Past E-town champion Coughlin positioned for more Pro Mod glory

Past E-town champion Coughlin positioned for more Pro Mod glory

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 30) — No matter how many times a drag racer wins, they seem to have an uncanny ability to remember every minute detail of each conquest. That’s certainly the case with Pro Mod driver Troy Coughlin, who revels in the memories of his 2005 triumph at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

“It was Father’s Day and my dad Jeg Sr., son T.J., and daughter Meghan were here with me, so pulling off that win under those circumstances was pretty darn special,” Coughlin said. “It was also my first win in a Pro Mod car, which added another dimension to the celebration. Overall, it was probably the most satisfying single day of racing I’ve ever had, and I’ll never forget it.”

With a Wally trophy on the line this time through, Coughlin returns to Old Bridge as part of the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx, which will be running at this weekend’s 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals.

“Pro Mods haven’t raced in five weeks so I’m sure everyone did the same thing we did, which was go home and get their racecars serviced and ready for the summer months,” Coughlin said. “Although it’s not supposed to be too hot this weekend, we went and tested in Atlanta to get a good baseline tune-up for the summer months. It was really hot there and our car responded well, relative to the conditions.

“Steve (Petty, crew chief) and the guys just about have this JEGS.com Camaro figured out and we think we know what to do with the turbocharger. Englishtown will be a really good chance to find out exactly where we are in relation to everyone else.”

If Coughlin has his way, he’ll create more good memories, like his win on Father’s Day, rather than the forgettable trip he made down the Old Bridge strip in 1997.

“I remember beating Warren Johnson in the first round and I was pumped up,” Coughlin said. “We had George Marnell next and were running a good race when the car turned right on me and went over onto it’s roof. The good news was no one got hurt and I managed to stay away from George, but the car wasn’t as shiny when they flipped it back over.

“We know what to do. We need a good hit in the first qualifying session Friday and then we’ll go from there. We only get three qualifying attempts in Pro Mod so it’s important not to waste any of them. If we want to celebrating again this weekend, we’re going to have to be perfect, just like we were back in 2005. We’re ready.”

Pro Mod qualifying begins with two sessions at 3:15 and 5:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a final qualifying round at 1:45 p.m. Saturday. The first round of eliminations is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Saturday and will resume with the quarterfinals at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

Coughlin ready to take his swings at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 29) — Drag Racing champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. grew up in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, and was fortunate enough to learn the game of golf at Muirfield Golf Club, the site of this weekend’s Memorial PGA Tournament. In fact, his father Jeg Coughlin Sr. went to high school with none other than tournament host and golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, a longtime friend of the Coughlin family.

Although golf and drag racing are two drastically different sports, Jeg Jr. says the lessons he learned on the links at Muirfield apply very well to his career behind the wheel of his 1,400-horsepower JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger, which he’ll wheel into this weekend’s 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

“You have to be patient in both sports,” Coughlin said. “You want to hit that 300-yard drive every time, just kill it, but maybe that’s not the best move. Same with drag racing; you want to set a world record every pass but some times it’s a better idea to just get the car down the racetrack and take the win light.

“We started a new team this year and although our group is very seasoned, we have to remember the basics every time we go up there to make a pass. We need to see what the track will give us and make a good run in Q1 and tune from there. We need to make four good passes in qualifying to put ourselves in position to win rounds on Sunday. We want to win as much as ever, but we need to be patient.”

Coughlin has tasted success at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on four occasions, with three wins in Pro Stock (2009, 2000 and 1998) and another victory in Super Gas in 1997. He also recorded runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2002.

“We feel like we’re building momentum,” Coughlin said. “Every motor we build at JNR comes out a little bit better than the last one and the guys on the crew are making the right adjustments on the chassis. We’re pecking away at it.

“Just like in a golf tournament, our first big goal this year is to make the cut for the Countdown to 1 playoffs. We have nine races left to earn a spot and we’re focused on that goal.

