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Mike Coughlin

Quick Facts:

Vehicle: JEGS.com Top Dragster
Series: National Hot Rod Association: Top Dragster
Hometown: Delaware, Ohio
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio
Age: 56 (DOB January 23, 1966)
Family: Kriss (wife), Jack & Clay (sons)
2021 Car: JEGS.com Dragster
Crew Chief: Greg Cody
Years Racing: 38
Professional Victories: 6 (Pro Stock Truck)
Professional Final Rounds: 9 (Pro Stock Truck)
Sportsman Wins: 8 (4 in Top Sportsman, 3 in Super Comp & 1 in Top Dragster)
Sportsman Final Rounds: 14
Total NHRA National Event Victories: 14
Total NHRA National Event Final Rounds: 23
Total NHRA Divisional Event Victories: 15
Total NHRA Divisional Event Final Rounds: 20
Career-Best Elapsed Time: 5.227 seconds
Career-Best Speed: 271.95 mph

Photos

BIOGRAPHY

Three-time drag racing champion Mike Coughlin has fashioned an incredible resume on the quarter-mile that dates back to the 1980s. He’s also been an integral part of the growth at JEGS Automotive, the mail-order parts giant his hall-of-fame father Jeg Coughlin Sr. started in 1960 that is now owned and operated by Mike and his three brothers, John, Troy Sr, and Jeg Jr.

Although he could easily brag about his many racing and business achievements, Mike quickly points to his longtime marriage to Kriss and the couple’s two sons, Jack and Clay, as his biggest sources of pride.

It’s an exciting time for Mike as his two boys come of age. Jack will race in Super Comp alongside his father when he’s not attending classes at Ohio State University. High School sophomore Clay, meanwhile, will race a Chevrolet Cobalt in Super Stock whenever his school schedule allows.

As for Mike himself, 2021 will see a transition from Top Dragster to Super Comp, where he plans to make a concerted run for the national title.

Certainly the three championships he earned in NHRA’s North Central Division — the 2007 and 2009 Top Sportsman titles and, most recently, the 2019 Top Dragster crown — highlight his racing career to date, but the numbers clearly show John’s been a winner ever since he donned a helmet.

Overall, he has 14 national event victories and 15 divisional wins in NHRA competition, and he’s also claimed a number of bracket race titles. In fact, the first major trophy he earned came at the 1987 Fall Classic when he mastered the Street E.T. class at his hometown track of National Trail Raceway.

For more than a decade after that first triumph, Mike continued to rack-up wins in both Super Comp and a variety of bracket races, until breaking through at the national level for the first time in 1999 in a JEGS-sponsored Pro Stock Truck. Mike went on to win six National event Wally trophies in the now-defunct category, including a pair of titles at the NHRA’s most prestigious and longest-running event, the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, in 1999 and 2001.

In 2002, Mike returned to the Sportsman ranks and kept adding to his win tally in both Super Comp and Top Sportsman.

Finally, in 2007, a national event win at the JEGS SPORTSnationals in Columbus and a pair of Division 3 wins in Chicago and Columbus in his trusty JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt helped Mike secure his first Top Sportsman championship. Of note, Mike’s final point total that year was the largest by any competitor in the division, regardless of class.

Hungry for more, Mike claimed championship No. 2 just two years later in 2009 on the strength of another JEGS SPORTSnational win as well as a divisional victory in Reynolds, Ga.

The next decade was dotted with more wins, including a memorable double-up weekend in 2014 in Norwalk, Ohio, when Mike shared the winner’s circle with his brother Troy Sr., who conquered the Pro Mod class that day. Along the way, Mike always contended for the D3 championship, finishing as high as second in the Top Sportsman title race in 2011 and 2012.

In 2017, looking to go a little quicker and faster, Mike switched to Top Dragster and promptly won two more times. Just two years later, Mike was back on top of Division 3, wrapping up a third championship in a supercharged JEGS.com dragster that ran low 6-second passes at speeds in excess of 230 mph.

