Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Ill.) May 30-June 2
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his pursuit of a sixth NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title (and seventh overall) at this weekend’s Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill. Jeg Jr. will once again be racing as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.
Jeg Jr. will be joined in Richmond by his nephew, Troy Jr., who will be racing the JEGS.com dragster in the Top Alcohol Dragster category and his niece, Paige, who is racing in Super Comp with her JEGS.com dragster.
Earlier this year in Phoenix, Jeg won his 62nd Pro Stock event and 81st overall when he defeated Matt Hartford in the final round. The final round represented the 1,000th round of professional competition for Jeg Jr.
More recently, Jeg Jr. was a semifinalist at the most recent Pro Stock event in Richmond, Va. After five events, he has a 6-4 record in elimination rounds and is currently ranked No. 6 in the championship standings.
Last season, Jeg Jr. finished at the No. 2 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class. He finished in the top ten for the 18th time in his career, which began in 1997.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is once again racing as a teammate to two-time world champ Erica Enders. The Elite team also includes Pro Stock racers Alex Laughlin and Rodger Brogdon. Jeg Jr.’s crew chief will be multi-talented Rickie Jones, who has extensive experience as a driver, chassis builder, and tuner. The Elite team also includes crew chiefs Rick Jones, Mark Ingersoll and Brian “Lump” Self, who regularly share data.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. has enjoyed tremendous success at Route 66 Raceway during his Pro Stock career with six victories and three runner-up finishes since 2002. Jeg Jr. is the defending event champ and his wins have come against Ron Krisher (2002), Greg Anderson (2003, 2013, 2018), 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 23 career appearances at Route 66 Raceway, Jeg has a round win record of 41-15 in Pro Stock competition.
At the 2008 Chicago event, Jeg Jr. qualified No. 1 in the Pro Stock field. It was one of 29 times in his career that Jeg Jr. has been the top qualifier in Pro Stock.
The JEGS Route 66 Nationals will also be the site of the 35th annual JEGS Allstars competition which will be held on Saturday, June 1. The JEGS Allstars is a special invitation race for competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. A field of 80 drivers from all across the North America will compete for individual and team honors and more than $150,000 in cash and contingency awards.
Including Route 66 Raceway, 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.
Jeg Jr.’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484 seconds and his best speed is 214.62 mph, both recorded in Gainesville in 2014.
Jeg 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 Jr. is the only driver to win national event titles in seven different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Top Dragster.
Jeg Jr. is the only professional racer in history to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots. During his Indy win in 2000, Jeg qualified No. 16.
With 62 Pro Stock wins in his career, Jeg Jr. ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Greg Anderson (91), and the late Bob Glidden (85) and have more titles.
In 434 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr. has reached the final round 108 times, recording 62 wins. Including his 19 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr. has won a total of 81 times, good for ninth place on NHRA's all-time list. During his career, Jeg Jr. has appeared in 133 final rounds, 108 as a professional and 25 as a sportsman racer.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 434 events and has a round-win record of 649-356. He has red-lighted just 24 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
Troy Jr. is a six-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won the U.S. Nationals in Super Comp in 2010 and also won the Indy Super Gas title in 2014. His other wins have come in Las Vegas (2009), Gainesville (2013), Columbus (2014) and Reading (2018).
Troy Jr. was crowned the 2018 North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion and finished the season as the No. 4 ranked driver in the country. He was also crowned the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
A week ago, Troy Jr. drove to a runner-up finish at the Northeast Region event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. It was his second final round in four starts this year including the Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals in Houston.
During his successful rookie season (2018) in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, Troy Jr. won four races and appeared in six final rounds. He won his first race when he drove his Rich McPhillips-owned dragster to the win at the NHRA Regional event in Norwalk. He later claimed additional regional wins in Cecil County, Md., and Bowling Green, Ky. He also won the national event in Reading, Pa. He recorded runner-up finishes at the Norwalk national event and the Regional event in Indianapolis.
During his career, the versatile Troy Jr. has raced in Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Pro Mod, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, E.T. Brackets, and Jr. Dragsters.
In addition to his success in NHRA events, Troy Jr. also is regarded as one of the sport's best E.T. bracket racers. He has accumulated several major victories including a $25,000 payday at the Atco Dragway Superbucks event and a $10,000 win the Spring Buck Blast at South Georgia Motorsports Park. He also won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.
Overall, the Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 122 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin's have won in 11 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers (Route 66 NHRA Nationals edition)
6 – Pro Stock wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Chicago
7 – Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver to do so)
11 – Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
104 – Holeshot wins by Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class (tops among NHRA pro drivers)
122 – Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family