“Englishtown would be a great place to take a big step forward. We’ve won there before, the fans are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the sport and the facility hold legendary status for drag racers. It’s one of our majors. We’re not holding anything back.”

The first two rounds of Pro Stock are scheduled for 3:45 and 6:15 p.m. Friday, with two additional rounds at noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Eliminations should begin at noon Sunday. All action will be shown on ESPN2.

Cody Coughlin coming home to race JEGS.com stock car

Cody Coughlin coming home to race JEGS.com stock car

COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 24) – Cody Coughlin and the JEGS.com late model stock car team return home to race at Columbus Motor Speedway in this weekend’s CoughlinCars.com 100 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race.

Columbus is the home track for Coughlin and JEGS, which is based in nearby Delaware, Ohio. Columbus Motor Speedway is also where Coughlin, 16, began racing .25-midgets before moving to stock cars at the half-mile track.

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend,” Coughlin said. “I get to race in front of my home crowd, which is always neat. I expect there will be a lot a family members, friends and a bunch of people from JEGS there, too. I can’t think of a better place to get things going for us this year.”

The defending Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Coughlin finished 12th at Columbus a year ago in what was his second start on the JEGS series. Coughlin hopes to improve on that finish his second time around.

“I’ve always felt comfortable at Columbus Motor Speedway and the whole facility,” Coughlin said. “I’ve spent a lot of time there as a fan and have made a ton of laps around there, probably more than any other track.

“I can still remember the first time going through the gate when I was younger, and to think how far I’ve come in such a short period of time is pretty amazing. It would be great to be competitive there and run up front and hopefully challenge for a win.”

Coughlin and his entire family – dad John, mom Di and sister Kennedi – have been active at Columbus, a track that promotes family-style racing through the efforts of track owner Jeff Knuckles. The facility has been in the Knuckles family since the 1940s when John Knuckles and a group of motorcycle friends carved it out of the Ohio land. John’s son, James, took over in 1971, with James’ son, Jeff, currently running the facility.

“The Knuckles are a racing family, just like ours, and they always put the racers and fans first,” Coughlin said. “I feel truly blessed to represent JEGS and our family this weekend and I’m going to try my best to do everyone proud.”

Pit gates open at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in preparation for the 100-lap race. Practice is scheduled for 3 p.m., with qualifying at 6:15. The race program is slated to start at 7 p.m. and also includes local Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Stocks and Compacts.

Things starting to come together for Coughlin and JEGS.com race team

Things starting to come together for Coughlin and JEGS.com race team

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19) — Multi-time world champion and past Topeka winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. guided his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger to his second-best qualifying effort of the 2012 season Saturday at Heartland Park Topeka, earning the No. 11 starting spot in the 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals with a 6.661 at 206.70 mph.

It was a nice step forward for the new team, which came together just seven races ago. So far this year, Coughlin has a best finish of second place at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Overall, he is 4-5 on race day.

“We came out swinging much harder than we have in previous races,” Coughlin said. “We were a little sluggish early but our back-half numbers and our speed looked pretty decent. In Q2 last night, we picked up a little bit on our program and that’s what initially got us into the field. In Q3, we picked up our ET and moved up to 11th, even though our back half numbers slipped a little.

“But we’re in the game, and have some depth in our program. I feel confident behind the wheel of the car. The car has been driving really well, and I feel great behind the wheel. All of it gives us the bottom line of being able to have a great day.”

Coughlin won this event in 2000, a victory that helped catapult him to his first of four Pro Stock titles. To win Sunday, he’ll have to first get past Round 1 opponent V. Gaines, who qualified sixth with a 6.645 at 207.21 mph.

“We’ve got some consistency and momentum on our side,” Coughlin said. “We made four decent passes in qualifying. Our competitors see that and know that we’re going to hit the nail on the head sooner or later. They are just hoping they aren’t next to me when it happens. Maybe we’ll earn a little luck with that.

