GAINESVILLE, FL – The fledgling Pro Stock career of third-generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. received a boost Sunday when he guided the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a runner-up finish at the season-opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. It marked the second time in just nine starts Coughlin has reached the trophy round in the category.

“This was a good way to start the season and it shows the professionalism of the Elite Motorsports team,” Coughlin said. “We rolled into Florida two weeks ago and right out of the trailer we were strong. We’ve been making great passes almost every round since.

“It was very warm today and the track was difficult to deal with. We had a little jump on Greg Anderson in the final and I felt like we could have won the round but we had pretty severe tire shake almost right away. Greg’s car shook a little also but he was able to drive through it and get the win. Aside from that, we had a lot of fun.”

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GAINESVILLE, FL – Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. and his uncle Mike Coughlin will be searching for hides at this weekend’s 51st annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

Troy Jr., who assumed the seat of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the off-season after his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. retired, will be considered one of the favorites for this historic race after a strong outing at last weekend’s non-sanctioned World Doorslammers Nationals in Orlando.

Against a stacked field of the sport’s best Pro Stock racers, most of whom are also competing at the Gatornationals, Troy Jr. qualified third with a 6.540 at 210.41 mph. He then drew NHRA champion Bo Butner in Round 1 and managed to improve his best mark to 6.537 at 210.37 mph to Bo Butner’s 6.548 at 211.63 mph. Tire shake in Round 2 ended his day, but the entire team was very encouraged by the outing.

“It was great to finally get in the car and make some passes,” Troy Jr. said. “To perform as well as we did was a real bonus. I’m actually not surprised because this team is full of champion-level people from top to bottom. The only thing that’s changed is me so I’m concentrating all my energy into being the best driver I can be.

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GAINESVILLE, FL – Three-time Division 3 champion Mike Coughlin will bring his 38-years of drag racing experience to this weekend’s “Baby Gators” event at Gainesville Raceway with hopes of securing a 30th career victory. If he doesn’t score this weekend, then he’ll quickly get another chance at next weekend’s regular Gatornationals event.

Coughlin will be competing in Top Dragster, a class he dominated and won in 2019 in the North Central Division. He’ll be joined in the JEGS pit by the decorated duo of Jeff Taylor and Danny Nelson, who are helping the team shakedown two hot rods for Mike’s sons Clay and Jack.

“It’s a new year and a very exciting one for me as we prepare to add my boys to the team,” said Coughlin, who also captured D3 championships in Top Sportsman in 2007 and 2009. “They’re caught up in school at the moment, which gave us a great opportunity to break-in their cars with a couple of true pros in Jeff and Danny. I’m very appreciative of their help and it’ll be fun racing with them.

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ORLANDO, FL – Troy Coughlin Jr.’s first duty as the primary driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is defending the title of the second annual CTech Manufacturing World Doorslammer Nationals presented by JEGS, which takes place this weekend at Orlando Speed World Raceway.

At last year’s inaugural event, Coughlin’s uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. emerged victorious from a stacked field of Pro Stock superstars to claim the trophy. But Jeg Jr. has since retired, handing the steering wheel of the headline-grabbing JEGS.com hot rod to his talented nephew.

“It’s an absolute honor to take Uncle Jeg’s place in this car and as the defending champs of this really cool event,” Troy Jr. said. “He’s a legend in this sport and one of my all-time heroes and he left us in great shape to contend for round wins and race wins right out of the trailer.

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ORLANDO, FL – Troy Coughlin Jr.’s first duty as the primary driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is defending the title of the second annual CTech Manufacturing World Doorslammer Nationals presented by JEGS, which takes place this weekend at Orlando Speed World Raceway.

At last year’s inaugural event, Coughlin’s uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. emerged victorious from a stacked field of Pro Stock superstars to claim the trophy. But Jeg Jr. has since retired, handing the steering wheel of the headline-grabbing JEGS.com hot rod to his talented nephew.

“It’s an absolute honor to take Uncle Jeg’s place in this car and as the defending champs of this really cool event,” Troy Jr. said. “He’s a legend in this sport and one of my all-time heroes and he left us in great shape to contend for round wins and race wins right out of the trailer.

“There’s a huge excitement level for this race. It’s the very best of the NHRA going up against all the top door-slammer drivers from across the country. Whenever you have a race where the winner takes home $75,000, you’re gonna bring out all the big hitters. It feels like a huge bracket race with a healthy dose of the outlaw culture. It’s a different kind of spark, and I’m enjoying it.”

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DELAWARE, OH – In what could be described as the epitome of NHRA drag racing’s next generation moving to the forefront, Troy Coughlin Jr. will become the lead driver for Team JEGS in 2021 and beyond, driving the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro tuned by Rickie Jones.

