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Three-time Norwalk winner Troy Coughlin Jr. leads Team JEGS into home state race

NORWALK, OH – For the Buckeye State-proud members of Team JEGS, nothing compares to racing in their native Ohio, which is why this weekend’s NHRA national event in Norwalk is always circled on the racing calendar.

Led by three-time Norwalk winner Troy Coughlin Jr., the driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stocker, this event’s yellow-and-black attack will also feature three-time Division 3 champion Mike Coughlin in Top Alcohol Dragster and Mike’s teenaged son Clay, who is racing in Super Stock in his first NHRA national event.

“I always love racing with family, I love racing in the great state of Ohio, and it’s great when you know you’ll have a ton of support in the stands with all the JEGS associates who are always on hand, so this weekend checks all the boxes for me,” Troy Jr. said. “To be here for my cousin Clay’s national-event debut is also really cool. It’s a very exciting weekend for all of us at JEGS.

“We found some issues with the suspension and shocks on our racecar since the last race and everything has been corrected so we’re looking to have a strong rebound race. My thanks to Mark Ingersoll, Kyle Bates, Ricky Calloway, and Kelly Murphy for all the extra hours they’ve put in getting this new RJ Race Cars chassis up to speed.”

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Promising to obey the rules, Troy Coughlin Jr. returns to Bristol with lots of enthusiasm

BRISTOL, TN – Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. isn’t the type of guy to break the rules, despite what his history at Bristol Dragway may indicate. Either way, he promises to walk a straight path at this weekend’s Thunder Valley Nationals. Honest!

Long before he started driving the JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro for Elite Motorsports, Coughlin was the sport’s biggest superfan, especially when his father Troy Coughlin Sr. was racing. At times, watching dad required “bending” the rules a little bit, something he pushed to the extreme one memorable race day in Bristol.

“I was like 10 years old and Dad was in the Winston ‘No Bull’ Showdown,” Troy Jr. said. “At that point he hadn’t won a Pro Stock race but his car was stout that weekend and he was driving really well. They’d hyped up that race with the big money prizes and everything and it was so exciting to watch him work his way through eliminations.”

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Uniqueness of racing in New England rings a special chord with drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr.

EPPING, NH – Drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. doesn’t need to look far to find motivation for a big performance at this weekend’s ninth annual NHRA Nationals, where he’ll try to drive his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to the winner’s circle of New England Dragway.

“Just look at the fans in the pits and up in the stands,” Coughlin said. “That’s all it takes. They are completely out of their minds with excitement that we’re racing there. It’s like they’re stunned all these big-time professional teams have made the trip to this local track in Epping, New Hampshire, to do our thing.

“I feed off of that vibe because I’m still a big fan at heart. I always say I’m the luckiest kid in the pits and I believe that more and more each year. I really want our team to put its best foot forward and perform at the highest level to put on the best show possible for these fans because they deserve it.”

To that end, Coughlin and the rest of his teammates at Elite Motorsports used the 40-day break since the last Pro Stock race to do some testing in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Pair of Team JEGS drag racing champs looking for final piece of Houston history

HOUSTON, TX –  This weekend’s 35th running of the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park is the grand finale at the famous Southeast Texas quarter mile strip, placing a lot of significance on the event. Team JEGS championship-winning drag racers Troy Coughlin Jr. and Mike Coughlin are certainly anxious to add their names to HRP’s history book with last-chance wins in their respective categories, Pro Stock and Top Alcohol Dragster.

“It’s the last race ever at Houston Raceway Park and I’d love to get my first-ever win in Pro Stock to mark this really special occasion,” said Troy Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock entry. “My uncle Jeg won his first Pro Stock race here back in 1997 and went on to win 64 more in the class, including a total of five at this track, so this place has definitely been kind to Team JEGS through the years.

“Plus, my dad (Troy Sr.) made his Pro Stock debut here in 1994 and my uncle John won Super Gas here in 1995. There’s lots of history for the sport and for our family at HRP.”

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That new car smell has Pro Stocker Troy Coughlin Jr. jazzed up for Las Vegas race

LAS VEGAS – Few things excite car lovers more than getting a brand-new ride, which is exactly why Pro Stock frontrunner Troy Coughlin Jr. is jazzed up for this weekend’s Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Coughlin recently took possession of a 2022 RJ Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro clad in the legendary yellow-and-black colors of JEGS.com. Rick and Rickie Jones, the owners of RJ Race Cars, relied on a lot of input from Coughlin to build the car to his needs. They have been involved with Elite Motorsports as either crew chiefs or consultants through all of their championship-winning seasons.

“This is one awesome machine,” Coughlin said. “This is actually the first Pro Stock car I’ve driven that was built specifically for me so it’s just about as perfect as you can imagine. Everything feels so natural and the fit is exact. I’ve got all the space I need in the cockpit. I’ve never felt so comfortable behind the wheel.