“I don’t think we’re earned much in 2012, but the name of the game is go up there and give it all you’ve got. Behind the wheel, I need to be steady, consistent and aggressive to pull off some round wins. We need round wins right now to build up the points and solidify a spot in the Countdown.”

Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. with the two nitro classes. Pro Stock should hit the track for Round 1 around noon. CDT.

Team JEGS / Pre-race Notes Dollar General NHRA Summer Nationals

 
Dollar General NHRA Summer Nationals

Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan.

May 18-20

In 2012, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is making his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after a one-year hiatus. Jeg is driving the all-new JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class. In his first outing since his return, he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

After the first seven rounds in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is ranked 12th in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings.

At the most recent NHRA event in Atlanta, Jeg competed in his 700^th elimination round as a professional racer. Overall, he has a round-win record of 477-223.

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 won the Pro Stock title at the 2000 Topeka event, driving his Team JEGS entry to a final round win over Darrell Alderman. Jeg also has a runner-up finish at this event in Pro Stock 1998, in his first appearance at Heartland Park Topeka as a professional. Jeg lost to Warren Johnson in that final.

As a sportsman racer, Jeg won the Super Stock title in Topeka in 1994 and earned a runner-up finish in Competition Eliminator in 1997. That season, he set an NHRA record by winning national events in four separate classes; Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, and Super Gas.

In 12 career appearances at Heartland Park Topeka, Jeg has a round win record of 18-10 in Pro Stock competition.

Jeg has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field in 9 of his 12 appearances at Heartland Park Topeka including a best of No. 1 in 2000. Jeg has been the No. 1 qualifier 17 times in his career.

Jeg will once again be pulling double-duty at the Topeka event as he will also be behind the wheel of his HEMI-powered JEGS.com Drag Pak Challenger in Stock Eliminator. Earlier this season, longtime family friend Jeff Taylor drove the same car to a win at the Gainesville Raceway Lucas Oil Series event.

During his hiatus from Pro Stock racing in 2011, Jeg returned to his roots and spent much of the year racing in various sportsman classes. He enjoyed tremendous success, winning the Super Comp title at the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif., and numerous major E.T. bracket racing titles.

At the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event earlier this year in Las Vegas, Jeg scored his 68^th career national event title when he drove his JEGS.com dragster to the Super Comp title.

In 290 career Pro Stock races, Jeg has reached the final round 85 times, recording 52 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg has won a total of 68 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 106 final rounds, 85 as a professional and 21 as a sportsman racer.

In 2010, his most recent season in Pro Stock competition, Jeg Coughlin won four Pro Stock races in seven final round appearances. He also claimed a win in the Top Dragster class at the St. Louis event.

Jeg’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.520-seconds and his best speed is 212.29-mph both recorded at the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C. in 2010.

With 52-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (73) have more titles.

Coughlin’s JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger is powered by Mopar Hemi engines supplied by JNR Racing, the JEGS in-house engine program founded by JEGS, Nick Ferri, and Roy Simmons. Former FIA European Drag Racing champion Tomi Laine is Jeg’s crew chief in 2012.

Jeg is the only driver in the 61-year history of NHRA 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.

Team JEGS – By the Numbers
Dollar General NHRA Summer Nationals Edition

4          Final rounds for Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Heartland Park Topeka (two in Pro Stock, one in Comp and one in Super Stock)

9          Number of classes where the Coughlin family has earned an NHRA national event victory

92         NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family

700       Rounds of competition for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock (with 477 wins against just 223 losses)

Johnson needs quickest Pro Stock pass of the weekend to get past Coughlin

 

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6) – Six feet is all that stood between JEGS.com Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. and a spot in the Pro Stock quarterfinals Sunday in the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

In the closest race of the round, the four-time Pro Stock champion was just a hair slower in the second half of his quarter-mile run to end up on the wrong side of his battle with No. 2 qualifier Alan Johnson.

Coughlin, a two-time Atlanta winner, posted a pass of 6.653 seconds at 208.52 mph to a 6.594 at 209.98 mph for Johnson.

