Jegs
Coughlin suffers rare DNQ at Gator Nationals
Courtesy of Jegs
GAINESVILLE, FL – When he started his own Pro Stock team, Jeg Coughlin Jr. knew there would be weekends when the JEGS.com / Mopar Dodge Avenger would struggle and this weekend at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals was one
of those weekends.
“We were hoping those times were behind us,” Coughlin said. “We thought we had good performance in Pomona and Phoenix. We thought we’d be a little better from the car management side. I’m having to manhandle the car a little bit right now and that’s no fun.
“We felt like we made more horsepower from Phoenix to this point, but it doesn’t show it on the boards.”
Coughlin did not make the 16-car elimination field on Saturday. His 6.597 second lap at 210.24 mph was only good enough for 19th overall. The bump spot for the race was a 6.555 at 210.83 mph.
“We’re just struggling to get the car to move early in the run,” Coughlin said. “We’re giving it a valiant effort here and we’ve got the tools to get this car in the field.”
Samantha Coughlin Livin’ the Dream in Gainesville
Courtesy of Jegs
GAINESVILLE, FL – Super Comp racer Samantha Coughlin is a bona fide national event winner who has proven to be absolutely lethal on the racetrack in her JEGS.com dragster. But when the helmet comes off, Coughlin is quick to flash a
pretty smile that usually disarms even the most hardened of opponents.
“I love to win; it’s why we race,” said Coughlin, the wife of five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. “But to me, the NHRA is more about family and friends and having fun. The relationships we’ve made out here last a lot longer than the thrill of winning a round.”
Coughlin should be plenty happy at this weekend’s 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals as she’ll be joined in competition by her husband, brother-in-law Troy Coughlin and brother Jason Kenny, who will pilot Jeg Jr.’s Super Comp dragster.
“It looks like Team JEGS will have plenty of representation,” Samantha said. “Jason and I will be racing Super Comp, Troy is starting his season in Pro Mod and Jeg is racing in Pro Stock and Stock. There will be yellow and black everywhere!
Jeg Coughlin Jr. to Chase Gatornationals Glory in Two Categories
Courtesy of Jegs
GAINESVILLE, FL – Five-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters this weekend’s 42nd annual Tire 
Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals with two chances at winning a coveted Wally trophy from one of the crown jewels on the NHRA schedule.
Coughlin, a 67-time national event winner, will be racing in two different categories at the Central Florida speedplant. He’ll be trying for his third Pro Stock Gatornationals victory in his new JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger, while also aiming for the winner’s circle in his Mopar Challenger Drag Pak Stock entry.
“I love the Gatornationals,” Coughlin said. “And this year I love it twice as much because we have two cars to race. It should be a lot of fun.
Troy Coughlin, A Title Contender in NHRA Pro Mod class
Courtesy of Jegs
GAINESVILLE, FL – Drag racer Troy Coughlin is a pretty unassuming guy, preferring to let his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro Pro Mod car make all the statements about his team’s performance. However, this year the soft-spoken world champion from Delaware, Ohio, can’t help but make a bold statement (at least for him) about his chances in the NHRA
Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx, which begins this weekend in Central Florida as part of the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals.
“We have all the ingredients to win the championship,” Coughlin said. “I can’t think of a reason why we won’t be in contention at every race. I believe the team that wins it all will be the one that makes the least amount of mistakes and we have a veteran group over here so we should be in good shape.”
The main reason for Coughlin’s optimism is the addition of noted crew chief Steve Petty, who joined Team JEGS in the off-season. Petty tuned four of the last five winners on the 2011 tour, posting victories in Bristol, Indianapolis, Charlotte and Las Vegas with a trio of drivers that ran the same turbo combination Coughlin will have this year.
Troy Coughlin Jr. to showcase new dragster at Memphis high roller event
Courtesy of Jegs
MEMPHIS, TN – Eager to hit the race track with his all-new JEGS.com dragster, Troy Coughlin Jr. will make his 2012 
season debut at next weekend’s Dixie House Café Ironman $50K, a special $50,000-to-win high stakes E.T. bracket racing event at Memphis International Raceway.
In addition to the $50,000 main event on Saturday, March 10, there will also be a pair of $10,000-to-win events on Friday and Sunday, making the event very lucrative for the sport’s top E.T. drivers. Coughlin is determined to get his hands on a share of the massive payout.
“It’s been a busy winter but I’m ready to go racing again,” said the third-generation JEGS driver. “I really enjoy bracket racing because it’s so competitive and I can think of 50,000 good reasons to go to this race. I know all the best racers will be here but that’s what I want. I love the competition. And, it’s always nice to have the yellow and black [JEGS colors] on hand at these big races, too.”
Jeg and Samantha Coughlin take South Georgia detour
Courtesy of Jegs
CECIL, GA – As he prepares to continue his pursuit of the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock championship at the upcoming Tire Kingdom Gatornationals, five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin will make a slight detour this weekend to
compete in the Southeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at South Georgia Motorsports Park.
