Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes - NHRA Carolinas Nationals (NHRA/JEGS)
Jeg Coughlin Jr / Pre-race Notes NHRA Carolinas Nationals zMax Dragway Concord, N.C. (Sept. 17-20) The Carolinas Nationals is the first of six events in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff that will determine the 2009 Full Throttle Champions. Jeg Coughlin enters the event as the top seeded driver in the Pro Stock class and will begin the Countdown with 2,110 points, 30 more than second-place Jason Line. Jeg won the Pro Stock title at the most recent NHRA event, the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The win was the 61st of Jeg’s career and he is one of just nine racers to win 60 or more NHRA national events. The others are John Force (126), Warren Johnson (96), Bob Glidden (85), Frank Manzo (84), Pat Austin (75), David Rampy (71), Kenny Bernstein (69), and Dan Fletcher (63). Jeg earned the top seed in the Countdown to the Championship by winning seven of the season’s first 17 events. This season, he has recorded wins in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Madison, Joliet, Englishtown, Reading, and Indianapolis. Jeg also earned runner-up honors at the NHRA events in Atlanta and Houston. Jeg’s round win record through 18 of 24 events in 2009 is 47-11. By comparison, his record for the entire 24-race 2008 season was 43-20. In 254 career Pro Stock races, Jeg has reached the final round 77 times, recording 48 wins. Including his 13 sportsman victories, Jeg has won a total of 61 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all time wins list. During his career, Jeg has appeared in 95 final rounds, 77 as a professional and 18 as a sportsman racer. At the inaugural Carolinas Nationals last season, Jeg began his run to the Full Throttle Pro Stock championship by qualifying No. 2 and reaching the semifinal round. zMax Dragway is one of just two facilities where Jeg has not won a national event title (the other is Norwalk, Ohio). Jeg has won national events at 21 different NHRA facilities. 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. Of the 145 professional drivers who have entered NHRA competition this year in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, Jeg is the only driver who has not lost in the opening round of competition. For his career, Jeg has failed to advance past the first round just 56 times in 254 races. Following last weekend’s final round victory over Greg Stanfield, Jeg has now won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals four times. He has won Pro Stock titles in 2009, 2002 and 2000 and was also the Super Gas champion in 1992. In addition to his seven national event victories this season, Jeg also won the $50,000 top prize in the K&N Filter Horsepower Challenge held in Norwalk. 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. Jeg will be joined in Concord by his nephew, 18-year old Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be driving his JEGS.com dragster in the Super Comp class. Troy Jr. is in his first full season of NHRA racing and has already tuned in several late-round finishes. Jeg Coughlin Jr - By The Numbers NHRA Carolinas Nationals edition 7 - Number of victories for Jeg Coughlin this season in 18 events 21 - Number of NHRA facilities where Jeg has won at least one Pro Stock event during his career. (The only current tracks where he has not won are Norwalk and Charlotte) 47 - Number of round wins for Jeg this season, against just 11 losses 254 - Career Pro Stock races for Jeg Coughlin 628 - Career rounds in Pro Stock for Jeg Coughlin, (435 wins and 193 losses for a .692 career winning percentage) --30-- Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at _www.jegs.com_ (http://www.jegs.com/) and for media/fan resources checkout _www.teamjegs.com_ (http://www.teamjegs.com/) . Media Contact: Scott "Woody" Woodruff JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports Office: 800.345.4545 (3.412) Mobile: 614.595.1820 Fax: 740.362.4385 Email: _jegspr@aol.com_ (mailto:jegspr@aol.com) -or- _scott.woodruff@jegs.com_ (mailto:scott.woodruff@jegs.com)