Heartland Motorsports Park (Topeka, Kan.) May 18-20
The JEGS Mail Order team will be well represented at this weekend’s Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals by six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., who will be racing in Pro Stock as a member of the Elite Motorsports team. He will be pulling double-duty this weekend by also racing the JEGS.com Corvette roadster in Super Gas.
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 Topeka. At the most recent event in Atlanta, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 6 and reached the quarterfinals.
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 seven events of the season, Jeg Jr. enters this week’s event at the No. 11 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class.
Jeg Jr. is a two-time Pro Stock winner in Topeka. In 2013, he drove to a final round win over Allen Johnson in an all-Mopar final round. Jeg Jr. also won the Pro Stock title at the 2000 Topeka event, driving his Team JEGS entry to a final round win over Darrell Alderman.
In addition to his two wins, Jeg Jr. also has a three runner-up finishes in Topeka. In 1998, his first appearance at Heartland Park Topeka as a professional, Jeg Jr. lost to Warren Johnson in that final. In 2014, Jeg Jr. was a runner-up to Allen Johnson and last year, he red-lighted in the final against rookie Tanner Gray.
Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field in 13 of his 17 appearances at Heartland Park Topeka including a best of No. 1 in 2000. Jeg has been the No. 1 qualifier 22 times in his career.
As a sportsman racer, Jeg Jr. won the Super Stock title in Topeka in 1994 and earned a runner-up finish in Competition Eliminator in 1997. That season, he set an NHRA record by winning national events in four separate classes; Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, and Super Gas.
In 17 career appearances at Heartland Park Topeka, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 28-14 in Pro Stock competition.
Including Heartland 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 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 412 events and has a round-win record of 613-338. He has red-lighted just 22 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
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 (Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals Edition
5 – Final rounds in Pro Stock for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Topeka
7 – Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver to do so)
10 – Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
101 – Holeshot wins by Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class (tops among NHRA pro drivers)
116 – Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family