With all his attention once again on Super Comp, it seems likely Mike will remain a contender for many more race wins and even a few more championships.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Won his first major event title in 1987 at the Fall Classic at National Trail Raceway in Street E.T.
Claimed first Lucas Oil Series title at Beech Bend Raceway Park in 1989 when he won the Super Comp class
Won his first IHRA national event title in Top Sportsman at the 1991 Ethanol Sportsman Nationals
In 1997 finished second in the Division 3 Super Comp standings and claimed a runner-up finish at the JEGS Allstars event
Turned Pro in 1998 when he made his debut in the Pro Stock Truck class at the Sears-Craftsman Nationals
Won his first NHRA national event title in the Pro Stock Truck class at the 1999 NHRA Mopar Parts Nationals in Englishtown, N.J.
Qualified for every event and finished fourth in the 1999 Pro Stock Truck standings in his JEGS.com Chevy S-10. Also ranked No. 1 in reaction time in the Pro Stock Truck class
Set NHRA national record for Pro Stock Truck in 2001 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., with 7.379-second, 182.65 mph run
Won the last-ever NHRA Pro Stock Truck race at the 2001 Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona Calif.
Shared a memorable Coughlin family double win on Father’s Day in 2003 when he won the Super Comp title at brother John won in Super Stock at their home track, National Trail Raceway.
Finished No. 2 in the 2004 NHRA Lucas Oil Division 3 championship in Super Gas. Also finished No. 35 nationally in a field of 1231 drivers
Drove his Jegs.com dragster to the Super Comp title at the 2005 JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals event in Belle Rose, La. Later posted a runner-up finish at the inaugural JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals held at National Trail Raceway
In 2005, made special guest appearance along with his wife, Kriss, on the popular “Emeril Live” television cooking show with master chef Emeril Lagasse
After enjoying success in Super Gas, Super Comp, and Pro Stock Truck, made his debut in the Top Sportsman class in 2006 with a new Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt
Won the 2007 NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman Championship after winning two events in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt
Won the Top Sportsman title at the 2007 JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals, posting his third consecutive SPORTSnationals victory and his fourth-straight final round appearance.
Won a second NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman championship in 2009 following a clutch victory at his final points-earning event of the season at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds. Ga.
After missing most of the 2010 season, made a successful return in 2011 with a pair of division 3 Lucas Oil Series wins and a second-place finish in the North Central Division Top Sportsman standings.
Finished No. 22 out of more than 425 competitors in the battle for the inaugural Top Sportsman National championship (2015)
Drove to a runner-up finish in the Top Sportsman class at the Division 3 Lucas Oil Series race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. (2015)
Drove to a win in Pomona, and a runner-up finish in St. Louis in 2017 on his way to a fourth-place finish in the Top Dragster class.
Won a pair of Lucas Oil Series events in Indianapolis and Chicago during the 2019 season.
Won 2019 NHRA North Central Division Top Dragster championship
Finished the 2020 season as the No. 12 ranked Top Dragster driver (out of nearly 400 competitors)
Won the 2020 Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park and was a runner-up at the JEGS SPORTSnationals in Columbus
Finished No. 3 in the North Central Division Top Dragster standings behind Al Peavler and Danny Nelson
Opened the 2021 season with a runner-up at the Division 2 Lucas Oil Series event at Gainesville Raceway
Earned Top Alcohol Dragster license in the McPhillips family dragster and made his official debut in late 2021. Qualified No. 4 in Las Vegas and ran career-best 5.22 and 271.95 mph
Works in family-owned business, JEGS Automotive/JEGS Mail Order.
Enjoys spending time with family, including watching his sons, Jack and Clay, who are both aspiring drag racers and avid athletes.
Hobbies include spending time with his family and dogs, water skiing, restoring classic/muscle cars, tinkering with car audio systems, and bowling.

