Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes – NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

O’Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis , Ind. (Sept. 2-7)

 

Jeg Coughlin won the Pro Stock title at last weekend’s Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, Pa. and is now one of just nine racers to win 60 or more NHRA national events. The others are John Force (126), Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85), Frank Manzo (84), Pat Austin (75), David Rampy (70), Kenny Bernstein (69), and Dan Fletcher (62).

 

Following the Reading victory, Jeg Coughlin enters this weekend’s NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis as the top ranked Pro Stock driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He has claimed six wins in 17 events this season and currently holds a 65-point lead over second place Jason Line.

 

Jeg has won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, NHRA’s oldest and most prestigious national event three times in his career. He won the Pro Stock title in 2002 and 2000, claiming final round wins against Jim Yates and Ron Krisher respectively. Jeg also won the Super Gas title at Indianapolis in 1992 on his way. Every year that Jeg has won Indy, he has won an NHRA World Championship.

 

Jeg was the first racer to officially clinch one of the ten spots available in the Countdown to One phase of the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock championship, a feat he accomplished with a round two finish in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 28. Jeg can clinch the top seed in the Countdown by reaching the second round of eliminations at Indianapolis. Jeg took over the Full Throttle points lead following his win in Las Vegas in April and has held it for the last 13 events.

 

In 17 events this season, Jeg has six wins, two runner-up, and four semifinal finishes to his credit. In addition to his victories in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Madison, Joliet, Englishtown, and Reading he was also a runner-up in Atlanta and Houston. Jeg’s round win record for the 2009 season is 43-11. By comparison, Jeg’s record was 29-14 at the same point in the 2008 season and he was ranked third in the points standings.

 

In ten career appearances at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Jeg has a career round win record of 16-7 in Pro Stock competition.

 

In 253 career Pro Stock races, Jeg has reached the final round 76 times, recording 47 wins. Including his 13 sportsman victories, Jeg has won a total of 60 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 94 final rounds, 76 as a professional and 18 as a sportsman racer.

 

In addition to his six national event victories this season, Jeg also won the $50,000 top prize in the K&N Filter Horsepower Challenge held in Norwalk. Jeg defeated Greg Anderson in the final and has now won the specialty event three times in his career. His other wins came in 1999 and 2000.

 

As a sportsman racer, Jeg has also had considerable success at O’Reilly Raceway Park. In addition to his U.S. Nationals victory in the Super Gas class in 1992, he also won the track’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in 1992 (Super Gas), and 1997 (Comp Eliminator). Jeg also won the $10,000 top prize in the 2004 Mopar Hemi Challenge at Indy after driving Michael Ogburn’s ’68 Barracuda factory race car to a victory.  

 

Jeg’s best qualifying position in Indianapolis is second in 1999. He has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field six times at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

 

Jeg has won at least on NHRA national event title at 21 different tracks. Currently, there are just two facilities where Jeg has not won, Norwalk Raceway Park and zMax Dragway, which have combined to host just four NHRA events.

 

Jeg is one of just two NHRA professional racers without a first round loss this season. The other is Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown.

 

With 47 career Pro Stock wins, Jeg ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (57) have more titles.

 

Jeg is the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion. He has earned four NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock titles in his career, including back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. His other titles came in 2000 and 2002. As a sportsman racer, Jeg also captured the Super Gas championship in 1992.

 

Jeg’s brothers, John, Mike and Troy, are all former Mac Tools U.S. Nationals finalists. Mike won Pro Stock Truck titles in 1999 and 2001 and Troy won the Super Gas class in 1991. John was a runner-up in Pro Stock Truck in 2000. John also won Indy as a car owner, supplying the JEGS Mail Order dragster for 2005 Super Comp champ Brad Plourd.

 

Jeg also won the $25,000 top prize in the 2008 JEGS US Open Bracket Championship held annually at ORP.

 

Jeg Coughlin Jr – By The Numbers
NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals edition

3 – Number of wins for Jeg Coughlin in Indianapolis (two in Pro Stock and one in Super Gas)

 

8 – Number of final rounds for Jeg this season in 17 Pro Stock events

 

21 – Number of NHRA facilities where Jeg has won at least one Pro Stock event during his career. (The only current tracks where he has not won are Norwalk and Charlotte)

 

43 – Number of round wins for Jeg this season, against just 11 losses

 

253 – Career Pro Stock races for Jeg Coughlin

 

624 – Career rounds in Pro Stock for Jeg Coughlin, (431 wins and 193 losses for a .690 career winning percentage)

 

 

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