“We definitely knew we needed to step it up overnight to have a chance against him,” Coughlin said. “He’s been at least .06 of a second quicker than us all weekend long. We’re optimistic we could get our car to step up a little bit, and we did. But he got some more out of his as well.

“I really felt confident I could be between .008 and .014 on the Tree. If I’d have done that, we may have pulled off the win.”

Coughlin was quick off the start, pulling a .032 to Johnson’s .073-second launch. That gave him the lead through half track, before Johnson took over, beating Coughlin to the finish line by .0187 – just two yards – with the quickest Pro Stock pass of the weekend.

“We’ve got a little bit of momentum going here,” Coughlin said. “Still not as much as we’d like but it’s growing. The car was showing some pretty good speeds and travel speeds were decent, but we’re still struggling at getting the car to accelerate real well off the line. To run 210 mph, we need some more horsepower, too.”

The JEGS.com crew will have a chance to get it going again in two weeks, when the NHRA rolls into Topeka, Kan., for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

“It’s Pro Stock at its finest right now, and we’re right in the middle of the rat race,” Coughlin said. “We’ve got to get our p’s and q’s lined up here. The season is dwindling away on us, and we want to get this car solidly in the top 10 for a good Countdown effort this fall.”

Two-time Atlanta champ Coughlin slowly moving in the right direction

 

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 5) – Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger team are pleased with the progress made at this weekend’s NHRA drag race at Atlanta Dragway.

The four-time Pro Stock champion made it in the Atlanta field in the No. 15 slot after a best run of 6.695 seconds at 207.62 mph. The two-time Atlanta winner will now face No. 2 qualifier Allen Johnson in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Johnson’s best lap was 6.613 seconds at 209.23 mph.

“We qualified for the show, which is always the first goal,” Coughlin said. “We’re still not where we want to be, but we are making progress. We have to remember that we’re a brand-new team and that things take time. It’s tough, because we’re happiest when we’re at the top of the sheets, but we’re finding our way along.”

Coughlin’s return to Pro Stock after a year’s absence has been difficult at times, despite his continued prowess on the Christmas Tree. Making his return tougher is the fact that the competition in Pro Stock is at an all-time high.

“As we look at the performance of our car through the different levels, compared with everyone else in the pack, it doesn’t seem like we’re running the times we should for our speeds,” Coughlin said. “So, we are working really hard to make our 60-foot times better, to get the car to be just a little bit more efficient down low.

“That has been out struggle here for a good part of the season. I’m not saying our horsepower can take us to the top of the pack, because it certainly cannot at this point, but I feel we should, at the very least, be running well into the mid-6.60s with a lot of the other good cars out here.”

Coughlin won this race in 2010 and 2000. He’ll begin his quest for a third Atlanta title against good friend Johnson, who he’ll be racing for the first time this season.

“We are in the field and we have a good competitor in the first round in Allen Johnson – a fellow Dodge driver,” Coughlin said. “Obviously he has been running extremely well the last year or two. We are going to have to get some more efficiency out of this car to have a chance. I honestly believe we can pick up three to four hundredths without a whole lot of problem.

“The hard part is that we haven’t done that yet. We really felt like we could this morning, and it didn’t pan out. We weren’t trying to swing for the fences in the heat, but just make a small step to try and improve what we did to the rest of the pack. But, gameday is a whole new deal, so we are looking forward to that.”

Coughlin continues to race his JEGS.com HEMI-powered Drag Pak Dodge Challenger in the Stock class, advancing to the third round Saturday.

“We built the car a couple of years ago to compete occasionally and it was really a pain in the rear at first, much like this new one I got,” Coughlin said. “It just wasn’t real consistent. So, over the winter we decided to work on the car pretty thoroughly, suspension-wise, and the car has been unbelievable ever since.

“It has been a lot of fun to drive. Fans love it and anyone who knows me knows I love it and I love bracket racing on top of that. So, this is right down my alley.”

Pro Stock eliminations will begin around noon. ESPN2 is carrying all the action with same-day coverage.