But instead of his 210-mph Pro Stock Dodge Avenger, Coughlin will be behind the wheel of his JEGS.com Mopar Drag Pak Challenger Stock Eliminator entry and his JEGS.com Super Comp dragster, while his wife, Samantha, will also make her season debut behind the wheel of her JEGS.com Super Comp dragster.
Jeg has not raced in Stock Eliminator since last season’s JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals but he knows that his Drag Pak Challenger is more than capable of reaching the winner’s circle. The yellow and black Mopar did just that two weeks ago when longtime Coughlin friend Jeff Taylor drove it to victory at the Southeast Division event in Gainesville, Fla.
Coughlin rides the ragged edge in first-round loss in Phoenix
Courtesy of Jegs
PHOENIX, AZ – Following qualifying for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Pro Stock ace Jeg Coughlin Jr. said the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger needed to get more aggressive for Sunday’s first round matchup with Jason Line.
For the first half of the race, that plan looked like it was working to perfection, but just when things were looking good for the five-time world champ the JEGS.com Dodge made a couple of sideways moves and Coughlin had to cut off the power.
“It was a bit of a handful,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been working to try and get this car to be a little more efficient downtrack. The car went a little bit left and we couldn’t get it back right into the groove. At every gear change it was getting more upset. It got really loose in third and all the way through fourth gear.
“Eventually, I had to throw in the towel. We were still ahead of him at halftrack, even though I wasn’t even under power. It never really felt like we were at that point of no return, but a split-second longer, it might have told me different.”
Coughlin, JEGS.com Dodge looking to make waves in Phoenix
Courtesy of Jegs
PHOENIX, AZ – For the second straight race, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger are starting Sunday’s NHRA Arizona Nationals from the bottom half of the ladder, but as he proved last week, a subpar qualifying
effort rarely equals an early exit for Coughlin.
“It’s not where we want to start from,” Coughlin said. “We’re still trying to feel our way around with this car at this racetrack.”
Coughlin will start Sunday’s eliminations from the No. 15 spot after a best qualifying run of 6.624 seconds at 208.91 mph. Last weekend in Pomona, Coughlin reached the Pro Stock finals out of the No. 14 spot.
“We made some pretty big changes to the car for our last qualifying session,” Coughlin said. “It looks like it liked them. The ET didn’t really show it, but what we’re seeing on the graph certainly looks like we’re on the right track.”
Coughlin #2 in Pro Stock Points after one race with new car!
Courtesy of Jegs
PHOENIX, AZ – Five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. wasted little time in re-establishing himself as a top contender in the NHRA 
Pro Stock class with a surprising runner-up finish at last Sunday’s season-opening event in Pomona, Calif. Now the 67-time national event winner turns his attention to Firebird International Raceway and this weekend’s 28th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals.
“We had a big day in Pomona, for sure,” Coughlin said. “It’s given the guys reason to smile and it put a little pep in everyone’s step. At the same time, as all the veterans on this race team know, we’ve got a long way to go, so we’ll enjoy the next few days then get over to Phoenix and see if we can’t make some more memories.”
While it’s not a shock to see Coughlin at the top of the rankings, it is astonishing to see such early success given the fact his team didn’t exist at this time one year ago. Coughlin didn’t race professionally in 2011 and didn’t even entertain a return to the pro ranks until late in the spring. That’s when he partnered with Mopar to field the JEGS.com / Mopar Dodge Avenger.
Coughlin, JEGS.com Dodge finish runner-up in return to Pro Stock
Courtesy of Jegs
POMONA, CA – Jeg Coughlin Jr. might have a new car, new engine and a new team, 
but his reputation as the toughest out in the NHRA is exactly the same as before he took a one-year hiatus.
Coughlin and the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger finished runner-up to Greg Anderson on Sunday at the season opening NHRA Winternationals, his first race back following a year away from the pro ranks.
“I did feel like I drove well this weekend,” Coughlin said. “But the team I have behind me gives me a lot of confidence. That’s worth a lot behind the wheel.”
Anderson left second but had enough muscle to work around Coughlin and turn on the win light in the final. Anderson crossed the finish line in 6.549 seconds at 210.87 mph, while Coughlin finished in 6.586 seconds at 209.62 mph.
Coughlin, who was the No. 14 qualifier, beat Ronnie Humphrey, Vincent Nobile and Mike Edwards on his march to the finals against Anderson.
“Coming into the day, we feel like we had the performance to be a dark horse,” Coughlin said. “We hadn’t quite hit our stride through the first three rounds of qualifying, and when we came out with that 6.58 (second pass) with that first run, we weren’t far off from the quickest guy. We felt like we could peck away it and put ourselves in position to go a few more rounds and maybe win a race today.”
