Makenna Brown

With a freshly-earned business management degree in hand, drag racer Makenna Brown is now placing all of her energy into finding a successful path in life. Fortunately, for the granddaughter of drag racing Hall of Famer Jeg Coughlin Sr. and his wife Sue, Brown’s two biggest goals mesh perfectly with the family business, JEGS Automotive.

Just like her grandfather, four uncles John, Mike, Troy Sr., and Jeg Jr., and cousins Troy Jr., Paige, Jack, and Clay, Brown wants to lift JEGS to new heights in the mail-order parts business, simultaneously marketing the famous yellow-and-black brand through a vigorous racing program.

On the business side of things, Brown already has been learning different aspects of JEGS while she was in school, working virtually from her Florida home in order fulfillment. Next, utilizing her new degree, which includes a minor in communications, she plans to transition to the marketing department.

As busy as she’ll be during the week, Brown is hoping her weekends will be just as eventful as she takes on a full schedule of high-dollar bracket racing in 2022. With the lofty goal of earning the big check at one of a handful of $50K-to-win events, or even one of the Million Dollar Races put on each season, the 21-year-old Brown is setting her sights high.

The reason for her optimism comes from a very successful 2021 season where she won her first bracket race at Kil-kare Raceway in Xenia, Ohio, as well as turning in a runner-up effort worth $15,000 as the year drew to a close in Bradenton, Fla.

Like other new graduates, the world is at her feet and Brown has every intention of getting the most out of life, beginning now.