Gainesville Raceway (March 12-14)
The JEGS Mail Order team will feature a new look this season with third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr. taking over from his uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., as the primary driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro Pro Stock entry.
The JEGS Mail Order team will also be represented in Gainesville by Mike Coughlin in Top Dragster. Former world champions Danny Nelson and Jeff Taylor will also race under the JEGS banner with Nelson driving the team’s new Super Comp dragster and Taylor wheeling Jack Coughlin’s Super Stock Chevy Cobalt.
The Elite Motorsports team also includes Erica Enders, Alex Laughlin, and Aaron Stanfield. Troy’s crew chief is Mark Ingersoll, who regularly share data with the rest of the team cars.
Troy Jr. is an eight-time national event winner with victories in Top Alcohol Dragster (3), Super Gas (3), and Super Comp (2). He has also competed in Top Fuel and Pro Mod.
Last season, Troy Jr. made his Pro Stock debut at the Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals held in Indianapolis. He competed in eight events and qualified for seven of them. He raced to a runner-up finish at the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals, losing to his uncle, Jeg Jr., who won his 65th and final Pro Stock race and 84th overall.
Despite missing the first event of the season, Troy Jr. finished as the No. 13 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class.
Troy Jr. kicked off his 2021 season last weekend at the C-Tech World Doorslammer Nationals presented by JEGS. He qualified No. 3 in the field and raced to the quarterfinals on Sunday before falling to eventual winner Cristian Cuadra.
During rookie season in Pro Stock, Troy Jr. compiled a round win record of 5-7. His five victories came against Kyle Koretsky, Erica Enders, Jason Line, Deric Kramer, and Chris McGaha.
Troy Jr. is he first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won the U.S. Nationals in Super Comp in 2010 and also won the Indy Super Gas title in 2014. His other wins have come in Las Vegas (2009), Gainesville (2013), Columbus (2014), Reading (2018), Norwalk (2019) and Reading (2019).
Troy Jr. was crowned the 2018 and 2019 North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion. He was also crowned the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
In 2019, Troy Jr. appeared in ten final rounds in Top Alcohol Dragster and earned five wins including national event titles in Norwalk and Reading. Troy Jr. has also earned victories at regional events at Atco Dragway, Beech Bend Raceway Park, and Virginia Motorsports Park.
In addition to his success in NHRA events, Troy Jr. also is regarded as one of the sport’s best E.T. bracket racers. He has accumulated several major victories including a $25,000 payday at the Atco Dragway Superbucks event and a $10,000 win the Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia Motorsports Park. He also won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.
Mike Coughlin is a two-time Division 3 champion in the Top Sportsman class (2007-2009) and the 2019 Division 3 Top Dragster champion. His crew chief is Tony Collier. Last season, Mike finished No. 3 in the Northeast Division standings behind champion Al Peavler and Danny Nelson.
Mike is a 14-time NHRA national event winner. He has won national event titles in Pro Stock Truck, Super Comp, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.
Mike is also a two-time U.S. Nationals winner. He won the Pro Stock Truck class in 1999 and 2001.
Last season at the JEGS SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway, Mike drove his JEGS.com dragster to the final round where he lost to eventual world champion Anthony Bertozzi.
Mike began his career in the Super Gas and Super Comp classes in the 1980s and has extensive experience in the heads-up “super classes”
Jeff Taylor is a four-time world champion in Stock, Super Stock, and Comp Eliminator and a 48-time national event winner. He is also regarded as one of the sport’s premiere engine builders. He has previously raced as a member of the JEGS Mail Order team, most notably in 1997, when he helped Jeg Coughlin Jr. win in four different eliminators.
Veteran E.T. racer Danny Nelson is the 2019 NHRA Top Dragster world champion. Nelson is also the owner and operator of Racecraft Chassis, a leading manufacturer of Super Comp and Top Dragster race cars.
Overall, the Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 127 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 11 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
TEAM JEGS – By the Numbers (Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals)
4 JEGS Mail Order entries racing in this weekend’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
8 National event wins for Troy Coughlin Jr. in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp, and Super Gas.
11 Different eliminators where the Coughlin family has earned at least one victory.
127 Combined NHRA national event wins for the JEGS Mail Order team
6: Wins in Las Vegas for Jeg Coughlin Jr. (5 in Pro Stock, 1 Super Comp)
7: Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver in history to do so)
11: Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
19: Top-10 finishes for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class since 1998
127: Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family