Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes

Morrison, July 10-12, 2009: Jeg Coughlin enters this weekend’s NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver as the top ranked Pro Stock driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He has claimed five wins in 12 events this season and currently enjoys a 68-point lead over second place Mike Edwards.

Following last weekend’s second round finish in Norwalk, Ohio, Jeg has become the first racer to officially clinch one of the ten spots available in the Countdown to one phase of the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock championship. Jeg could elect to sit out the next six events and would still be guaranteed a spot in the NHRA playoffs, which begin at the Charlotte event, Sept. 17-20.

Jeg has two career Pro Stock wins at Bandimere Speedway in Denver. He won back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, his first appearance in Denver, Jeg defeated Warren Johnson in the final round. The 1999 race featured an all-Coughlin final as Jeg defeated his older brother, Troy. Jeg was also runner-up at the 2003 Denver race, losing to Warren Johnson in the final.

In 248 career Pro Stock races, Jeg has reached the final round 75 times, recording 46 wins. Including his 13 sportsman victories, Jeg has won a total of 59 times, good for tenth place on NHRA’s all time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 81 final rounds, 63 as a professional and 18 as a sportsman racer.

At the recent Norwalk race, Jeg won the $50,000 top prize in the K&N Filter Horsepower Challenge. Jeg defeated Greg Anderson in the final and has now won the specialty event three times in his career. His other wins came in 1999 and 2000.

In 12 events this season, Jeg has five wins, two runner-up, and two semifinal finishes to his credit. In addition to his victories in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Madison, Joliet and Englishtown, he was also a runner-up in Atlanta and Houston. Jeg’s round win record for the 2009 season is 33-7. By comparison, Jeg’s record was 19-10 at this point in 2008.

Jeg has won at least one NHRA national event title at 21 different tracks. Currently, there are just two facilities where Jeg has not won, Norwalk Raceway Park and zMax Dragway, which have combined to host just four NHRA events.

In ten career appearances at Bandimere Speedway, Jeg has a career round win record of 15-8. Jeg has also qualified in the top half of the field five times, including a best of No. 2 in 1999. His average qualifying position in Denver is No. 8.

Jeg is one of just two NHRA professional racers without a first round loss this season. The other is Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown.

With 46 career Pro Stock wins, Jeg ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85) and Greg Anderson (57) have more titles.

Jeg is the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion. He has earned four NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock titles in his career, including back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. His other titles came in 2000 and 2002. As a sportsman racer, Jeg also captured the Super Gas championship in 1992.

In Norwalk, Jeg’s girlfriend, Samantha Kenny, claimed a victory in the Super Comp class, making her the 51st woman to win an NHRA national event title.