Circle K NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Pomona Raceway, Pomona, Calif. (Feb. 11-14)
Six-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will kick off the next phase of his storied career in 2016 when he returns to the Pro Stock class on a full-time basis at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals. Jeg Jr. will be racing a new Dodge Dart as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.
Last season, Jeg Jr. took a breather from the Pro Stock class but he did return at mid-season for a brief stint with the Elite Motorsports team. In three events, Jeg Jr. raced to a runner-up and a semifinal.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will race as a teammate to two-time NHRA Mello Yello champion Erica Enders-Stevens. They will both be racing Dodge Darts for the Elite team. Fellow Pro Stock racers Vincent Nobile and reigning rookie of the year Drew Skillman are also part of the Elite Pro Stock team with their Chevrolet Camaro entries.
The Pro Stock class will have an entirely different look this season thanks to a number of major rules revisions. Electronic fuel injection has replaced carburetors and as a result, the cars will no longer have big hood scoops. Pro Stock engines are now limited to a maximum of 10,500 rpm and the wheelie bar length has been shortened. The Winternationals will be the first event for the new rules.
During his professional career, which began late in 1997, Jeg Jr. has earned 15 top-10 finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Jeg Jr. is a five-time NHRA Mello Yello 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.
All told, Jeg Jr. has six wins and seven runner-up finishes in Pro Stock competition in Pomona. He won the season-opening Winternationals in 1999 and 2000 and the season-ending Auto Club Finals in 1999, 2005, and 2007. He also won the special 50th anniversary event held in Pomona during the summer of 2001 as part of NHRA’s golden anniversary celebration.
In 1998, Jeg Jr. made his first Pro Stock start at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona and reached the final round. A year later, Jeg Jr. defeated his older brother, Troy in the final, to win his first Winternationals Pro Stock title. The Coughlin brothers also raced in the final of the 1999 Denver event, where Jeg Jr. also claimed the win in that event.
In addition to his Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. was also a runner-up in the Super Stock class in Pomona during the 1995 Winternationals.
Jeg Jr.’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484 seconds and his best speed is 214.62 mph, both recorded in Gainesville in 2014.
Last season, Jeg Jr. accomplished a longtime goal with his first national event double. Racing at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, he won the Super Gas and Stock titles. In Stock, Jeg Jr. drove his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to the title.
Including Auto Club Pomona Raceway, Jeg Coughlin has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Full Throttle tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk and Epping.
In 33 career appearances at Auto Club Pomona Raceway in all events, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 58-26 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Jr. is one of just 16 professional racers to win 500 elimination rounds in NHRA competition, a feat he accomplished at the 2013 Topeka race. The only other Pro Stock drivers with 500 wins are Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden and Greg Anderson.
Jeg Jr. is one only driver to win national event titles in seven different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Top Dragster
Jeg Jr. is the only professional racer in history to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots. During his Indy win in 2000, Jeg qualified No. 16.
With 58 career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (78) have more titles.
In 357 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 100 times, recording 58 wins. Including his 18 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 76 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 124 final rounds, 100 as a professional and 24 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 357 events and recorded 576 round wins while incurring just 283 losses. He has failed to qualify just 16 times.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. has combined for 109 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in ten different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers (Circle K NHRA Winternationals Edition)
7 – Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title
20 – Number of times Jeg Jr. has qualified No. 1 in a Pro Stock field
24 – Number of different facilities where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title
109 – Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
859 – Pro Stock elimination rounds for Jeg Jr. with 576 wins, 283 losses (.671-percent)