STATISTICS

Mike National Event Victories
Year	Event	Location	Class
2017	Circle K Winternationals	Pomona, CA	Top Dragster
2014	NHRA Nationals	Norwalk, OH	Top Sportsman
2009	JEGS SPORTSnationals	Columbus, OH	Top Sportsman
2007	JEGS SPORTSnationals	Columbus, OH	Top Sportsman
2006	JEG’S Northern SPORTSnationals	Columbus, OH	Top Sportsman
2005	JEGS.com Cajun SPORTnationals	Belle Rose, LA	Super Comp
2003	Pontiac Excitement Nationals	Columbus, OH	Super Comp
2002	Pontiac Excitement Nationals	Columbus, OH	Super Comp
2001	AAA Winston Finals	Pomona, CA	Pro Stock Truck
2001	AutoZone Nationals	Memphis, TN	Pro Stock Truck
2001	U.S. Nationals	Indianapolis,IN	Pro Stock Truck
2000	AutoZone Nationals	Memphis, TN	Pro Stock Truck
1999	U.S. Nationals	Indianapolis, IN	Pro Stock Truck
1999	Mopar Parts Nationals	Englishtown, NJ	Pro Stock Truck

Mike NHRA Divisional Championships
Year	Event	Location	Class
2019	Division III Champion		Top Dragster
2009	Division III Champion		Top Sportsman
2007	Division III Champion		Top Sportsman

Mike Divisional Wins
Year	Event	Location	Class
2020	Beech Bend Raceway	Bowling Green, KY	Top Dragster
2019	Route 66 Raceway	Joliet, IL	Top Dragster
2019	Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis	Indianapolis, IN	Top Dragster
2017	Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis	Indianapolis, IN	Top Dragster
2011	Route 66 Raceway	Joliet, IL	Top Sportsman
2011	Indianapolis Raceway Park	Indianapolis, IN	Top Sportsman
2009	Silver Dollar Dragway	Reynolds, GA	Top Sportsman
2008	Indianapolis Raceway Park	Indianapolis, IN	Top Sportsman
2007	National Trail Raceway	Columbus, OH	Top Sportsman
2007	Route 66 Raceway	Joliet, IL	Top Sportsman
2005	Route 66 Raceway	Joliet, IL	Super Comp
2003	Edgewater Sports Park	Cleves, OH	Super Comp
1996	Edgewater Sports Park	Cleves, OH	Super Comp
1994	Great Lakes Drag-O-Way	Union Grove, WI	Super Comp
1989	Beech Bend Raceway	Bowling Green, KY	Super Comp

NEXT RACE:

Mike Coughlin

Quick Facts:

BIOGRAPHY

Although he could easily brag about his many racing and business achievements, Mike quickly points to his longtime marriage to Kriss and the couple’s two sons, Jack and Clay, as his biggest sources of pride.

It’s an exciting time for Mike as his two boys come of age. Jack will race in Super Comp alongside his father when he’s not attending classes at Ohio State University. High School sophomore Clay, meanwhile, will race a Chevrolet Cobalt in Super Stock whenever his school schedule allows.

As for Mike himself, 2021 will see a transition from Top Dragster to Super Comp, where he plans to make a concerted run for the national title.

Certainly the three championships he earned in NHRA’s North Central Division — the 2007 and 2009 Top Sportsman titles and, most recently, the 2019 Top Dragster crown — highlight his racing career to date, but the numbers clearly show John’s been a winner ever since he donned a helmet.

In 2002, Mike returned to the Sportsman ranks and kept adding to his win tally in both Super Comp and Top Sportsman.

Hungry for more, Mike claimed championship No. 2 just two years later in 2009 on the strength of another JEGS SPORTSnational win as well as a divisional victory in Reynolds, Ga.

With all his attention once again on Super Comp, it seems likely Mike will remain a contender for many more race wins and even a few more championships.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Won his first major event title in 1987 at the Fall Classic at National Trail Raceway in Street E.T.

Claimed first Lucas Oil Series title at Beech Bend Raceway Park in 1989 when he won the Super Comp class

Won his first IHRA national event title in Top Sportsman at the 1991 Ethanol Sportsman Nationals

In 1997 finished second in the Division 3 Super Comp standings and claimed a runner-up finish at the JEGS Allstars event

Turned Pro in 1998 when he made his debut in the Pro Stock Truck class at the Sears-Craftsman Nationals

Won his first NHRA national event title in the Pro Stock Truck class at the 1999 NHRA Mopar Parts Nationals in Englishtown, N.J.

