Pacific Raceways (Kent, Wash.) Aug. 1-3
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his title defense at this weekend’s O’Reilly Northwest Nationals in Kent, Wash. Coughlin Jr. will be racing the new Dodge Dart that he debuted last March in Gainesville, Fla.
Last week at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, Jeg Coughlin Jr. drove his HEM-powered Dodge Dart to a semifinal finish in Pro Stock. Jeg Jr. defeated Deric Kramer and Greg Anderson before losing to V. Gaines. Coughlin also defeated Kramer and Anderson two weeks ago en route to a runner-up finish in Denver.
Jeg Jr. enters this weekend’s NHRA O’Reilly Northwest Nationals as the fourth-ranked driver in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings. Jeg Jr. has appeared in five final rounds in the first 15 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.
During his professional career, which began in 1997, Jeg Jr. has earned 14 top ten finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class. He has already clinched a berth in the 2014 Countdown to the Championship, which guarantees a 15th top ten finish.
Jeg Jr. won the 2002 NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, driving to a final round victory over Mark Whisnant. Jeg Jr. also has runner-up finishes in Seattle in 2013 and 2000. Last year, he lost to Vincent Nobile and in 2000 he was defeated by Richie Stevens. In all three seasons Jeg. Jr. went on to be crowned world champion.
In 14 career appearances in Seattle, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 14-13 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Jr. has qualified 12th or better in all 14 previous appearances at Pacific Raceways including a best of No. 3 in 2000.
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 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.
Including Pacific Raceways, 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 15 races this season, Jeg Jr. has two wins, two runner-up finishes and three semifinals to his credit. His overall record for the year is 26-13.
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 345 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 97 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 119 final rounds, 97 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.
Of Jeg Jr’s 559-career round wins in Pro Stock, 93 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 345 events and recorded 559 round wins while incurring just 271 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 (O’Reilly Northwest Nationals Edition)
3- Final round appearances in Pro Stock for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Pacific Raceway (1 win, 3-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
830 – Pro Stock elimination rounds for Jeg Jr. with 559 wins, 271 losses (.673-percent)