Team JEGS / Pre-race Notes NHRA Southern Nationals

Team JEGS / Pre-race Notes
NHRA Southern Nationals

Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Ga.

May 5-8

In 2012, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is making his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after a one-year hiatus. Jeg Jr is driving the all-new JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class. In his first outing since his return, he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

After the first six rounds in Pomona, Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Houston Jeg Coughlin Jr. is ranked 12th in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings.

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 Jr also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.

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 50^th 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 12 career appearances at Atlanta Dragway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has an 18-8 record in Pro Stock eliminations.

During his hiatus from Pro Stock racing in 2011, Jeg Jr returned to his roots and spent much of the year racing in various sportsman classes. He enjoyed tremendous success, winning the Super Comp title at the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif., and numerous major E.T. bracket racing titles.

At the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event last month in Las Vegas, Jeg Jr scored his 68^th career national event title when he drove his JEGS.com dragster to the Super Comp title.

In 289 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 85 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 106 final rounds, 85 as a professional and 21 as a sportsman racer.

In 2010, his most recent season in Pro Stock competition, Jeg Coughlin Jr won four Pro Stock races in seven final round appearances. He also claimed a win in the Top Dragster class at the St. Louis event.

Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.520-seconds and his best speed is 212.29-mph both recorded at the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C. in 2010.

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.

Coughlin’s JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger is powered by Mopar Hemi engines supplied by JNR Racing, the JEGS in-house engine program founded by JEGS, Nick Ferri, and Roy Simmons. Former FIA European Drag Racing champion Tomi Laine is Jeg Jr’s crew chief in 2012.

Jeg Jr is the only driver in the 61-year history of NHRA 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.

Prior to the Atlanta event, 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 once again be pulling double-duty at the Atlanta event as he will also be behind the wheel of his JEGS.com Drag Pak Challenger in Stock Eliminator. Earlier this season, longtime family friend Jeff Taylor drove the same car to a win at the Gainesville Raceway Lucas Oil Series event.

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

92         NHRA national event victories for the Coughlin family

 

477       Career round wins for Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock (against just 222 losses)

Texas test has Coughlin ready to start fresh in Georgia

Texas test has Coughlin ready to start fresh in Georgia

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 2) – Despite suffering some growing pains during the NHRA tour’s visit to Texas last weekend, the Lone Star State could very well be the place where Pro Stock veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr. turned his season around.

The four-time Pro Stock champion, a winner of 52 national events in the class, isn’t used to dealing with this much adversity, but a pair of DNQs on his early-season ledger has Coughlin and crew searching for answers as the series turns to Atlanta Dragway.

“Having a brand-new team, we expected some adversity, but I’ll admit it’s been tougher than I thought it would be,” Coughlin said. “Everyone on the team has won multiple championships, so we’re used to getting better results. They’ll come; we just need to be patient.”

Coughlin and crew kept their JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger in Houston for a Monday test session to get his season back on track as quickly as possible.

“We had a team meeting Saturday night and we all decided to stay and test Monday in Houston,” Coughlin said. “Jerry Haas, who built the car, and Adam Lambert from Penske, stayed with us to help. We basically decided to start the test with a clean sheet of paper and see what we could do.”

The team focused on improving their launches and immediately got to work on the suspension, shocks, springs and weight transfer to insure they could get maximum horsepower through to the track on the green light.

“We started with 1.02-second 60-foot times and progressively got better each run, which was really encouraging,” Coughlin said. “The track was deteriorating a bit from race day but we still learned a bunch that I think we’ll be able to take with us to Atlanta. I’m hoping we will look back at this test at some point in the future and say, ‘That’s where it all started.’”

Perfect timing because the Peach State is a place where Coughlin has had success in the past, racing to victories at Atlanta Dragway in 2000 and 2010.

Because of that success, Coughlin will be on hand Wednesday night – with other POWERade and Full Throttle era drag racing champions – for a private “Champions Dinner” at the Coca-Cola headquarters near Atlanta.

