National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio (Sept. 21-23)
There will be a total of six JEGS Mail Order entries in competition this weekend at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals. Mike Coughlin will race in Top Sportsman while his nephew, Troy Jr. will pull double duty in Super Comp and Super Gas. Fellow third-generation racers Jack and Clay Coughlin and their cousin, Makenna Brown, will also be in competition in the Jr. Dragster class.
With three wins and a runner-up, Mike Coughlin is the most successful racer in the history of the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals. He won the Top Sportsman titles in 2009, 2007 and 2006, and was a runner-up in Super Comp at the inaugural event in 2005.
All told, the Coughlin brothers, Troy, John, Mike and Jeg Jr., have combined to win 11 national events at National Trail Raceway, the team’s longtime home track. They have also tallied six runner-up finishes here.
Last year, third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr. drove to a runner-up finish in the Super Comp class, losing to Phil Smida II in the final round.
The coveted JEGS Crown trophy will once again be up for grabs at this weekend’s event. The JEGS Crown is a handcrafted trophy that can only be won by winning two of the three JEGS SPORTSnationals events in a calendar year. The winners of the JEGS Cajun SPORTSnationals, held last March in Belle Rose, La., are in the running for the trophy this year. The JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals is scheduled for later this year in Las Vegas.
The drivers currently eligible for the JEGS Crown Trophy are the Belle Rose champions including Arnie Martel (Comp), Mike Crutchfield (Super Stock), John Brimer (Stock), Steve Mikus (Super Comp), Dillon Bontrager (Super Gas), Val Harmon (Super Street), Anthony Bertozzi (Top Dragster), and T.J. Tracey (Top Sportsman).
Since its inception, the JEGS Crown has been awarded just once, to Pro Mod competitor Mike Ashley, who won the Pro Mod class in Belle Rose and Columbus in 2005.
The JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals will include several special events including the JEGS Top Dragster Shootout, and the DRAW/RFC Super Eliminator Shootouts presented by Moser Engineering for competitors in Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. The Jr. Dragster class will be contested on Sunday, Sept. 23.
In the first six years of the event, three women have earned titles at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals. Lynn Hoosigian won the Super Street title in 2007. Katie Sepanek claimed a victory in Stock in 2008 and Mary Meints won the Stock title in 2009.
Thus far, the only driver to score a double win at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals is Peter Biondo, who earned both the Super Stock and Stock titles at the 2005 race.
In addition to Biondo, and Mike Coughlin, the only other drivers with multiple titles at this event are Jeff Taylor, who claimed the title in Comp Eliminator in 2005 and 2008 and Jason Coan, who has Comp wins in 2009 and 2011.
The list of NHRA national champions who are also former winners of the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals includes Biondo, Taylor, Ray Connolly, Bo Butner, Chuck Gallagher, and Sherman Adcock Jr.
Makenna Brown is a former track champion in the Jr. Dragster class at National Trail Raceway while Coughlin brothers Jack, 11, and Clay, 8 recently earned their first Jr. Dragster trophies in separate events in their native Ohio.
JEGS By the Numbers
JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals edition
1 – Driver to win the JEGS Crown trophy (Mike Ashley, 2005)
3 – Top Sportsman wins for Mike Coughlin at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals
6 – JEGS Mail Order vehicles in competition in this weekend’s event
11 – Victories for the Coughlin family at National Trail Raceway
54 – Individual event champions crowned since the inaugural Northern SPORTSnationals in 2005