Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park (Chandler, Ariz.) February 22-24
SPECIAL NOTE: Should Jeg Coughlin Jr. reach the Pro Stock final in Phoenix, it will mark his 1,000th round of NHRA Pro Stock competition. He has currently appeared in 996 rounds.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his pursuit of a sixth NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title (and seventh overall) at this weekend’s Magic Dry Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chander, Ariz. Jeg Jr. will once again be racing as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.
Last season, Jeg Jr. finished at the No. 2 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class. He finished in the top ten for the 18th time in his career, which began in 1997.
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 Alex Laughlin and Rodger Brogdon. Jeg Jr.’s crew chief will be 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.
During his career, Jeg Jr. has won the Pro Stock title twice in Phoenix. He claimed his first win in 2000 by beating Mark Pawuk in the final round and stopped Kurt Johnson to win his second title in 2009.
As a sportsman driver, Jeg Jr. also won the Super Stock title in Phoenix in 1995. He returned in 1997 to claim the Comp title at the track’s Division 7 Lucas Oil Series event.
In 18 previous appearances at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park Jeg Jr. has a win-loss record of 23-16 in Pro Stock Competition.
In his 18 appearances in Phoenix, Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the field 11 times including a best of No. 3 (2004).
Jeg Jr.’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484 seconds and his best speed is 214.62 mph, both recorded in Gainesville in 2014.
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.
Including Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, 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 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 61 Pro Stock wins in his career, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Greg Anderson (91), and the late Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 430 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 107 times, recording 61 wins. Including his 19 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 80 times, good for ninth place on NHRA's all-time list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 132 final rounds, 107 as a professional and 25 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 430 events and has a round-win record of 643-353. He has red-lighted just 24 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Overall, the Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 121 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 (Magic Dry NHRA Arizona Nationals Edition)
3 – Phoenix wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2 in Pro Stock, 1 in Super Stock)
7 – Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver to do so)
11 – Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
103 – Holeshot wins by Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class (tops among NHRA pro drivers)
121 – Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family