Atlanta Dragway / Commerce, Ga. (May 3-5)
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will once again pursue the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock championship in 2013. Jeg Jr. is driving the same JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger that carried him a ninth-place finish last season. It was the 13th time in his career that Jeg Jr. has finished in the top ten.
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 will be powered by engines from Johnson’s J&J Racing team and will be tuned by Johnson’s crew chiefs Mark Ingersoll and Jim Yates.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event tied for third place with Erica Enders-Stevens in the Pro Stock standings. Jeg Jr. has appeared in two final rounds in the first six events of the season. He trails current leader Mike Edwards by 82-points.
Last weekend at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, Jeg Jr. was the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock and reached the semifinal round. It was the 18th time in his career that he has led a Pro Stock field.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a two-time winner of the Atlanta event. He defeated Bruce Allen to win his first title in 2000 and defeated Allen Johnson in the final of the 2010 event, scoring his landmark 50th Pro Stock title. In addition to his two wins, Jeg Jr. was a runner-up in 2009 to Mike Edwards.
As a sportsman racer, Jeg Jr. also won the Competition Eliminator title in Atlanta in 1997.
In 13 career appearances at Atlanta Dragway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has an 18-9 record in Pro Stock eliminations.
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.
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 recent NHRA event, the Amalie Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
With 52-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (72) 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.
In 312 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 87 times, recording 52 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 68 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 109 final rounds, 87 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg has competed in 312 events and recorded 496 round wins while incurring just 244 losses. He has failed to qualify just 16 times.
On Wednesday, May, 1, Jeg Jr. will attend the annual Night of Champions event at the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. The special event recognizes all of the past professional champions in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Jeg Jr. will be accompanied by JEGS Director of Media & Motorsports Scott Woodruff
On Thursday, May 2, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Scott Woodruff will also travel to Talladega, Ala., for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This year’s inductees include NHRA team owner Don Schumacher, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, former NASCAR champion and current television analyst Rusty Wallace, and eight-time championship winning crew chief Dale Inman.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr. has combined for 95 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 Southern Nationals Edition
3 National event victories for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Atlanta Dragway (two in Pro Stock, one in Comp)
9 Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
18 Number of times Jeg Jr. has qualified No. 1 in a Pro Stock field
95 NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family