Qualified for every event and finished fourth in the 1999 Pro Stock Truck standings in his JEGS.com Chevy S-10. Also ranked No. 1 in reaction time in the Pro Stock Truck class

Set NHRA national record for Pro Stock Truck in 2001 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., with 7.379-second, 182.65 mph run

Won the last-ever NHRA Pro Stock Truck race at the 2001 Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona Calif.

Shared a memorable Coughlin family double win on Father’s Day in 2003 when he won the Super Comp title at brother John won in Super Stock at their home track, National Trail Raceway.

Finished No. 2 in the 2004 NHRA Lucas Oil Division 3 championship in Super Gas. Also finished No. 35 nationally in a field of 1231 drivers

Drove his Jegs.com dragster to the Super Comp title at the 2005 JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals event in Belle Rose, La. Later posted a runner-up finish at the inaugural JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals held at National Trail Raceway

In 2005, made special guest appearance along with his wife, Kriss, on the popular “Emeril Live” television cooking show with master chef Emeril Lagasse

After enjoying success in Super Gas, Super Comp, and Pro Stock Truck, made his debut in the Top Sportsman class in 2006 with a new Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt

Won the 2007 NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman Championship after winning two events in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt

Won the Top Sportsman title at the 2007 JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals, posting his third consecutive SPORTSnationals victory and his fourth-straight final round appearance.

Won a second NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman championship in 2009 following a clutch victory at his final points-earning event of the season at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds. Ga.

After missing most of the 2010 season, made a successful return in 2011 with a pair of division 3 Lucas Oil Series wins and a second-place finish in the North Central Division Top Sportsman standings.

Finished No. 22 out of more than 425 competitors in the battle for the inaugural Top Sportsman National championship (2015)

Drove to a runner-up finish in the Top Sportsman class at the Division 3 Lucas Oil Series race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. (2015)

Drove to a win in Pomona, and a runner-up finish in St. Louis in 2017 on his way to a fourth-place finish in the Top Dragster class.

Won a pair of Lucas Oil Series events in Indianapolis and Chicago during the 2019 season.

Won 2019 NHRA North Central Division Top Dragster championship

Finished the 2020 season as the No. 12 ranked Top Dragster driver (out of nearly 400 competitors)

Won the 2020 Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park and was a runner-up at the JEGS SPORTSnationals in Columbus

Finished No. 3 in the North Central Division Top Dragster standings behind Al Peavler and Danny Nelson

Opened the 2021 season with a runner-up at the Division 2 Lucas Oil Series event at Gainesville Raceway

Earned Top Alcohol Dragster license in the McPhillips family dragster and made his official debut in late 2021. Qualified No. 4 in Las Vegas and ran career-best 5.22 and 271.95 mph

Works in family-owned business, JEGS Automotive/JEGS Mail Order.

Enjoys spending time with family, including watching his sons, Jack and Clay, who are both aspiring drag racers and avid athletes.

Hobbies include spending time with his family and dogs, water skiing, restoring classic/muscle cars, tinkering with car audio systems, and bowling.

STATISTICS

Mike National Event Victories

Year

Event

Location

Class

2017

Circle K Winternationals

Pomona, CA

Top Dragster

2014

NHRA Nationals

Norwalk, OH

Top Sportsman

2009

JEGS SPORTSnationals

Columbus, OH

Top Sportsman

2007

JEGS SPORTSnationals

Columbus, OH

Top Sportsman

2006

JEG’S Northern SPORTSnationals

Columbus, OH

Top Sportsman

2005

JEGS.com Cajun SPORTnationals

Belle Rose, LA

Super Comp

2003

Pontiac Excitement Nationals

Columbus, OH

Super Comp

2002

Pontiac Excitement Nationals

Columbus, OH