Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis (May 1-3)
There will be two JEGS Mail Order cars entered in this weekend’s Ray Skillman Auto Group NHRA Spring Spectacle of Speed including Mike Coughlin in Top Sportsman and Troy Coughlin Jr. in Super Gas. The event is the first of six races in the North Central Division NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Troy Coughlin Jr. will be returning to the Super Gas class for the first time in 2015 after a successful debut in the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. After two events, Troy Jr. has appeared in two semifinal rounds and is ranked No. 2 in the championship points standings behind Don Walsh Jr.
Mike Coughlin has completed three Top Sportsman events thus far in 2015, with his best finish a quarterfinal result at the Amalie NHRA Gatornationals. This is the first season that competitors in Top Sportsman are competing for a national championship.
Mike will be once again racing his Jerry Haas-built Camaro in the Top Sportsman class. The car uses a Sonny Leonard-built engine and is capable of 6.4-second runs at speeds of more than 210 mph. Mike’s crew consists of Greg Cody and Tony Collier.
All told, the Coughlin family has won 54 Lucas Oil Series races in 81 final-round appearances.
Collectively, the Coughlin family has appeared in 11 final rounds at the Indianapolis Lucas Oil Series event, winning nine times.
Mike is a two-time winner of the Top Sportsman class at the Indy event. In 2008 he defeated Tim Kirman in the final round and in 2011 he drove his JEGS.com entry to a final round victory over Billy Thoman.
In 2008, Mike and his older brother John both found the winner’s circle at Lucas Oil Raceway when John claimed the Super Stock title and Mike won in Top Sportsman.
The Coughlin family also won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway nine times. In addition to Jeg Jr.’s four Pro Stock wins, his brother Troy won the Super Gas title in 1991, Mike collected two wins in the Pro Stock Truck class in 1999 and 2001, and Troy Jr. claimed the Super Comp title in 2010 and Super Gas in 2014. In addition, John won the U.S. Nationals as a car owner in 2005 when Brad Plourd drove his JEGS Mail Order dragster to the Super Comp title.
Jeg Coughlin Sr., Jeg Coughlin Jr., and John Coughlin have each won four North Central Division season championships while Mike Coughlin has two and T.J. Coughlin has one for a total of 15.
The Coughlin’s have won Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events in nine different classes: Top Fuel, Pro Comp, Super Eliminator, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman.
The Coughlin’s have won Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events at 20 different tracks across North America including races in six of NHRA’s seven geographic divisions. They have not won in Division 6, the Pacific Northwest.
Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. won his first Lucas Oil Series event when he claimed the 1969 Super Eliminator title at Windsor Dragway in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Troy Jr. is currently ranked third in Super Gas in the battle to secure a spot in the JEGS Allstars Competition later this summer. Troy Jr. has 249 points and is chasing leader Luke Bogacki, who has 301. Should Bogacki lose in round one, Coughlin can earn a spot on the team by reaching the final.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers (NHRA North Central Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Indianapolis Edition)
2 JEGS Mail Order entries in action in Indianapolis
9 Divisional wins in Indianapolis for the Coughlin family in 11 final rounds
15 Total North Central Division championships for the Coughlin family
54 Total NHRA Divisional wins for the Coughlin family