Mike Coughlin was raised in a family that was extremely passionate about the sport of drag racing, and the 39-year-old racer remembers vividly one of his favorite events to attend growing up.
As one of four brothers, he would tag along often with the family each weekend to help out and cheer on their drag racing father, Jeg Coughlin Sr. Those were fun times for the family, a tradition that the Columbus, Ohio-based clan has kept going now for more than 30 years.
Back then, Coughlin loved to go to the NHRA SPORTSnationals more than any other race. Today, things haven’t changed much. That event – which was reintroduced last year by NHRA – still holds a special place in his heart. The only difference now is that he gets to participate in the event in his Super Comp dragster.
He will try to claim a victory in the JEGS.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals, April 22-24 at No Problem Raceway in southern Louisiana. The popular race is one of two NHRA SPORTSnationals – NHRA national events that showcase sportsman racers exclusively — to be contested in 2005. The other will be held July 29-31 at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio.
Should Coughlin win his category, he would be the first Coughlin to win an NHRA SPORTSnationals event. The family – Jeg Sr., Jeg Jr., Troy, John and Mike — have combined to win 100 NHRA events over the years, but never a SPORTSnationals title.
“Growing up we always looked forward to going to the SPORTSnationals – it was always a favorite for the family,” Coughlin said. “This isn’t just another division race, the whole concept takes it to another level. It’s like a pro race for the sportsman racers and they’re very excited about it. Everyone really gets fired up for the race and makes it one of the most competitive of the season.”
Mike will be joined at the event by all of his brothers. John will be racing in Super Stock, while Troy will be competing in Pro Mod. Jeg Jr., a two-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion, will be staying at home to go racing with his son Jeggie and his Jr. Dragster.
Mike was impressed with the facility last year and felt like the entire event went off without a hitch.
“Last year the race was extremely smooth and we had a lot of fun,” he said. “It was really intense because it’s a national event and all of the teams are racing hard for points in the Lucas Oil Series. The fans were awesome all weekend too.
“The track is just a fun place and there’s a lot going on. The owners really did a great job putting the place together and there’s just so much hospitality. There were great crawfish parties and something like that going on all weekend.”
He was so impressed, that he and his brothers decided to get more involved by agreeing to sponsor the race with their Ohio-based family automotive parts business, JEG’S.
“It was really a no-brainer for us to sponsor both SPORTSnationals races,” he said. “We are very involved with NHRA sportsman racing and the concept really makes sense for us.”
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