Beech Bend Raceway Park (Bowling Green, Ky.) May 26-29
After a 30 year absence, the JEGS SPORTSnationals presented by Quick Fuel Technology will make a triumphant return to Beech Bend Raceway Park this season. The SPORTSnationals was previously held in Bowling Green from 1974-81 and 1985-86.
There will be three JEGS Mail Order cars entered in this weekend’s SPORTSnationals including Mike Coughlin in Top Dragster, and his nephew Troy Coughlin Jr. in Super Comp and Super Gas.
Mike Coughlin is returning to the Top Dragster class this season after a successful run in Top Sportsman that included a pair of championships. Mike recently debuted his dragster with performances in the 6.1-second zone at speeds of over 225-mph. Mike’s crew consists of Greg Cody and Tony Collier.
Mike is a two-time NHRA Division 3 champion. He won the Top Sportsman titles in 2007 and 2009.
Mike is a 13-time NHRA national event winner. He has won national event titles in Pro Stock Truck, Super Comp, and Top Sportsman.
With four wins and a runner-up, Mike Coughlin is one of the most successful racers in the history of the JEGS SPORTSnationals. He won the Top Sportsman titles in 2009, 2007 and 2006, and was a runner-up in Super Comp in 2005.
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. He also has three Super Gas victories in Gainesville (2013) Indianapolis (2014) and the JEGS SPORTSnationals in Columbus (2014).
Troy Jr. is also the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
During his career, Troy Jr. has appeared in nine Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional final rounds and has claimed three victories.
In addition to his success in NHRA events, Troy Jr. is also 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.
The Coughlin family has won eight Lucas Oil Series events at Beech Bend Raceway Park. Jeg Coughlin Sr., won the Pro Comp title in 1975. John Coughlin won in Top Dragster in 2007. Mike won the Super Comp title in 1989. Troy Coughlin Sr., won in Super Comp in 1991 and Jeg Coughlin Jr., has won three times, twice in Super Gas (1992, 1993) and once in Super Stock (1996). More recently, Troy Coughlin Jr. won the Super Gas title in Bowling Green in 2014.
In addition to Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky., JEGS SPORTSnationals races have been held in Indianapolis, Houston, Belle Rose, La., Fontana, Calif. Las Vegas, and Hebron, Ohio.
Individual winners of this event will take home special edition copper-plated NHRA Wally trophies that are available only to JEGS SPORTSnationals winners.
Jimmy Scott, Dick Krieger, Paul Mercure, Bobby Warren, and Joe Moore, the winners of the inaugural JEGS SPORTSnationals race in 1974, has all been invited to return this year to be honored as Grand Marshals of the event. Longtime Division 3 Certification Team member Bill “Redman” Floyd will serve as the Honorary Starter for the race.
The JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals boasts a guaranteed purse of nearly $99,250, an all-time SPORTSnationals record. With contingency awards in excess of $275,000 and special bonus races, the total award posting approaches $380,000 – a dramatic increase over the $50,700 posted at the inaugural SPORTSnationals in 1974.
The JEGS SPORTSnationals will also include a very special event, the Tim Hebert/”Big Joe” Teuton Hemi “Chootout”. The race is open to competitors in the popular SS/AH class. The event is dedicated to the memory of Tim Hebert and “Big Joe” Teuton, two veteran Hemi racers from Louisiana, who have passed away.
There will also be traditional class eliminations for Super Stock and Stock racers as well as the Lucas Oil / K&N Filters Super Shootouts for the Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street classes. Racing action will culminate on Saturday evening with the 200-mph Racing RV's Top Dragster / Top Sportsman Fast Four competition and the C-Tech Manufacturing Comp Fast Four two round shootout.
To kick off the event’s return to Kentucky with proper Southern hospitality, JEGS, NHRA, and the Dallas Jones-family will be hosting a huge Southern cookout for all racers and crews in the “Shady Grove” pavilion adjacent to the pit area following Friday’s racing. In addition, Beech Bend Amusement Park and Splash Lagoon Water Park will be open Friday evening for a special JEGS Family and Friends Night.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers
JEGS SPORTSnationals
3 – JEGS Mail Order entries in action in Indianapolis
4 – JEGS SPORTSnationals wins for Mike Coughlin
7 – Facilities to host a JEGS SPORTSnationals event
30 – Years since the SPORTSnationals was last held at Beech Bend Raceway Park