NHRA Pro Stock - Coughlin Sonoma Preview

Delaware, Jul. 24, 2012: In 2012, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is making his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after a one-year hiatus. Jeg Jr is driving the all-new JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger in the Pro Stock class. In his first outing since his return, he drove to a runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals.

After the first 13 rounds, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is ranked 12th in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings but he is just 26 points out of the top ten.

Jeg Jr has recorded two Pro Stock wins in Sonoma including his last appearance here in 2010 where he defeated Jason Line in the final. Jeg Jr also won the 2003 event by beating Greg Anderson in the final. In addition to his two wins, Jeg Jr has a runner-up at the 2008 Sonoma race, losing to then-teammate Dave Connolly in the final.

In 12 career appearances in Sonoma, Jeg Jr has a round win record of 20-10 in Pro Stock competition.

Jeg Jr qualified No. 1 at the 2001 Sonoma Nationals; He has qualified in the top spot 17 times in his Pro Stock career. In 11 career appearances in Sonoma, Jeg Jr has qualified in the top half of the field eight times and his average starting position is No. 7.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a four-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2008. As a sportsman driver, Jeg Jr also claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.

In 2010, his most recent season in Pro Stock competition, Jeg Coughlin Jr. won four Pro Stock races in seven final round appearances. He also claimed a win in the Top Dragster class at the St. Louis event.

Including Sonoma Raceway, Jeg Coughlin Jr. has won at least one NHRA national event at 22 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA Full Throttle tour where he has not won are the track in Norwalk and Charlotte.

Jeg Jr’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.520-seconds and his best speed is 212.29-mph both recorded at the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C. in 2010.

Jeg Jr will once again be pulling double duty in Sonoma as he continues to the wheel his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak entry in Stock Eliminator. Earlier this year, family friend Jeff Taylor drove the car to a Lucas Oil Series victory. At last week’s event in Denver, Jeg Jr drove the car to a semifinal finish.

Coughlin’s JEGS Mopar Dodge Avenger is powered by Mopar Hemi engines supplied by JNR Racing, the JEGS in-house engine program founded by Jeg Coughlin, Nick Ferri, and Roy Simmons. The car is tuned by crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia.

During his hiatus from Pro Stock racing in 2011, Jeg Jr returned to his roots and spent much of the year racing in various sportsman classes. He enjoyed tremendous success, winning the Super Comp title at the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif., and numerous major E.T. bracket racing titles.

At the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event last April in Las Vegas, Jeg Jr scored his 68th career national event title when he drove his JEGS.com dragster to the Super Comp title.

In 296 career Pro Stock races, Jeg Jr has reached the final round 85 times, recording 52 wins. Including his 16 sportsman victories, Jeg Jr has won a total of 68 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 107 final rounds, 85 as a professional and 22 as a sportsman racer.

Jeg Jr is one of only two drivers, along with Peter Biondo, to win national event titles in six different categories. He has won in Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster.

With 52-career Pro Stock wins, Jeg Jr ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (74) have more titles.

During his Pro Stock career, Jeg Jr has recorded 479 round wins while incurring just 228 losses. He has failed to advance past the opening round just 74 times.