Bandimere Speedway, (Denver, Colo.) July 18-20
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his title defense at this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo. Coughlin will be racing the new Dodge Dart that he debuted last March in Gainesville, Fla.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver as the third-ranked driver in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings. Jeg Jr. has appeared in four final rounds in the first 13 events of the season and has claimed victories in Atlanta and Englishtown.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. continues to race as a teammate to former NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson in 2014. Coughlin’s Dodge Dart is once again be powered by Hemi engines from Johnson’s J&J Racing team and will be tuned by Johnson’s crew chiefs Mark Ingersoll and Adam Hornberger.
On Thursday night, Jeg Jr. plans to be on hand in historic downtown Golden, Colo. For the annual Mopar Block Party, a pre-race gathering featuring numerous NHRA drivers, their race cars, and a Mopar-themed car show.
During his career, which began in 1997, Jeg Jr. has earned 14 top ten finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Jeg Jr. won back-to-back Pro Stock titles at Bandimere Speedway in 1998 and 1999, driving to a final round victory over Warren Johnson in 1998 and his brother, Troy Coughlin, in 1999. Jeg Jr. was also a runner-up at the 2011 Denver, race, losing to current teammate Allen Johnson and also a finalist in 2003, losing to Warren Johnson.
Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484-seconds and his best speed is 214.62, both recorded earlier this year in Gainesville behind the wheel of his new JEGS/Mopar Dodge Dart.
Jeg Jr. is one of just 16 professional racers to win 500 elimination rounds, rounds of NHRA competition, a feat he accomplished at the 2013 Topeka race. The only other Pro Stock drivers with 500 wins are Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, and Greg Anderson.
Jeg Jr is one of only three drivers, along with Peter Biondo and Scotty Richardson, 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. is the only professional racer in the history of NHRA to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots.
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.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. finished the 2013 season with four wins, four runner-up finishes and seven semifinals in 24 events. For the season, he finished with a 48-20 record in eliminations, second only to Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon, who finished with a 54-17 record.
In 14 career appearances at Bandimere Speedway, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 20-12 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Jr’s average qualifying position in Denver is No. 8. His best qualifying efforts came in 1999 and 2010 when he was No. 2. Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the field in eight of his 14 appearances in Denver.
Including Bandimere Speedway, 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.
In 13 races this season, Jeg Jr. has two wins, one runner-up finishes and two semifinals to his credit. His overall record for the year is 21-11.
With 58-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (74) have more titles.
In his 343 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 96 times, recording 58 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr has won a total of 74 times, tying him with Greg Anderson for eighth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr has appeared in 118 final rounds, 96 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.
Of Jeg Jr’s 554-career round wins in Pro Stock, 92 have come via a starting line holeshot, which is the most of any past or current NHRA Pro driver.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 343 events and recorded 554 round wins while incurring just 269 losses. He has failed to qualify just 16 times.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr. has combined for 104 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
Mopar Mile-High Nationals Edition
4 Final round appearances in Pro Stock for Jeg Jr. at Bandimere Speedway (2 wins, 2 runner-up finishes)
9 Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
20 Number of times Jeg Jr. has qualified No. 1 in a Pro Stock field
104 Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
823 Pro Stock elimination rounds for Jeg Jr. with 554 wins, 269 losses (.673-percent)