Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Ill.) July 9-12
Six-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will return to national event competition at this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals. Coughlin Jr. will be racing his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in Stock Eliminator and his JEGS.com Corvette in Super Gas.
The JEGS Mail Order team will also be represented by third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr., who will take a break from his promising Pro Mod career to return to the seat of his JEGS.com Super Comp dragster. 00
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).
During his career, which began in 1997, Jeg Jr. has earned 15 top ten finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Jeg Jr. last won the Route 66 Nationals in 2013 in Pro Stock. At that event, he qualified No. 3 and defeated Greg Anderson in the final.
In 20 career appearances at Route 66 Raceway, Jeg has a round win record of 36-13 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Coughlin 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.
Including Route 66 Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk and Epping.
Jeg Jr is one of only four drivers, along with Peter Biondo, Scotty Richardson, and Justin Lamb, to win national event titles in six different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster. Jeg Jr. will have the opportunity to add a seventh class this weekend in Stock Eliminator.
Jeg Jr. is the only professional racer in the history of NHRA to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots.
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 won a pair of national events last season, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals.
Troy Jr. is also the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion. Last year, he finished No. 3 in the national standings out of nearly 1,000 competitors.
During his career, Troy Jr. has appeared in nine Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional final rounds and has claimed three victories.
In 2013, Troy Jr. was a runner-up in Super Gas at the NHRA North Central Division Lucas Oil Series race at Route 66 Raceway.
Although he has decided to concentrate primarily on the Pro Mod class this season, T.J. recently drove his Super Gas Corvette to a fourth round finish at the Lucas Oil Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
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 Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals will also be the site of the annual JEGS Allstars competition, which features 80 of the best racers from NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series from all over North America in a special competition that features individual and team championships.
The best racers in ten categories from each of NHRA's seven geographic regions compete for team and individual ¬honors and a share of more than $100,000 in prize money. Racers ¬accumulate points for the event at NHRA Lucas Oil divisional races prior to the competition. The winning team splits $20,000. A travel fund of $25,000 is included in the purse. Additionally, JEGS High Performance offers a ¬double-up bonus to any Allstars victor who also wins in his or her category at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr, and Troy Jr. has combined for 107 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 9 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers
Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals Edition
5 NHRA National event victories for third-generation racer T.J. Coughlin
9 Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
8 Final rounds for Jeg Jr. at Route 66 Raceway in Pro Stock (5 wins, 3 runner-up finishes)
24 Number of facilities where Jeg Jr. has won an NHRA national event title, including Route 66 Raceway
107 Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family