Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Ill.) May 31-June 3
The JEGS Mail Order team will be well represented at this weekend’s JEGS NHRA Route 66 Nationals by a host of team cars including six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., his brother, Mike, nephew, Troy Jr. and niece, Paige. Jeg Jr. will be racing in Pro Stock as a member of the Elite Motorsports team. Mike is one of the leading contenders in Top Dragster. Troy Jr. is racing in Top Alcohol Dragster. In addition, Samantha Coughlin, the wife of Jeg Jr. will join Paige in the Super Comp class.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his pursuit of a sixth NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title (and seventh overall) at this weekend’s event in Chicago. At the most recent event in Atlanta, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 9 and lost in roune one on a rare foul start.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is once again racing as a teammate to two-time world champ Erica Enders. The Elite team also includes Pro Stock racers Vincent Nobile and Alex Laughlin. Jeg Jr.’s crew chief is multi-talented Rickie Jones, who has extensive experience as a driver, chassis builder, and tuner. The Elite team also includes crew chiefs Rick Jones, Mark Ingersoll and Brian “Lump” Self, who regularly share data.
After the first eight events of the season, Jeg Jr. enters this week’s event at the No. 11 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. has enjoyed tremendous success at Route 66 Raceway during his Pro Stock career with five victories and three runner-up finishes since 2002. Jeg’s wins have come against Ron Krisher (2002), Greg Anderson (2003, 2013), Jason Line (2007) and Mike Edwards (2009). He has also finished runner-up to Kurt Johnson (2003 Spring event and 2008), and Jason Line (2005).
In 22 career appearances at Route 66 Raceway, Jeg has a round win record of 37-15 in Pro Stock competition.
At the 2008 Chicago event, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 1 in the Pro Stock field. It was one of 23 times in his career that Jeg Jr. has been the top qualifier in Pro Stock.
The JEGS Route 66 Nationals will also be the site of the 34th annual JEGS Allstars competition which will be held on Saturday, June 2. The JEGS Allstars is a special invitation race for competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. A field of 80 drivers from all across the North America will compete for individual and team honors and more than $150,000 in cash and contingency awards.
Including Route 66 Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities making him the all-time leader in that category. The only current venues on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won are the tracks in Norwalk and Epping.
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 NHRA’s all-time leader in holeshot victories with 101.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 413 events and has a round-win record of 613-339. He has red-lighted just 23 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Mike is the current points leader in the North Central Division Top Dragster standings after competing in three previous events.
Mike’s Dan Page-built dragster is equipped with a ProCharger and is capable of running in the five-second zone at over 230-mph. Mike’s crew consists of Greg Cody, Dave Raurk, Ryan Micke and Tony Collier.
In 2016, Mike returned to the Top Dragster class after a successful run in Top Sportsman that included a pair of Divisional championships.
Mike has won three Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events at Route 66 Raceway. He won the Super Comp class in 2005 and won Top Sportsman titles in 2007 and 2011.
Troy Jr. is a five-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won Super Comp titles at the 2009 Las Vegas race and the 2010 U.S. Nationals and the Gainesville event in 2013. He also won a pair of national events in 2014 at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals.
Troy will also be the North Central Region representative in the Top Alcohol Dragster class for the JEGS Allstars race. He was added to the team because current points leader Marty Thacker is the defending champion and none of the drivers ranked above him could attend the event.
Troy Jr. was the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
Troy Jr. recently won his first Top Alcohol Dragster race when he drove his Rich McPhillips-owned dragster to the win at the NHRA Regional event in Norwalk, Ohio.
Thus far in his brief career, Troy Jr. recorded a personal-best 5.252, 278.23 in the Top Alcohol Dragster class at the NHRA regional event in Richmond, Va.
Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in the Top Alcohol Dragster class (then known as Pro Comp) in the 1970s including six divisional event wins and the 1976 Division 3 Pro Comp championship. He was also a finalist at the 1975 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
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. Two weeks ago, he won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.
Paige, 17, made her debut in the Super Comp class last year and recently competed in her first national event, the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. She reached the second round of the Division 3 opener in Columbus. Her crew chief is Justin Beaver
Paige is the daughter of three-time NHRA Pro Mod series champion Troy Coughlin. She is a freshman at Miami [Ohio] University.
Samantha Coughlin, the wife of Jeg Jr., will be racing the team’s JEGS.com dragster in the Super Comp class.
Samantha is a former national event champion, who won the Super Comp title at the 2009 Norwalk event.
Samantha’s father, Al Kenny, and brother, Jason Kenny, are both veteran racers and national event champions.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 116 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin's have won in nine 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 (JEGS Route 66 Nationals Edition)
5: Pro Stock wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Route 66 Raceway
5: Members of the Coughlin family entered in the event in four classes
7: Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver in history to do so)
10: Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
17: Top-10 finishes for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class since 1998
116: Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family