Sonoma Raceway (Sonoma, Calif.)
July 26-28
Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters this weekend’s NHRA National event in Sonoma 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 14 events of the season and has claimed victories in Topeka and Joliet.
Following last weekend’s Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Jeg Jr. has officially clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship, the six race playoff that will determine the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello champions.
Jeg Jr. has recorded two Pro Stock wins in Sonoma. He defeated Greg Anderson in the final round in 2003 and Jason Line in the 2010 finals. In addition to his two wins, Jeg Jr. has a runner-up at the 2008 Sonoma race, losing to then-teammate Dave Connolly in the final.
In 13 career appearances in Sonoma, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 21-11 in Pro Stock competition.
Jeg Jr. qualified No. 1 at the 2001 Sonoma Nationals; He has qualified in the top spot 19 times in his Pro Stock career. In 13 career appearances in Sonoma, Jeg Jr. has qualified in the top half of the field eight times and his average starting position is No. 7.
The JEGS Mail Order team made a major change to their Pro Stock program this winter when Jeg Jr. joined forces with reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson. This year, Coughlin’s Dodge is powered by HEMI engines from Johnson’s J&J Racing team and is tuned by Johnson’s crew chiefs Mark Ingersoll and Jim Yates.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a four-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2008. As a sportsman driver, Jeg also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.
During his victory earlier this year at Heartland Park Topeka, Jeg Jr. became just the 12th professional racer to win 500 rounds of NHRA competition. He joins fellow pros John Force, Warren Johnson, Kenny Bernstein, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Bob Glidden, Greg Anderson, Kurt Johnson, Joe Amato, Cory McClenathan, and Tony Pedregon in that exclusive club.
With 54-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (74) have more titles.
Jeg Jr. is one of only two drivers, along with Peter Biondo, 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.
Of Jeg Jr’s 511-career round wins, 85 have come via a starting line holeshot, which is the most of any past or current Pro Stock driver.
In 14 races this season, Jeg Jr. has two wins, two runner-up finishes and four semifinals to his credit. His overall record for the year is 26-12.
Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.487-seconds and his best speed is 213.23-mph both recorded at the 2013 Amalie Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Including Sonoma Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 23 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Full Throttle tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk, Charlotte, and Epping.
In 320 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 89 times, recording 54 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 70 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 111 final rounds, 89 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr. has combined for 97 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 (NHRA Sonoma Nationals Edition)
3 Final round appearances in Pro Stock for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Sonoma Raceway (two wins and one runner-up)
5 World championships for Jeg Coughlin Jr. (four in Pro Stock and one in Super Gas)
9 Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
19 Number of Pro Stock events where Jeg has been the No. 1 qualifier in his career (including the 2001 Sonoma race)
97 NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
511 Round wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class.