Just one year after the inception of the Pro Stock class 50 years ago, JEGS Automotive joined the battle with company founder Jeg Coughlin Sr. grinding gears in his JEGS-sponsored car. Troy Coughlin Sr., one of Jeg Sr.’s four sons who now own and operate JEGS, was next to contest the factory hot rod class, running various yellow-and-black hot rods from 1994-2004. Then came Jeg Coughlin Jr., who won five world titles and 65 races in the class during a 24-year professional career.

Now it’s Troy Jr.’s turn to carry on the tradition set forth by his grandfather, dad and uncle, driving the same RJ Racecars Camaro owned by Mark Stockseth that Jeg Jr. drove to three wins this past season.

“Competing in Pro Stock is who we are,” Troy Jr. said. “My dad, his dad, my uncle Jeg, it’s a pretty incredible legacy to follow and I couldn’t be more humbled and honored to move it forward.

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LAS VEGAS – Third-generation driver Troy Coughlin Jr. concluded his first year in the Pro Stock class Sunday with a quarterfinal finish at the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals. Coughlin trounced Chris McGaha in the opening round of action at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before dropping a nail-biter to newly re-crowned world champion Erica Enders in Round 2.

“I’m very grateful for the incredible opportunity I’ve had to race with Elite Motorsports this year,” Coughlin said. “This is such a class organization with the best crewmen in the sport and it’s no surprise to me to see the team win another Pro Stock championship. Congrats to everyone, especially Erica Enders and her guys, and thank you for letting me be a part of it all.”

After winning back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster regional championships in the last two seasons, Coughlin moved to Pro Stock this year to race alongside his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., who retired from full-time competition at the conclusion of Sunday’s race. Prior to his successful stint in Top Alcohol Dragster, Coughlin raced in Top Fuel, Pro Mod, Top Dragster and Junior Dragster. Even while racing Pro Stock this year, he continues to compete in Super Comp and Super Gas and at various E.T. Bracket events.

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LAS VEGAS – Poker players in Las Vegas like to say all they need to win is a chip and chair. Less than two rounds off the championship lead entering a race that awards points and a half, five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has more than a single chip to throw in the pot, but in true Glitter Gulch style he still wouldn’t mind a visit from Lady Luck at this weekend’s 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals.

“This is a final hurrah in many respects,” said Coughlin, who will retire from full-time competition after this event. “There are three of us in the hunt for this championship, two from Elite Motorsports with Erica (Enders) and myself, and I know how much we’d all love to close out with a bang.

“Having two horses in the race is a real credit to everyone at Elite. Richard Freeman (team owner) has put together an incredible group of the very best mechanics, crew chiefs and engine builders in the sport. Hopefully we can finish 1-2 again. Obviously, if you talk to me, I want to be the champ, and if you talk to Erica, she’s anxious to win it as well, but we also root for each other. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Both Coughlin and Line find themselves 55 points in arrears to Enders, the reigning and three-time series champion. NHRA officials decided to up the drama by awarding points and a half in Vegas, so there are multiple scenarios where Coughlin can regain the points lead he held earlier this season.

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HOUSTON – A strong runner-up result at Sunday’s 33rd annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil lifted five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. into a tie for second place with Jason Line, just 55 markers behind leader Erica Enders. There is only one race left, but since it awards points and a half, Coughlin is still very much alive in the title chase.

“We’re definitely giving it a go in these late stages of the season,” Coughlin said. “We made up some good ground today and, of course, we wanted to capitalize a little more there in the final but we had some mechanical issues that prevented us from turning on a fourth win light.”

The points could have been even better for Coughlin if he had pulled off his 66th career victory but his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro stalled a few times as he warmed up for a tense final-round race against Aaron Stanfield. Nevertheless, Coughlin left first on his young rival but ultimately didn’t have enough for Stanfield’s 6.535 at 211.03 mph, crossing himself in 6.611 at 207.53 mph.

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Troy Coughlin Jr. welcomes new sponsor BENMIT

HOUSTON – It wasn’t that long ago that five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. was in full control of the factory hot rod class. He raced to three finals in the first four races, winning twice, and was more than two rounds ahead of Jason Line and almost four rounds up on his Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders.

But with only 10 races on the COVID-shortened 2020 NHRA schedule, slip-ups can reverse one’s fortunes in short order, as Coughlin discovered after two unlikely first-round exits, which helped flip the table in the standings. He now trails Enders by four and a half rounds and Line by three.

“We need a perfect scorecard from here on out to even have a glimpse of hope,” Coughlin admitted. “Fortunately, we made a lot of progress in Dallas and the final two races left on the schedule both take place at tracks where we have historically done very well so we feel good about finishing strong.

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