| This year, the NHRA U.S. Nationals will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and one thing that has been a constant for the last six decades has been the familiar yellow and black colors of the JEGS Mail Order team. Coughlin family racers have enjoyed countless highlights at NHRA's oldest and most prestigious drag race, and here, ranked chronologically, are a few of the team's most treasured moments. |
| Jeg Coughlin Sr. drives to runner-up finish in Pro Comp (1975) Family patriarch Jeg Sr. began to cement his reputation as one of drag racing's early pioneers when he drove to a runner-up against "Ohio George" Montgomery at the 1959 NHRA U.S. Nationals, which were held in Detroit. After the event moved to its permanent home in Indianapolis, Jeg Sr. returned to the final in 1975 and drove to a runner-up result in the Pro Comp class. Racing his alcohol-fueled dragster, Jeg Sr. held his own against a tough field before dropping the final-round battle against fellow Hall of Famer Dale Armstrong. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3743″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Troy Coughlin wins first NHRA national event title (1991) Just a week after driving his Pro Stock-style Olds Cutlass to the Super Comp title at the Division 3 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Bowling Green, Ky., Troy claimed the first national event title of his career at Indy. Although his car was capable of running deep into the seven-second zone, he used an experimental throttle stop to slow the car to a consistent 9.90-second pace for Super Gas racing and advanced to the final, where he defeated Mary Ann Jackson for the title. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3744″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Indy win helps Jeg Coughlin Jr. clinch Super Gas title (1992) A year after older brother Troy won the Super Gas crown at Indy, Jeg Jr. accomplished a similar feat when he defeated Division 2 ace Sherman Adcock Jr. in the final round. The victory helped Jeg Jr. score crucial points necessary to win the first of his six NHRA world championships. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3745″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Mike Coughlin races to Pro Stock Truck title (1999) A few months after winning his first national event in Englishtown, N.J., Mike scored again when he defeated Scott Perin for the Pro Stock Truck title at Indy. Although he qualified 13th in the 16-truck field, Mike was able to win the final thanks to a nearly perfect .001 reaction time. His victory also represented a significant milestone for the Coughlin brothers, who combined to earn 25 wins in less than a decade. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3746″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Jeg Coughlin Jr. wins second Indy title, first in Pro Stock (2000) In the midst of a banner season that would end with his first NHRA Pro Stock world championship, Jeg Jr. won Indy for the second time when he drove past fellow Buckeye Ron Krisher with a 6.96 to 6.92 holeshot win in the final round. In the process, Jeg Jr. also became one of the few NHRA pros to win a national event from the No. 16 starting spot. Adding to the drama, older brother John earned a runner-up finish in the Pro Stock Truck class. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3747″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Another Indy Pro Stock Truck title for Mike Coughlin (2001) The Coughlin family claimed its fifth Indy title in 2001, and this time it was Mike who shouldered the load with an impressive drive to the Pro Stock Truck win. After qualifying in the No. 1 spot with a 7.46, Mike ran the table on Monday, including a 7.54 to 7.56 win over Randy Daniels in the final. For good measure, Mike also set top speed of the meet at 180.62 mph. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3748″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Another Indy win, another championship for Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2002) By now a familiar pattern has begun to emerge when Jeg Jr. earned another Pro Stock title at Indy and followed it with another world championship. In the midst of a late-season hot streak that included four wins in six events, Jeg Jr. used a pair of holeshots to defeat Allen Johnson and Jim Yates to win the Indy trophy. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3749″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Jeg Coughlin Jr. wins Mopar Hemi Challenge (2004) Making a guest appearance behind the wheel of Michael Ogburn's Harry Holton-prepared '68 Hemi Barracuda, Jeg Jr. scored a victory in the prestigious Mopar Hemi Challenge, a special event reserved exclusively for '68 Dodge Dart and '68 Plymouth Barracuda factory NHRA Super Stock cars. In the final round, he earned a narrow 8.79 to 8.80 win over Rick Houser to claim the $10,000 first-place prize from Mopar Performance and the U.S. Nationals SS/AH class title. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3750″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| Jeg Coughlin Jr. dominates 2009 season, wins fourth Indy title (2009) Jeg Jr. won seven national event titles in 2009, making it one of the most dominant seasons of his career, and he capped it off with his fourth victory at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. In one of the most thrilling final rounds of his career, he trailed opponent Greg Stanfield by .001-second at the start but made up .002-second on the racetrack to win by the thinnest of margins, 6.689 to 6.691. Coughlin's day also included wins over Greg Anderson, Rodger Brogdon, and Mike Edwards. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3751″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”481″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
| T.J. Coughlin continues family tradition with Indy Super Comp title (2010) Following a stunning driving performance where he was nearly perfect for eight rounds, Troy Jr. kept the family tradition alive at Indy by winning the U.S. Nationals Super Comp title. Racing against U.S. Army Sgt. Don O'Neal in the final, T.J. crossed the finish line first in his JEGS.com dragster, 8.92 to 8.95. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”3752″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”383″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”577″}}]] |
Team JEGS Top 10 NHRA U.S. Nationals Highlights
--30--
Media Note: Additional information is available at the following locations:
teamjegs.com
jegs.com
Facebook - JEGS Performance
Twitter - TeamJEGS
Twitter - JEGS Performance