“It’s a special night,” said Coughlin, who has won three championships since Coca-Cola joined the NHRA. “Just to be a part of this dinner is something I cherish. It’s fun to talk with the other drivers that have won championships with Coca-Cola and it’s a nice to talk with the Coca-Cola executives away from the racetrack. Coca-Cola has been doing it right for more than 100 years and it’s neat to see how they built the company into such a global brand.”

Just as he has at two other national events this year, Coughlin will race his JEGS.com HEMI-powered Drag Pak Dodge Challenger in the Stock class this weekend in addition to his duties with the Pro Stock team.

Mike Coughlin moves closer to JEGS Allstars goal

Mike Coughlin moves closer to JEGS Allstars goal

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 29) – Mike Coughlin took a giant step towards his goal of qualifying for the NHRA North Central Division JEGS Allstars team with a strong semifinal finish at this weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series opener at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

Coughlin drove his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to three crucial round wins before dropping a close race against eventual runner-up Brian Stultz. Coughlin had a competitive .022 reaction time and ran right-on his 6.77 dial-in, but Stultz was quicker with a nearly perfect .004 light and won the round by just three-thousandths of a second.

Despite the loss the Stultz, Coughlin earned enough points with his performance to pass Donald Horne for the lead in the standings for the JEGS Allstars event, which will take place on June 30 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.

“I just got whipped by Brian, there’s no other way to put it,” Coughlin said. “I lost a good, close race. This class is tough and you’re going to have those races now and then. Losing was tough but I took over the lead for the JEGS Allstars, which is exactly what we wanted to do. That’s been my goal all along. I really want to be part of the Division 3 team this summer.”

Coughlin was especially pleased with the performance of his yellow and black Chevy, especially after qualifying in the No. 2 spot with a 6.70 seconds at more than 208 mph.

“We had pretty much the quickest car in the field and it went right down the track every time so obviously the work we did over the winter paid off,” Coughlin said. “It was cold and rainy this weekend but we had no problems. The car was flawless, which give me a lot of confidence heading into the summer months.”

Coughlin was not the only member of the JEGS team to enjoy a successful weekend as his sister-in-law Samantha Coughlin drove her JEGS.com dragster to a quarterfinal finish in the Super Comp class and third-generation racer Troy Coughlin Jr. posted a Round 4 finish in Super Comp.

Samantha’s day ended in Round 5 when she broke out by .007 seconds against Mike Lund.

“My car was perfect,” she said. “Like Mike, I also lost a tough race. When we left the starting line I felt like one of us was on time and I thought it was me, but unfortunately it was him. I just couldn’t get by but I’m still excited at how well we did. In my last three races here in Indianapolis, I’ve got two semifinal finishes and a quarterfinal.”

Advancing to the late rounds of the first Lucas Oil Series event of the year has also made Samantha re-think her game plan for the 2012 season. She is now contemplating a full schedule of Lucas Oil Series events.

“I’m very excited about the possibility of doing something in the points this year,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes for the next few races but this is a good start. I had a fun week racing with Mike and T.J. [Troy Jr.]. We all won some rounds and it always seemed like there was always a JEGS car in the staging lanes.”

Coming off a big win at last weekend’s high stakes E.T. bracket racing event at South Georgia Motorsports Park, Troy Jr. was looking for big things at Lucas Oil Raceway, the site of his first national event victory in 2010. After suffering a tough Round 1 loss in Top Dragster against low qualifier Troy Stone, Troy Jr. returned to win three rounds in Super Comp.

“My Top Dragster ran great but I just couldn’t judge [Stone’s] car at the finish line,” Troy said. “He’s just too fast. I couldn’t see him and then before I knew it he was ahead of me.

“In Super Comp, I was rolling along pretty well but I broke a rocker arm in the fourth round. I heard it on the burnout so I knew right away I was in trouble. Our cars are usually very reliable but when you’re dealing with 1,100-horsepower things are bound to happen every now and then. We’ll get it fixed and be ready for the next race.”