ST. LOUIS  – The third national event of the six-race Countdown to the Championship takes place this weekend with the 10th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, and Troy Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, couldn’t be more excited.

“This is my first time in the Countdown and I can tell you that it’s a pretty intense atmosphere at the racetrack these days,” Coughlin said. “Pro Stock has always had the closest racing of any professional category and yet somehow it’s gotten even closer these last few events. It’s pretty insane and exciting, all at the same time.

“It’s fun to be in the thick of things every race and when the competition gets this tight it takes everything up another level. You know everyone is making great horsepower so it comes down to which driver gets off the clutch pedal and through the gears the quickest. Mistakes are magnified and win lights mean 1,000 times more than normal.”

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Mike Coughlin wants big finish at his last national event of 2021

CONCORD, NC – With the first of six Countdown to the Championship races in the books, Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. suddenly finds himself in the middle of the 2021 title chase. Having already moved up to sixth place overall, just 15 points out of third, Coughlin wants to continue his climb at this weekend’s 13th annual Dewalt NHRA Carolina Nationals at majestic zMax Dragway.

“This race weekend feels a little bigger than normal,” Coughlin said. “I mean, zMax already makes a race feel more important because it’s such a massive stadium and the stands are always packed. Now there’s 10 very good race teams all fighting for one prize, so the excitement is growing every single round.”

Adding to thrill of the weekend is the fact Troy Jr. will be racing alongside his three-time champion uncle Mike Coughlin, who will be contesting his last national event of the season in the JEGS.com Top Dragster.

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READING, PA – Sophomore Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. posted a very solid weekend at the 36th annual Mopar NHRA Nationals to start the six-race Countdown to The Championship with some upward momentum. Coughlin made a modest move from seventh to sixth place with his semifinal finish, but due to earlier losses by some of his rivals, he now finds himself just 15 points out of third place.

“It turned out to be a great weekend,” Coughlin said. “The guys had the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro running very strong and they certainly made the right adjustments for race day. The car was very fast.

“It’s a fun time of year with the Countdown underway and it always a good feeling when you’re able to move up the standings. My crew chief, Mark Ingersoll, along with Kyle Bates, Eric Luzinski, Kelly Murphy and Steven Hurley, they know what needs to be done to put us in a position to make a run at the title. This Elite team has been doing exactly that for years.”

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DELAWARE, OH – Continuing a partnership started by his six-time world champion uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., sophomore Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. will be promoting Universal Parks and Resorts during a key stretch of NHRA national events taking place in Reading, Pa., Charlotte and St. Louis.

“It’s so cool to have the Universal Parks and Resorts livery on our JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro for the first three races of the Countdown to the Championship,” Troy Jr. said. “With so much excitement about the playoffs this year, we’re expecting the largest TV audiences of the season, including quite possibly the largest drag racing audience ever for the Charlotte event because that race immediately follows an NFL game on FOX.

“I personally am very pumped up about this because we’ve been going to Universal Parks and Resorts for years as a family and now that Brenna (wife) and I are parents, we’re already looking forward to taking our little girl there.”

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READING, PA – Although this is Troy Coughlin Jr.’s second year in the Pro Stock ranks, this is his first time contesting the Countdown to the Championship, a magical time he’s determined to enjoy with hisJEGS.com Elite Motorsports teammates.

Only the top-10 drivers in each professional category get a chance to chase the title during the six-race Countdown. Last year, due to COVID, the popular playoff system was scrapped, denying drivers and fans alike a chance to ramp up the excitement. This year, the pressure and drama are back, and Coughlin couldn’t be happier.

“Let’s go!” he said. “It’s time to rock ‘n’ roll.

“It’s my first Countdown and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the field and, more importantly, to be headed into the battle with this incredible group. Mark Ingersoll, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates, those are the guys that make it all work and I wouldn’t want to race with anyone else.”

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Indianapolis, IN – “It was pretty surreal when I won in 2010 because I knew my dad (Troy Sr.) had won Super Gas there in 1991 when I was a baby. To join Pops, my Uncle Mike (who won Indy in Pro Stock Truck in 1999 and 2001), and my Uncle Jeg (a five-time Indy winner in a variety of classes), was such a special feeling.”

Currently seventh in the Pro Stock rankings with a pair of final-round showings, Troy Jr. needs another solid weekend in his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to secure his spot in this year’s Countdown to the Championship.

“This is the final race before the playoffs so we’re looking to continue the momentum we’ve gained and make a great run at the championship,” Troy Jr. said. “If I can get off the pedal when I’m supposed to then I know we can contend because Mark Ingersoll (crew chief), Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates always give me a great racecar. They are so efficient and professional, it’s exciting to be around them.”

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HEBRON, OH – A record number of seven members of Team JEGS will be participating in this year’s recently-added JEGS Performance Summer Fling presented by Optima Batteries at National Trail Raceway, the home track of the famous Coughlin clan.

From six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., to 20-year-old rookie Super Comp driver Jack Coughlin, the entire yellow-and-black contingent will be fighting for glory throughout the four-day, action-packed meet.

Jeg Jr. will be doubling-up each day, as he plans to compete in both his JEGS.com dragster and the crowd-favorite JEGS.com Chevy II wagon.

A student at Ohio State University, Jack will allow his father Mike, a three-time Division 3 champion, to pinch-hit for him until he breaks free from his classes later in the week.

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TOPEKA, KS – Troy Coughlin Jr. became the fourth member of his legendary family to earn the No. 1 qualifier designation, highlighting a steady race weekend that ended with a third-place finish in the Pro Stock category.

Coughlin coaxed a 6.600-second pass at 205.07 mph out of his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Saturday to edge points leader Greg Anderson out of the top qualifying position. That placed the 31-year-old, third generation pro alongside his six-time champion uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., his three-time champion father Troy Coughlin and his three-time divisional champion uncle Mike Coughlin as family members who have topped a pro field at an NHRA national event.

“All the credit in the world goes to this team,” Troy Jr. said. “Our crew chief Mark Ingersoll, along with Steven Hurley, Kelly Murphy, Kyle Bates and Eric Luzinski earned that No. 1 qualifier, for sure. Their relentless pursuit of perfection yielded the results they deserve. I just wish I could have carried that momentum all the way through race day.”

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TOPEKA, KS – Whether he’s on the drag strip executing 210-plus mph runs in the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro or relaxing in the pits mingling with the fans, Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. is a pretty unflappable guy. His steady demeanor has yielded three championships in the NHRA’s sportsman ranks as well as eight national event titles, 10 divisional wins and four high-dollar bracket race victories.

Heading into this weekend’s 32nd annual Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, Coughlin Jr. knows if he can remain cool as the competition (and summertime temperatures) continue to heat up, he’ll be in great shape when the run into this year’s Camping World NHRA Championship takes shape.

“I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense,” Coughlin Jr. said. “It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things.

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SONOMA, CA – Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr.’s first trip out west this season yielded a stout semifinal finish at Sunday’s 33rd annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals. His successful Wine Country weekend included a holeshot round-win over reigning four-time class champion Erica Enders, his teammate at Elite Motorsports.

“These are the kind of weekend’s that make you better,” Coughlin said. “We didn’t get the ultimate result we are looking for but we continue gain rhythm as a team and if I can find a better way to let out the clutch pedal we’ll reach all our goals.

“My crew chief, Mark Ingersoll, along with Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley and Kyle Bates, never stop working on making this JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro better and it showed this weekend. We have everything here to win and I’m already looking forward to next weekend in Pomona.”

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