Virginia Motorsports Park (Richmond, Va.) June 8-10
The JEGS Mail Order team will be well represented at this weekend’s Virginia NHRA Nationals by a host of team cars including six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., his brother, Troy, nephew, Troy Jr. and niece, Paige. Jeg Jr. will be racing in Pro Stock as a member of the Elite Motorsports team and, also competing in Super Comp in his JEGS.com dragster. Troy is making his return to the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod series while his son, Troy Jr. and daughter, Paige, will be joining their uncle, Jeg, in Super Comp.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. will continue his pursuit of a sixth NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock title (and seventh overall) at this weekend’s event in Richmond. At the most recent event, the JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, Jeg Jr. won his 59th career Pro Stock race and 77th race overall after beating Greg Anderson in the final round.
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 Vincent Nobile and Alex Laughlin. Jeg Jr.’s crew chief is 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.
After the first nine events of the season, Jeg Jr. enters this week’s event at the No. 10 ranked driver in the Pro Stock class.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. has raced in the Pro Stock class three times in Richmond including a win at the 2000 event where he qualified No. 3 and defeated Jim Yates in the final round.
In three career appearances at Virginia Motorsports Park, Jeg Jr. has a round win record of 6-1 in Pro Stock competition.
Including Virginia Motorsports Park, 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. 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 NHRA’s all-time leader in holeshot victories with 101.
During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr. has competed in 414 events and has a round-win record of 617-339. He has red-lighted just 23 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
As a sportsman racer, Jeg Jr. has won 18 times including two in the Super Comp class. He won at the 2011 JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif., and again at the 2012 Las Vegas event.
Three-time champion Troy Coughlin will be returning to the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod series. Troy will be wheeling a turbocharged Mustang that is tuned by Steve Petty and powered by engines from Proline Racing.
Troy’s most recent appearance in the Pro Mod class came in Las Vegas last November. He finished that event with a runner-up finish to Steve Jackson but earned enough points to clinch his third Pro Mod series championship.
Troy will debut a new JEGS.com Pro Mod Mustang that is tuned by noted turbocharger expert Steve Petty. Having run over 260 mph in last year’s Corvette, Troy is one of the fastest drivers in the Pro Mod class. He has also recorded a personal best elapsed time of 5.766-seconds.
Troy won his first NHRA national event title at the U.S. Nationals in 1991 when he drove his Pro Stock-style Olds to the win in Super Gas. Troy defeated Mary Ann Jackson in the final. Troy’s first Pro Mod victory came at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey in 2005 when as he drove his supercharged Mustang to as win over Zack Barkledge in the final round.
Troy is one of the few Pro Mod competitors who have raced all three current engine combinations; turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous oxide-assisted.
Before moving to the Pro Mod class, Troy enjoyed success in the NHRA Pro Stock class, recording two wins in 12 final round appearances. He also won the $50,000 top prize at the 2000 Winston No Bull Showdown at Bristol Dragway, a special non-points event for Pro Stock competitors.
All told, Troy has 15 NHRA national event wins in Pro Mod, Pro Stock and Super Gas competition.
Troy is a former National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Pro Street champion. While racing his Pro Street car, he also won the $50,000 Big Dog event at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.
Troy Jr. is a five-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. Troy Jr. won Super Comp titles at the 2009 Las Vegas race and the 2010 U.S. Nationals and the Gainesville event in 2013. He also won a pair of national events in 2014 at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals.
Troy Jr. was the 2013 NHRA North Central Division Super Gas champion.
Troy Jr. recently won his first Top Alcohol Dragster race when he drove his Rich McPhillips-owned dragster to the win at the NHRA Regional event in Norwalk, Ohio.
Las month, Troy Jr. raced in the NHRA Northeast Region event in Virginia Motorsports Park and recorded a personal best of 5.252, 278.23 in the Top Alcohol Dragster class.
Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in the Top Alcohol Dragster class (then known as Pro Comp) in the 1970s including six divisional event wins and the 1976 Division 3 Pro Comp championship. He was also a finalist at the 1975 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
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. Two weeks ago, he won a $20,000 race at the Powerball of Bracket Racing event in Darlington, S.C.
Paige, 17, made her debut in the Super Comp class last year and competed in her first national event, the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte earlier this season. She reached the second round of the Division 3 opener in Columbus. Her crew chief is Justin Beaver
Paige is the daughter of three-time NHRA Pro Mod series champion Troy Coughlin. She is a freshman at Miami [Ohio] University.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr. and Troy Jr. have combined for 117 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin's have won in nine different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
Team JEGS – By the Numbers (Virginia NHRA Nationals Edition)
4: Members of the Coughlin family entered in the event in five classes
7: Different classes where Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event title (the only driver in history to do so)
10: Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory
17: Top-10 finishes for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the Pro Stock class since 1998
117: Combined NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family