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Championship leader Mike Coughlin leads Top Alcohol Dragster class into ‘Baby Gators’

GAINESVILLE, FL – Fresh off a huge win at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Southern California, Mike Coughlin arrives at this weekend’s “Baby Gators” at Gainesville Raceway as the No. 1-ranked driver in Top Alcohol Dragster.

In just his second race in the category, Coughlin beat-down the West Coast heavies in his nitro-injected JEGS.com McPhillips Racing dragster. Now the three-time Division 3 champion hopes to repeat the feat on the opposite side of the country and there’s no reason to think he can’t make it happen.

“I looked at the standings the other day and there we were in the top spot, so I called Rich (McPhillips, car owner) and said, ‘Hey, I sure like the look of this,'” Coughlin said with a chuckle. “And he said, ‘Well, let’s try to keep it that way,’ so that’s exactly what we’re hoping to do.

“The team is just so good. They actually went to a regional event in Belle Rose (Louisiana) last weekend and won that race also with Matt Cummings in the driver’s seat so they’re a perfect two-for-two so far. I’d love nothing more than to make it three in a row.”

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Runner-up finish in Arizona vaults Troy Coughlin Jr. from 10th to fourth in points

CHANDLER, AZ – Troy Coughlin Jr. drag raced like a seasoned veteran Sunday at Wild Horse Motorsports Park, beating three championship rivals — two via holeshots starts — en route to his first runner-up finish of the season. Only his teammate Aaron Stanfield could stop him, using identical horsepower from Elite Motorsports to eke out a .01-second victory at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Reaching a Pro Stock final for the third time in his short two-year career was impressive, especially considering Coughlin was outside the 16-car field before making his third-and-final qualifying pass. That run of 6.535 seconds at 210.50 mph made all the difference as it pushed his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro all the way up to the fourth spot on the elimination ladder, setting the table for a big day.

“That was a big turning point right there,” Coughlin said of his final time trial run. “We had some electrical gremlins with the EFI stuff that had been haunting us but the guys were relentless in chasing it down and fixing the car. They made the right choices when they had to with some pretty extreme pressure on them. I’m so proud of this group.

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Shock result: Pro Stocker Troy Coughlin Jr. vows quick rebound in Phoenix

CHANDLER, AZ – A loose nut inside of the right rear shock was determined to be the culprit in a forgettable start to the 2022 season for Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. Fortunately, the problem has been quickly corrected, leaving the third-generation pro anxious to prove himself at this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals.

“It was a fluke thing, something that rarely happens, but it’s been fixed by our good friend Adam Lambert at Precision Racing Suspension and we are all very determined to rebound with a big weekend at Wild Horse Motorsports Park,” Coughlin said. “Once the guys started analyzing the data it became apparent something was hurting us early in each pass. It was a simple process of elimination from there and they discovered that loose nut in the right rear shock that had backed-off, which was throwing off the balance of the car.

“Phoenix will be the perfect place to get past this and turn in a big result. It’s a long season and there will always be races that don’t live up to your expectations. How we react is key.”

Sun Devil Auto, a local group of service centers in the Phoenix area, will ride prominently on the rear quarter panels of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in Phoenix. The Elite team also will host a group of Sun Devil Auto employees on race day to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the company.

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Mike Coughlin wins Top Alcohol Dragster at season-opening Lucas Oil Winternat’ls

Ohioan has now captured national event titles in five different classes

POMONA, CA – It didn’t take Mike Coughlin very long to make his mark in Top Alcohol Dragster, winning the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Sunday afternoon in just his second start in the challenging, high-speed elimination class.

Combined with past national event victories in Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Super Comp and Pro Stock Truck, Coughlin joins an elite group of drivers in the history of the sport to have mastered five or more categories.

“I still can’t believe it,” Coughlin said. “To be sitting here waiting for our turn in the Winner’s Circle at such an historic drag strip is just hard to grasp, especially since I still feel like I’ve got so much to learn in this class. These guys at McPhillips Racing are just so good. All the credit goes to them.”

After just a pair of runs in preseason testing, Coughlin and his McPhillips Racing crew came out firing with an opening salvo of 5.233 seconds at 270.81 mph, placing the JEGS.com Dragster on the top step of the elimination ladder.

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Troy Coughlin Jr. sets his path to NHRA Pro Stock championship season

Mike Coughlin steps up to Top Alcohol Dragster

POMONA, CA – After finishing a career-best sixth in the Pro Stock championship points last season, Troy Coughlin Jr. arrives at this weekend’s season-opening 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals with a clear and simple plan to challenge for the 2022 title.

“There’s no real secret to it,” the third-generation professional said. “We have to run at the top level, every member of the team needs to stay focused, and we need to be persistent and consistent every race weekend. That’s all. You want to put yourself in the best position possible to have a chance at the end of the season.

“We want to set a routine, starting right now at this weekend’s race, where we create a winning attitude with a winning car. As a driver, I need to be as competitive as I can be without being too emotional. There’s a long season ahead and there will be lots of twists and turns. It’s up to me to find the right path and try to be at my best at all times.”

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