Coughlin considers return (The Columbus Dispatch – Jeremy McLaughlin)

KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio — Jeg Coughlin Jr. walked away from the NHRA circuit last fall to concentrate on the family business, but he can’t shake his desire to compete again as a pro stock driver. Those feelings intensified the past few days as he watched his former colleagues at the Pontiac Performance Nationals at National Trail Raceway.

Coughlin said yesterday that he might return to the NHRA circuit as soon as this fall. The Delaware native is in discussions to form a pro stock team for 2007. If a deal is reached soon, he could be racing by September or October to kick-start preparations for next season.

“There are a couple things we have kicking around, so it’s too soon to tell,” Coughlin said. “Now is the time (to close a deal), because you want to mount up aggressively for the ’07 season. It’d be a deal where we would need to run the last couple races of the year to get everybody jelled in and get me reacclimated. So far, the scenarios we’ve discussed, that looks like a possibility.”

Coughlin was burned out in 2004 from the responsibilities of running his own team. He joined Don Schumacher Racing last season and finished sixth in the pro stock points standings, winning the final race of the season. Both decided to part ways at the end of the season. This year, he has been racing alcohol-fueled cars, and raced here in super comp and stock classes.

If Coughlin does return to pro stock, he does not want a situation similar to 2004.

“We’re not looking to mount an effort of our own like we did in the past, but if the right stars were aligned, we would consider being a part of a good professional pro stock organization and see what happens from there,” Coughlin said. “If the deal is right, I’m 100 percent ready to go.