all of the nuances of running a successful multi-million dollar enterprise.

In 2008, Troy's son T.J. became the first of Jeg Sr.'s 10 grandchildren to race in the Sportsman ranks as he debuted his Super Comp dragster at the Coughlin family's home track of National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio. T.J. already had cut his racing teeth in a Junior Dragster and looked quite comfortable in the bigger rail.

Cody Coughlin, the son of John, spends time in both a Junior Dragster and a Quarter Midget, while Jeg Jr.'s son Jeggie, routinely lights up the family's private karting track and has taken his own turn in Junior Dragsters.

Jeg Coughlin III, or "Jeggie" as he's known to family and friends, has become a fixture at NHRA drag races whenever his school schedule allows him to travel with his five-time drag racing champion father Jeg Coughlin Jr. Jeggie has been on hand for countless winner's circle celebrations with his famous father and has even reveled in a few championship crownings as well. Although he's taken several passes down the drag strip in a Junior Dragster and loves to zip around the back yard in his favorite go-kart, Jeggie's sporting desires lean towards the golf course, where he's become quite an accomplished junior duffer.

After turning 8 in April of 2009, the oldest son of drag racing champion Mike Coughlin began his drag racing by joining the Junior Dragster ranks in his JEGS.com mini rail. Jack tested the wheels off his racecar in anticipation of a full schedule of regional races in 2010 and is primed and ready to become the next third-generation Coughlin to visit the winner's circle. Away from the racetrack, Jack excels on the baseball diamond, earning All-Star status as both a pitcher and shortstop. He also enjoys golfing with his cousins Cody and Jeggie.

The two principle interests of Troy Coughlin Sr.'s middle daughter Paige are quite different, yet they both involve horsepower. After testing a Junior Dragster in 2009, Paige is ready for a full-scale assault on the drag strip in 2010 in her JEGS.com rail. When she's not harnessing her racecar's horsepower, Paige can most likely be found at the stables, grooming, feeding, and riding her favorite pony. Showing in interest in the arts, Paige also plays the violin and is learning several different languages.

Like her sister Paige, Kelly Coughlin spends most of her free time with her horse while she waits to get her shot in a JEGS.com Junior Dragster, which will come in 2010 when she turns 8 and becomes eligible for the class. Showing her famous grandfather Jeg Coughlin Sr.'s creativity, Kelly is never short of grand ideas, like helping her father Troy Coughlin Sr. design and draw the schematics for a stable to be built on the family's property in Delaware, Ohio.

The youngest of the third generation of racing Coughlins, 5-year-old Clayalready is working on his driving skills in both a four-wheeler and a go-kart in anticipation of a fast start in Junior Dragster as soon as he's old enough to compete. Clay's love of cars and racing proves his Coughlin genetics and his trademark red hair makes him hard to ignore. Certainly, the youngest son of drag racing champion Mike Coughlin will be a handful for his opponents from the first time he steps on the gas.