Auto Club Pomona Raceway (Pomona, Calif.) Feb. 6-9
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will begin his title defense at this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Coughlin will once again drive the familiar yellow and black JEGS.com Mopar Dodge Avenger that carried him to his fifth NHRA Pro Stock title and sixth overall championship last season.
Overall, Jeg Jr. has 14 top ten finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class since his debut in 1997.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue to race as a teammate to former NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson. Coughlin’s Dodge will once again be powered by engines from Johnson’s J&J Racing team and will be tuned by Johnson’s crew chiefs Mark Ingersoll and Adam Hornberger.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a five-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, and 2013. As a sportsman driver, Jeg Jr also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.
In 1998, Jeg Coughlin Jr. made his first Pro Stock start at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona and reached the final round. He returned to post back-to-back Pro Stock wins at the Winternationals in 1999 and 2000.
In 1999, Jeg Jr. defeated his older brother Troy to win the Winternationals Pro Stock title. The Coughlin brothers also raced in the final of the 1999 Denver event, with Jeg Jr. also claimed the win in that event.
Last season, Jeg Jr. began his march to the title with a runner-up finish in Pomona against then-teammate Vincent Nobile. Coughlin left the event ranked second in the Mello Yellow standings and was never lower than fourth at any point during the 2013 season.
Jeg Jr. also won the special 50th anniversary event held in Pomona during the summer of 2001, as part of NHRA’s golden anniversary celebration. All told, Jeg Jr. has six wins and seven runner-up finishes in Pro Stock competition in Pomona.
Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.487-seconds recorded last season in Gainesville and his best speed is 213.47 recorded last season at the spring event in Concord, N.C. Jeg Jr. is one of just seven drivers who have run in the 6.4-second zone in NHRA competition. He is one of eight drivers who have run over 213-mph.
As a sportsman driver, Jeg Jr. was also runner-up at the 1995 Winternationals in the Super Stock class, losing a close final against former world champion John Calvert.
Jeg Jr is one of only two drivers, along with Peter Biondo, to win national event titles in six different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster.
Jeg Coughlin Jr finished the 2013 season with four wins, four runner-up finishes and seven semifinals in 24 events. For the season, he finished with a 48-20 record in eliminations, second only to Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon, who finished with a 54-17 record.
In 14 previous appearances at the NHRA Winternationals, Jeg Jr. has a win-loss record of 24-11 in Pro Stock Competition. In 31 career appearances at Auto Club Pomona Raceway, which is also the site of the season-ending Auto Club Finals, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 55-22 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Jr.’s most recent NHRA Pro Stock victory came at last October in Reading, Pa. He defeated teammate Allen Johnson to help secure the top spot in the points standings.
In 330 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 93 times, recording 56 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr has won a total of 72 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr has appeared in 115 final rounds, 93 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.
With 56-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (74) have more titles
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr, and Troy Jr. has combined for 100 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 9 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.
TEAM JEGS – By the Numbers (NHRA Circle K Winternationals edition)
2 – Pro Stock victories for Jeg Jr. at the NHRA Winternationals (1999, 2000)
14 – Final round appearances for Jeg Jr. in Pro Stock at historic Auto Club Pomona Raceway
56 – Career Pro Stock victories for Jeg Coughlin Jr., fourth most in class’ history
100 – NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
791 – Pro Stock elimination rounds for Jeg Jr. with 533 wins, 258 losses (.674-percent)