The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 30-Nov. 1)
The JEGS Mail Order team will be represented at this week’s season-ending Dodge NHRA Finals in Las Vegas by Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be competing in Pro Stock.
This will be the 456th and final event in Pro Stock for Jeg Jr. in his long and distinguished career. Earlier, he announced 2020 as his last full-time season in professional drag racing. Coughlin’s final campaign is the “Breaking Barriers Tour,” in reference to his many racing accomplishments.
Jeg Jr. has won two races this season and he’s currently ranked No. 2 in the Camping World Pro Stock standings, just 55-points behind leader Erica Enders. Jeg Jr. is pursuing his seventh NHRA title and sixth in Pro Stock.
Last week in Houston, Jeg Jr. boosted his championship hopes by reaching the final round and finishing as a runner-up to Aaron Stanfield.
Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. are racing as members of the Elite Motorsports team. Jeg’s Chevy Camaro and Troy’s Ford Mustang will carry the special pink colors as JEGS Mail Order recognizes breast cancer awareness month in October. Both cars will also carry the special edition JEGS 60th anniversary logo this season.
To date, the JEGS Foundation has donated more than $20 million to help transform cancer treatment and research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, including the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
After winning national events in Super Gas, Super Comp, and Top Alcohol Dragster, as well as successful stints in Top Fuel and Pro Mod, Troy Jr. will be making his eighth start in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Earlier this year at the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals, Jeg Jr. and nephew Troy Jr. met in an historic all JEGS final round. Jeg Jr. won his 65th Pro Stock race and 84th overall.
Last year, Jeg Jr. finished as the No. 2 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class behind Elite teammate Erica Enders. It was the second-straight year that he’s been the championship runner-up. Jeg Jr. has now finished in the top ten 19-times in his professional career, which began in 1997.
Earlier this season, Jeg Jr. won the $75,000 top prize in the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals race in Orlando, Fla. Jeg defeated Greg Anderson in the final round of the inaugural event, which featured the sport’s best Pro Stock and Pro Mod cars.
The Elite Motorsports team also includes Troy Coughlin Jr., Alex Laughlin and Aaron Stanfield. Jeg’s crew chief is Rickie Jones, who has extensive experience in the class as a driver, chassis builder, and tuner. The Elite team also features crew chiefs Rick Jones and Mark Ingersoll, who regularly share data.
Jeg Jr has won at least one national event at 24 different facilities including The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The only current stops on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour where he has not won are the races in Norwalk, Ohio and Epping, N.H.
During his career, Jeg Jr. has won the Pro Stock title five times in Las Vegas. He claimed a win at the inaugural event in 2000 by beating Warren Johnson and returned in 2001 and 2002 to post final round wins over Jim Yates and Warren Johnson, respectively. Jeg Jr. also won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, beating Greg Stanfield in both final rounds.
In addition to his five Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. has also posted four runner-up finishes in Las Vegas. He reached the final round at both the spring and fall events in 2001 and the fall race in 2014 and was a runner-up last year to Erica Enders.
Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field 18 times in Las Vegas including a best of No.1 in 2007, 2008, 2014, and 2018. During his career, Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top spot 34 times.
In 34 appearances at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 53-27 in Pro Stock competition.
In addition to his Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. also won the Super Comp title at the Spring Las Vegas race in 2012.
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.
Jeg Jr. is the 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 65 Pro Stock wins in his career, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Greg Anderson (94), and the late Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 456 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 115 times, recording 65 wins. Including his 19 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 84 times. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 140 final rounds, 115 as a professional and 25 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 456 events and has a round-win record of 689-375. He has failed to qualify just 16 times.
Jeg Jr. has been the low qualifier 34 times in Pro Stock including the first two events of 2020 in Pomona and Phoenix.
Troy Jr. is an eight-time NHRA national event winner and the 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.
During his Pro Stock debut in 2020, Troy Jr. has competed in six events and has a round win record of 3-5. He has qualified five times.
In his runner-up finish in Pro Stock at the Dodge NHRA Nationals, Troy Jr. qualified No. 13 and defeated Kyle Koretsky, Erica Enders, and Jason Line to reach the final round.
Last season, 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.
During his career, the versatile Troy Jr. has raced in Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Pro Mod, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, E.T. Brackets, and Jr. Dragsters. Earlier this season in Orlando, he made his debut in the Pro Stock class alongside his uncle, Jeg Jr. The JEGS Mail Order teammates raced in round two with Jeg taking a narrow victory.
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.
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 (Dodge NHRA Nationals)
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