Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Ill.) June 26-29
Reigning NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his title defense at this weekend’s event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. Coughlin will be racing the new Dodge Dart that was debuted last March in Gainesville, Fla.
In his last four starts, Jeg Jr. has earned two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal, making him the winningest NHRA pro in that span. His round win record is 13-3 since winning the Atlanta race last month.
After appearing in three final rounds in the last five events, Jeg Jr. enters this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event as the second-ranked driver in Pro Stock. He trails leader Erica Enders-Stevens by 183 points.
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 career, which began in 1997, Jeg Jr. has earned 14 top ten finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Jeg Jr. is the defending event champion at the O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals. Last year, he qualified No. 3 and defeated Greg Anderson in the final.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. has enjoyed tremendous success at Route 66 Raceway during his Pro Stock career with five victories and three runner-up finishes since 2002. Jeg’s wins have come against Ron Krisher (2002), Greg Anderson (2003, 2013), Jason Line (2007) and Mike Edwards (2009). He has also finished runner-up to Kurt Johnson (2003 Spring event and 2008), and Jason Line (2005).
In 19 career appearances at Route 66 Raceway, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 35-12 in Pro Stock competition.
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.
After the first 11 events of the 2014 season, Jeg Jr. has a 19-9 record in Pro Stock elimination rounds. During last season’s championship run, Jeg Jr. had a 21-10 record after the first 11 events.
Including Route 66 Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Mello Yello tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk and Epping.
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 15 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.
Of Jeg Jr’s 552-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.
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.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 341 events and recorded 552 round wins while incurring just 267 losses. He has failed to qualify just 16 times.
In his 341 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.
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.
The JEGS Mail Order team in Chicago will also be represented by third generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be racing his JEGS.com dragster in Super Comp and his JEGS.com Corvette roadster in Super Gas.
Troy Coughlin Jr. is a three-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Last season, he drove his JEGS Corvette to a third-place finish in the national Super Gas standings out of nearly1,000 competitors.
The last time Troy Jr. raced at Route 66 Raceway, he was a runner-up in Super Gas at the NHRA North Central Division Lucas Oil Series race. He also has a runner-up in Reading, Pa. to his credit this season.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals will also be the site of the annual JEGS Allstars competition, which features 80 of the best racers from NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series from all over North America in a special competition that features individual and team championships.
The best racers in ten categories from each of NHRA's seven geographic regions compete for team and individual ¬honors and a share of more than $100,000 in prize money. Racers ¬accumulate points for the event at NHRA Lucas Oil divisional races prior to the competition. The winning team splits $20,000. A travel fund of $25,000 is included in the purse. Additionally, JEGS High Performance offers a double-up bonus to any Allstars victor who also wins in his or her category at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr, and Troy Jr. has combined for 102 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 Route 66 Nationals Edition)
7 Number of positions Jeg Jr. has gained in the Pro Stock standings in the last six events (9th to 2nd)
9 Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
8 Final rounds for Jeg Jr. at Route 66 Raceway in Pro Stock (5 wins, 3 runner-up finishes)
20 Number of times Jeg Jr. has qualified No. 1 in a Pro Stock field
24 Number of facilities where Jeg Jr. has won an NHRA national event title, including Route 66 Raceway
102 Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family
819 Pro Stock elimination rounds for Jeg Jr. with 552 wins, 267 losses (.674-percent)