NHRA - Team JEGS / Pre-race Notes

Norwalk, June 21, 2011: The NHRA Norwalk Nationals will be the seventh race in the ten-event 2011 Get Screened America Pro Mod Series. Troy Coughlin will once again be in action with his turbocharged JEGS.com Pontiac GTO.

At the most recent event, at Bristol Dragway, Troy qualified solidly in the field with a 6.12 that was good for the No. 13 spot and then defeated No. 4 qualifier Ed Hoover in round one. Troy’s day ended in the quarterfinals when he encountered a problem on the starting line and red-lighted in his race against series points leader Khalid Balooshi.

Troy finished fourth in the 2010 Get Screened America Pro Mod Series. He is currently ranked 13th but is just 19 points out of the top ten.

In his last trip to Norwalk for the 2010 NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod event, Troy qualified solidly in the No. 13 spot before losing in round one against eventual race winner Pat Musi.

In Norwalk, Troy will once again be racing a Pontiac GTO in Gainesville that is owned by Team JEGS crew chief Jake Hairston and his family. The car is powered by a 396-cid turbocharged engine and has already run speeds of nearly 250-mph. Troy is currently awaiting completion of his own Chevy Camaro that will also feature a turbocharged engine combination.

In 2010, Troy was the only driver to qualify for all ten events in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series. He also qualified in the top half of the field four times and his average qualifying position was No. 9.

After seven of ten rounds, Troy is currently ranked 11th in the Get Screened America Pro Mod points standings and is just 13 points (or less than one round of competition) out of the top ten.

Troy’s first Pro Mod victory came at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey in 2005 when as he drove his supercharged Mustang to as win over Zack Barkledge in the final round.

Troy is one of the few Pro Mod competitors who have raced all three current engine combinations; turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous oxide assisted.

Before moving to the Pro Mod class, Troy enjoyed success in the NHRA Pro Stock class, recording two wins in 12 final round appearances. He also won the $50,000 top prize at the 2000 Winston No Bull Showdown at Bristol Dragway, a special non-points event for Pro Stock competitors.

Troy has won NHRA national event titles in three classes; Pro Stock, Pro Mod, and Super Gas. His first title came in Super Gas at the 1991 U.S. Nationals.

Troy is a former National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Pro Street champion. While racing his Pro Street car, he also won the $50,000 Big Dog event at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.

In 2007, Troy became the first NHRA Pro Mod racer to win a round of competition with a turbocharged race car when he stopped Doug Palmer in Bristol, Tenn.

Troy will be joined in Norwalk by his won, Troy Jr., who will be racing his JEGS.com Dragster in the Super Comp class. Troy is a two-time national event winner having claimed previous titles in Las Vegas (2009), and Indianapolis (2010).

At last year’s Norwalk event, Troy Jr., recorded a round three finish in Super Comp. At the end of the season, Troy was ranked eighth out of more than 1,000 racers in the Super Comp class.

The Coughlin family, including John, Troy Sr., Mike, Jeg, and Troy Jr. has combined for 91 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlin’s have won in 9 different eliminators including Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.